What does personal style mean to you? To many, it’s more than just the clothes off their backs — it’s the freedom to express who they are on the inside before even saying a word. While we all have a personal sense of style, no two individuals are exactly the same when it comes to the way they dress. In this column I Want Her Style, we speak to the stylish individuals of Singapore, and find out what makes their minds tick when it comes to fashion, and the people who inspire them.
Google Hashy Yusof’s name and you will immediately find articles on how the home-grown singer-songwriter and content creator had to undergo a major spinal surgery to remove a tumour when she was just 20 years old.
Describing that ordeal as one of her “darkest moments”, she shared how it all started in 2013 after a bad fall onstage during her participation in the local reality singing competition show The Final 1, after which she had to contend with an early exit as her health took priority.
After the fall, Hashy went for an MRI scan, and that was when doctors discovered a tumour growing in her spinal cord. Not only was she suddenly confronted with the possibility of becoming permanently disabled, Hashy was also forced to drop out of the second competition she had joined at the time, The New Paper New Face 2016 modelling contest, to have the operation.
Despite these setbacks, Hashy was determined in pursuing her dream of entering the local entertainment scene. Exactly a year following a successful surgery and post-op recovery, where she had to learn how to walk all over again, she took part in the 2017 edition of The New Paper New Face contest – an achievement that was “so much fun”, she reminisces cheerfully.
That confidence is certainly hard won for Hashy. While she did not clinch the title, she made it to the finals and that exposure opened doors for her, as her success story of overcoming such a life-changing ordeal caught the attention of the media. Springboarding off this spotlight, the singer-songwriter got her music career off the ground and, in 2020, dropped her first single Someone New.
With good humour and a dash of cheekiness, ashy’s sunny personality is perfectly fine-tuned to her multifaceted career path – just like her fashion sensibilities. Now, the 28-year-old has embarked on a new journey with her fashion label Solola House. Conceptualised as a brand that exemplifies her aesthetic of “elevated staples”, the label launched in August this year.
Hashy reveals that she designed the collection herself, finding the role of designer a natural pivot from her music career as it gave her the creative freedom to produce something tangible.
She shares: “It’s a passion project that I have been attempting for a few years now, and it was a real challenge as I was designing the debut collection during the pandemic.”
Hashy has also experimented with her personal style over the past 10 years, and she feels that she’s finally found a look she’s comfortable with. “Simple is my mantra. I don’t like to overthink!” she proclaims. Her go-to colour palette of beige, black and white hints at her minimalist style.
“I love repeating outfits, albeit styled differently. My friends and I would joke that I’m always wearing my ‘uniform’,” she says.
Not slowing down on the creative (and fashion) front, Hashy opens up on how style and music are her forms of artistic expression and shares how one can ace a capsule wardrobe daily.
Simple is my mantra. I don’t like to overthink!
The relationship between music and fashion is…
One that goes hand-in-hand. For me, the music that I do is very soft, slow and melancholic. That’s my vibe in three words.
The best thing about fashion today is…
Seeing trends come back and how they have been reimagined.
When purchasing new clothes or accessories…
It has to be versatile so I can dress it up or down. It’s important that I feel good in it, and that it can be worn multiple times.
An outfit is not complete without…
A cute bag! It instantly transforms a simple outfit into something more quirky.
When I get compliments on how I dress…
I get so shy, but I love sharing where I get my clothes. No gatekeeping!
My favourite look is…
One of the key pieces from Solola House: the versatile slip dress. I love how different the dress can look depending on the occasion.
When it comes to fashion, you can never have enough…
Well-fitted highwaist trousers – they’re flattering on every body type!