In the 1960s, Singapore’s merger with Malaya was granted on 27 May 1961 by the then Malayan Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, under the Federation of Malaya. The Federation included Singapore, Sarawak, North Borneo, and Brunei (National Archives, 2009). Since then, the basis for defence, internal security, and economic cooperation were shaped.
“Operation Cold Storage” (February 1963) was conducted to intervene with characters who undermined the government. Although progress towards a stable community was achieved, the racial riots which broke out in 1964 and 1969 were still a problem. On 7 August 1965, Singapore and Malaysia were officially separated due to a conflict in ideology. Lee Kuan Yew rallied for a Malaysian Malaysia which was seen by Tunku Abdul Rahman as a threat to the Malays in the country. After attaining independence, Singapore joined the United Nations on 21 September 1965 and the Commonwealth of Nations on 15 October 1965 (National Archives, 2009). Henceforth, Singapore started to make significant social and economical progress.
New Trends
Although in the 1960s, there was a revolutionary decade in the history of fashion in the United Kingdom and United states, where Hippie styles were entering into the fashion mainstream Hippie styles were considered to be one of “rampant individualism,” There was a revolution from the youth group in United Kingdom and United states, to bring a new wave of fashion.
Singapore on the other hand, took measurable acts on being selective with the popular culture that is going on, especially against hippie styles fashion sense.
In the late 1970s, more measure was taken by government to prevent certain influences, primarily hippies’ styles, in reaching Singapore.
The authorities at that time associated people with long hair with hippies and drug addicts.
Jatt tells Life!: 'This is from the 1970s. I had long hair and each time I went to the post office, I was served last. People took these posters seriously. 'Once I was even picked up during a police ambush in the Peninsula Plaza area and ended up missing the show I was meant to perform at. Together with 20 other longhaired boys my age, I was locked up for 12 hours. My parents made a lot of noise after that and kept asking me to cut my hair, but I never did it.' Arts impresario Robert Liew, 60, too, recalls the poster. He says: 'We equated long hair with individualism. The Government equated it with undesirable Western influence, primarily drug consumption.
Long hair and hippies fashion sense weren’t particularly welcome by the government; it was taken as an undesirable western influence, even ties in with drug consumption. The police picking up boys, who have long hair, show how seriously the government views it. With such an authority impose on the citizen to conform to an image of short hair, clean cut and dressing unlike the hippies, such fashion sense of hippies has no room to flourish in Singapore.
Although the foreign countries like United states and united kingdom was going through changes in their culture, however the major events that is occurring in the world, did not completely influences us, as the government from 1965s onwards hold a control over the type of popular cultural influences that is coming to Singapore. Instead, the ministry of culture focuses on building Singapore own culture to deter the coming undesirable culture. Fashion that carries by the colonial, leave some remnant in Singapore, however, certain drastic fashion sense was prevented from coming into Singapore, example hippies culture.
In a sense, fashion sense was "controlled" by the government, Government has provided a certain platform for development of the fashion, yet at the same time control the direction of the fashion in the 1970s onward.
One of the statement made by Minister for Culture, Mr Jek Yuen Thong, in 1974 made this point distinctly:
Literature, music and the fine arts have a significant role to play from within the framework of nation building. A truly Singaporean art must reflect values that will serve Singapore in the long run. Faced with threats from the aggressive culture of the West, our own arts must reflect countervailing values that will be helpful to Singapore (Press release, 28 June 1974).
Although the hippies’ fashion sense didn’t has much room to grow in Singapore, youth popular culture was influence by the British and later American popular culture via media. Local radio station like Rediffusion play music like played popular music all day long and several local bands, that sounds like British bands were formed. More affluent teenagers attended concerts by foreign bands like Cliff Richards and the shadows (1961) and the rolling stones (1963).
Singapore national museum in fashion further also states that similarly, Singapore youth fashion in the 1960s became increasingly westernized with brightly colored clothes with floral or psytchedilic prints, unisex fashion and constantly changing hemlines. For the first time, shops like the Look and trend boutique were opened by and for young people. The picture below shows some of the clothes that were worn by the youth during 1960s-1970s.
Even though government was having a anti-yellow movement, the influences due to modernization upon the fashion sense was still having a certain effect upon the people of Singapore.
Another factor in the 1960s was the increasing leisure activity that was open to the public, which also influences the kind of fashion that is accepted by the people. For example, fashion choices associated with sporting pursuits were readily accepted. As sports become popular in the 1960s with physical education in school and sports activities in community centers,
sportswear like shorts , culottes and swimsuit were by view as indecent before 1960s. However became accepted by the public.
E.g. Nancy Lim wearing a midi dresses over swimsuit 1968 by courtesy of Nancy Lim
Schools that promote sports activities and leisure sports also pathway certain fashion trends into the societies and allow what was not widely accepted to something more widely acceptable by the public.Sports which gradually became a popular culture, became a medium which influences the fashion trend, introducing new styles into the fashion industry. Popular culture of different catagory does have an effect on each other.
Traditional Wear
In the 1960s, the implementation of the Women’s Charter meant greater gender equality, contributing to the emancipation of Singapore women and increasing their presence in the workforce. In this age of sexual revolution, the qipao was deemed to be oppressive, almost like the Victorian bodice. Women eschewed the traditional dress, further increasing the prevalence of Western dressing styles.
