“Its pyramid shape, representing Fu (fortune), Lu (prosperity), Shou (longevity) became a central symbol in my design,” he said.
As part of Qixi Fest 2025 – a local festival celebrating heritage, creativity and community – the Nafa School of Fashion Studies worked on a student-designed fashion collection that reimagined the cheongsam through the storied lens of seven communities: Peranakan, Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, Hakka, Hainanese and Shanghainese.
Mr Peh’s garment features honeycomb smocking that echoes the pyramid form of Da Gat Lau. Red beads were embedded into the smocking, reflecting the symbolic red dots marked on the kueh to represent blessings and good fortune.
The 21-year-old was also inspired by local coffee shop culture, which the Hainanese helped establish across South-east Asia. He used silk brocade fabric with floral motifs inspired by the Nanyang coffee cups found in kopitiams.
“The silhouette is kept simple yet symbolic, a quiet tribute to the Hainanese community’s enduring legacy in Singapore,” he said. “Every detail is intentional and designed to honour their stories while incorporating my own design voice.”
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to explore a culture that I’m unfamiliar with but have grown to respect deeply,” he added. “This project showed me how design can unfold meaningful stories especially for younger generations, to reconnect with and honour cultural heritage in new and relevant ways.”
Qixi Fest director Lynn Wong, who is also founder of heritage social enterprise Bridging Generations, said: “More than just traditional attire, the cheongsam also represents women’s liberation. It reached the peak of its popularity from the late 1920s to the 1960s – also the time period when the Qixi Festival was popularly celebrated in Singapore.”
Brought to Singapore by “foremothers” in the 19th century, Qixi Festival faded from public memory in the 1970s.
In 2023, Ms Wong, 36, revived Qixi Fest in Singapore as a national platform to champion cultural renewal, inspire youth creativity and foster intergenerational connection.
Qixi Fest is organised by Bridging Generations and Alliance for Singapore Chinese Culture, and supported by over 100 partners including Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Pools, myCK department store, Koufu and Kong Chow Wui Koon.
Also known as the Double Seventh Festival, the Qiqiao Festival (qiqiao means “wishing for skills” in English) and Seven Sisters Festival, it marks the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, which falls on Aug 29 in 2025.
The theme for Qixi Fest 2025 is “weaving dreams”.
Besides the cheongsams, which will be displayed at the Qixi Fest Village at Kreta Ayer Square from Aug 30 to Sept 7, there will be nine days of cultural activities such as stage performances and exhibitions at the same venue during this period from 2pm to 9pm daily.
Among them is the official presentation of the Guinness World Record certificate for the Largest Embroidery by a Team. The embroidery work attached to a canvas, measuring 60m by 3m, was created with over 600 volunteers including students, migrant workers and seniors, as part of Qixi Fest’s activities.
Meanwhile, “love” was the theme for 20-year-old Nurkharina Khairullah, who designed a Peranakan cheongsam incorporating the peony from Chinese culture, hibiscus from the Malay culture, and the Western rose. To her, the Singaporean Peranakan identity is a celebration of multiculturalism, shaped by the convergence of Chinese immigrant traditions, Malay local customs and British colonial influences.
The artful blend of the three floral designs formed the key motif of her digitally designed batik.
The Year 3 fashion design student, who is Malay Javanese, visited Mr Raymond Wong, one of the last few Peranakan kebaya makers in Singapore, for guidance. She also made a trip to the Peranakan Museum for inspiration.
“Coming up with the design is really the most challenging part,” she said. “It has to be a design that is agreeable to everyone’s taste.”
Her Peranakan cheongsam has a form-fitting inner layer crafted from breathable cotton. The outer layer is a colonial-inspired chemise, traditionally worn as an undergarment, here reimagined to reflect the East-West aesthetic fusion that defined Peranakan style.
Ms Marie Lee, lecturer at Nafa’s School of Fashion Studies’ Faculty of Art and Design, said the challenge for creating the cheongsams was to strike a balance between artistic creativity and cultural storytelling.
For Ms Lorene Chan, a Year 3 fashion business and management student, the project offered her a deeper understanding of her own Cantonese culture.
The 19-year-old created a black-and-white ensemble reminiscent of the majie’s distinctive white blouses and black trousers. She went on a guided tour in Chinatown to find out more about the majie, a group of women who hailed mostly from the Guangdong province of China and worked as domestic helpers in Singapore between the 1930s and 1970s.
The cheongsam comes with a modern twist, with intertwined laces on the sleeves reminding one of their hair braids and the sisterhood bonds between them. Loop-shaped button closures on the collar and bodice take inspiration from the double coin biscuit, a motif that represents infinite wealth and prosperity.
Ms Geraldine Ye, 21, said designing a Shanghainese cheongsam was a “golden opportunity” to explore Shanghainese culture.
The Year 3 fashion design student’s father is Hokkien, while her mother is Cantonese.
“I love monotones and often wear black and white, but my Shanghainese concept used lots of gold, drawing inspiration from the glamour of 1930s Shanghai,” she said.
Her coat has gathered folds inspired by the delicate pleats of a xiao long bao, or soup dumpling. The cheongsam’s base was inspired by the architectural details of the Shanghai Bund, with fabric panels intricately decorated with metallic embroidery, sequins (above) and pearls.
The outfits were modelled by representatives from the various communities at the Qixi Fest Cheongsam Fashion Show (above) on Aug 19 at *Scape in Orchard Road.
Former Miss Singapore Teo Ser Lee (below), who was the trainer for the models and choreographer of the show, also modelled a cheongsam for the event’s presenting partner, Singapore Pools.
“The student designers have put in a lot of effort to incorporate elements from each community’s culture and tradition into their garments, while showcasing their creativity and fresh perspectives,” she said.
“My participation is a show of support for this meaningful project.”