Young Cambodians slay the 90s trend

Stephanie Ouk, 20, Year 3 student, Department of Media and Communication, Royal University of Phnom Penh.

Stephanie is wearing a floral dress, a clothing piece which was incredibly popular among ladies back in the early 90s. This type of dress usually has short sleeves and ends just right above the knees – giving off that girl-next-door vibe. Her luscious curls are bundled up into a ponytail to give more attention to the red bandana, which she subtly matched to her floral dress. To complete the look, she added a pair of hoop earrings to appear more chic and hip. “I mostly got inspiration from celebrity, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram,” she said.

Steveyuthanna Tep, 23, skateboarder and member of the National Karate Team.

Presenting Tep Steveyuthana, a Cambodian skater who never goes out of style. “I love dressing casual and on trend,” said the skater boy who is known by many as Steve. You probably had a favourite skater back in the late 90s who had sported the same beanie on his head, just like Steve is now. The yellow-tinted sunglasses was meant to add a touch of summer feel to the look. He didn’t just stop there with the accessories. Steve added a silver necklace over his tee to come off a little modern and fresh. The 90s skater silhouette was all about the cargo pants, making them an essential piece to recreate the look. Here, Steve has decided to continue the summer-theme with Nike Air Jordan 1s in colour that matched his eyewear well.

Elli Elli, 20, vintage clothing shop owner

Introducing Elli Elli, a 20-year-old whose love for vintage fashion has pushed her into opening her own shop selling secondhand goods. This mirror selfie not only showcases Ellie’s personal style, but also offers a peek into her shop. Rocking a pink beanie hat, she kept the retro vibes going with a pair of tiny sunglasses recently made popular again by fashionistas such as Kendall Jenner. Describing her personal style as tomboy and trendy, Elli has successfully toned down her “statement piece” – which is an oversized shirt boasting the picture of a tiger – by pairing it with a pair of black slacks. “These vintage items have their own values and history which makes me excited to own them. I have never expected to earn anything out of my love for fashion, I just wanted to share this passion with others who appreciate the same style”.

Sreymeas Sin, 24, camera seller.

Sreymeas Sin has always been fond of Western style. As fashion of the 90s is making a comeback, it was not hard for her to jump on the bandwagon. “I’m more of a tomboy and the style itself is comfy,” she explained. In the picture she is donning an oversized patterned shirt, revealing a black bodysuit on the inside. The 90’s vibes are more prominent when she brilliantly topped off the look with a high-waist Mom jeans – an essential bottoms that fit women of all shapes. Meanwhile, the pair of Nike Air Jordan 1 on her feet has retro written all over the triple colourways. This is a good example of adding modern vibes to the 90’s silhouette. If you want to create a cool look that is similar to this, you can probably start by raiding your mom’s closet.

Lawrence, 23, a graduate student majoring in Japanese business

Here Lawrence is sporting vintage fashion from top to bottom. This young Cambodian is adventurous when it comes to fashion – he is unafraid to take chances and not shy to show off his sense of style. With his perfectly-styled hair, he makes everything look effortless. Despite other visual on goings such as his striped pants or tucked in button-up shirt, the focus is still on his accessories – classic, black sunglasses and a silver chain choker. The whole look is punctuated with white All-Star sneakers, an iconic footwear similarly worn by some of the biggest rock stars in the likes of The Strokes. According to him, “I looked at my family’s old picture and found those clothes looked cool and inspirational. I’m not into trends, I can’t just let fashion own me. 90s fashion is not old, it is nostalgic.”