Humans of SG Fashion: Sabrina Li On Streetwear And Having A Perspective
In this series of features from our August edition, 10 local industry insiders from across disciplines share their observations of and aspirations for style on this little red dot. Here, Sabrina Li, who founded the streetwear distributor and creative studio Selfhood, shares her observations of where streetwear and fashion meet.
Sabrina Li founded Selfhood, her streetwear-focused fashion distribution company, three years ago. With offices now in Singapore, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong, as well as a burgeoning new creative studio, the outfit is responsible for helping bridge the geographical and cultural gaps between brands and new markets.
What makes Selfhood buzzy are the hyper-cool collaborations it helps to conceptualise for the brands it distributes. Think a hotel-themed pop-up in partnership with Seoul's cult multi-label boutique Boon The Shop to raise the profile of New York-based brand Market (formerly Chinatown Market). There's also a music-heavy slant to the company, with a radio programme and DJ events that it puts on during fashion weeks in Seoul and Paris.
A Selfhood showroom at Rue Rene Boulanger in 2020 during Paris Fashion Week.
What is your take on Singapore's fashion identity today?
“People are exploring and being experimental.”
What's the first word that comes to mind when we say 'Singapore fashion'?
“Practical.”
One defining memory of Singapore fashion for you?
“A runway show in partnership with Loof on Odeon Tower in 2009 for Singapore Fashion Week – the last official one. The models had to climb a fire escape to walk the show, and because of the glass they couldn’t hear the music so the choreographer had to cue the models to the beat.”
Favourite Singapore fashion label?
“In Good Company – I liked them from when they were Alldressedup. I was very proud then because it felt like a global brand. There was hope then: Alldressedup was at Paragon, there was news of them showing overseas at fashion week, and it was such a rare thing that, even though I wasn’t a ‘fashion person’, I knew about and was excited by it.”
Is Singapore a fashion city?
“No.”
What do you think we need to make Singapore a true fashion city?
“Give fashion more space. It has to start with landlords – if rent is not possible, no one will open a creative store. Everyone will sell the same generic things that sell. E-commerce works, but there’s no experience factor. It’s a real estate problem, and not something a designer can solve. All the big brands can set up in Singapore, and it’s so generic because they’re the ones who can afford it.”
Complete this sentence: In future, I hope that Singapore fashion...
“Can progress globally and be part of the global scene.”
“There’s a lot more to marketing streetwear than just putting a T-shirt in the store. Consumers like to be seen and communicated to, and they’re conscious about it. I’ve observed that a lot of brands don’t understand how to translate their culture and what they stand for in countries that they’re not familiar with. My company Selfhood helps brands figure out how they can exist in a local landscape and how to communicate their stories… There are Singaporean streetwear brands, but we don’t have street culture the same way the US does. A lot of our brands are based on trends, and there’s a gap in what they represent; what their point of view or story is. I've talked to retailers about Singapore labels that are carried in their stores overseas. A lot of them don’t even know that the brands are Singaporean and I don't know if that’s a good or bad thing."
"The fact is that people don’t always know what Singapore represents, adding another layer that’s needed in the communication process. So there is still a glass ceiling for many Singaporean labels (finding international success and recognition), but it’s important to be part of the global fashion scene and to have global standards of quality. it’s not even about being bougie, but quality matters in fashion. it inspires creatives, jobs and the sector as a whole – it can’t evolve without it.”
“People’s tastes change really fast and there’s different realities now in the speed of production. There’s two ends of the spectrum that are doing well: super-fast fashion like Shein that’s using AI to create their clothing, and luxury and vintage fashion that’s about craft and quality that lasts. Streetwear exists across that spectrum. At the high end, big brands are hiring streetwear designers for creative director positions. Virgil Abloh is leading the pack at Louis Vuitton, there’s Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss for Reebok and Teddy Santis from Aime Leon Dore at New Balance. Luxury and mass brands are both trying to emulate streetwear and capture that market.”
"People find streetwear appealing because it’s about individuality, being rebellious, different, and standing out. High fashion’s design concepts take time to understand. The gratification people demand from things is so fast that associating yourself with a box logo tee is a quicker way of telling people who you are. High fashion, with its craftsmanship, takes more time. Both to understand and to have the paychecks you need to buy the handbag that creates your identity. Streetwear is more accessible."
"Our job is to connect with people. It's very boring to sit in front of a computer to talk about fashion. At the end of the day, it's about experiences. People who enjoy fashion and culture enjoy life in some way. Basically, parties are the easiest way to get people together. There’s music, there's fashion because everyone’s wearing what they love, and there's conversations. You’re part of this social fabric and then it becomes obvious what this is about: it’s not just the T-shirts, it's the lifestyle, the culture… the connection with the community."
A version of this article first appeared in the August 2021 The Great SG Fashion Book edition of FEMALE