Singapore’s sexagenarian model Ong Bee Yan launches an ageless fashion capsule with local label

“When I reached 50, I couldn’t find clothes I felt comfortable in. I didn’t want to wear clothes that my mum used to wear when she was 50 years old. At the end of the day, I just got stuck with like shorts and a T-shirt. I was lost, I couldn’t find clothes that suited me, was age-appropriate and yet stylish. The choices for people of my age group are honestly very limited in the local fashion scene,” said Ong, when asked for her thoughts on fashion choices for older consumers.

Ho revealed that her customers also have the same issue. “There are a lot of ladies in their 40s and 50s who always tell us they can’t find trendy clothes and that they wish there were more brands catering to them. They don’t want to dress like they’re 50 even though they’re 50,” she shared.

It’s also a silly assumption, of course, that one should abandon her sense of style as she approaches her golden years. Ong herself is living proof that that a woman can still dress stylishly and yet age-appropriately no matter how old she is.

“I think that it’s partly a result of judgement we face from people around us, and the fear of that judgement. We tend to tell ourselves ‘oh, we shouldn’t dress that way because people will talk about me’. Then again, we are also the ones who are placing that same judgment on ourselves – like ‘I shouldn’t wear this, it’s too young for me’… We need to get out of that mentality – why should we let society determine what we should or should not wear?” said Ong.