“Babies” born in the year 2000 are now in JCs, Polys and ITEs, with some even going to NS soon. If you’ve lived your childhood or teenage days in the 90s, you’ve to admit that you’re now an uncle or auntie.
Whatever you’ve worn in the 90s might have been foreign, or even weird, now. If you recognize any of the brands below, congrats: you belong to the generation where fashion wasn’t influenced by Korean shows, but by your friends.
No Fear
Whether you were an Ah Beng, Ah Seng, Tom, Dick or Harry, you used to have one of these T-shirts in your wardrobe. And they were usually so body-hugging, you couldn’t breathe as you donned this most fashionable (and most affordable) brand then.
Pure Milk
The female version of No Fear, it was either pink or white. I don’t know why it’s called Pure Milk, and I guess no one knows as well—everyone just assumed that as long as you wore one of those, Ah Bengs will come looking for you to “stead”.
Alien Workshop Jeans
The logo is just so damn cool, you just can’t ignore it. Forget about baggy, slim-fit or bell-bottom jeans—as long as you were wearing an Alien, you were considered cool.
Polo Ralph Lauren Polo-T with Upturned Collar
Once upon a time, the upturned collar was the trend—everyone turned up their collar and most associated Polo Ralph Lauren with the upturned collar. The popped collar could have been made popular by Eric Cantona, a Manchester United player whom we all used to support then.
Now, spot an upturned collar and you’ll get charged by the fashion police.
Versace
It didn’t matter whether you had the real thing or not—either you Versace or you don’t. If you think the name is catchy and loud, wait till you see the designs.
JPG Wallet
Nowadays, you’ll associate JPG with an image file. Many years ago, JPG was a wallet. A wallet so long, it protruded out of your back pocket.
Converse Sneakers + Sandals
Now, Converse might just be a brand to you, but in the 90s, it was the life of every teenager. When you were out, you either put on a pair of Converse shoes for your paktor in Orchard or a pair of Converse sandals for your dabao.
Fila
The “cousin” of Converse, if you prefer something more different, you go for Fila instead. In the past, there were lots of Converse and Fila shops around. Now? Fila si simi?
Crumpler Bags
Whether it’s the real McCoy or those found in pasar malam, everyone who wanted to look cool had to carry one of these, even if they were in their office wear.
It was loud, and that was how people in the 90s became loud: they wore loud, not shout loud on Facebook.
Adidas Superstar Sneakers
You can still find these sneakers in shops, but in the past, you would find them in everyone’s foot. Whether it has three strips, four strips or even five strips, the background is always white, and it’s always yellowish after a while.
Zinc Bags
To a 90s kid, Zinc isn’t just a chemical element in the periodic table. It’s a brand that cost less than Crumpler, yet it still has that “swag” effect. Yeah, in the past, “swag” was measured by how you looked IRL, not through the lens of Instagram.
Anything From 77th Street
Anything from this hipster shop was a classic, even if you just bought a pair of ear studs. To us then, 77th Street was fashion, which is why there was such a hoo-ha when it closed down.
