DIA

Sarah Salleh
Sarah Salleh is a Singaporean-based fashion creative whose practice explores dress, history and cultural identity. Her work is influenced by a curiosity for the stories held within clothing, particularly how garments can reveal ideas of memory, heritage, belonging and social change. Her research is centred on Southeast Asian culture and history, with a focus on Malay identity and textile traditions. Through the study of regional dress practices, craft and cultural influences, Sarah is interested in how fashion can connect the past with the present. She hopes to make historical and cultural narratives feel relevant to contemporary audiences, showing how traditions continue to live, shift and find meaning today. Sarah is more closely drawn to the study of what others create and wear. She looks closely at the meanings behind clothing, from its historical context to the personal and collective identities it represents. Through her work, Sarah hopes to encourage a deeper appreciation for culture and history. She aims to make fashion research feel accessible and engaging, using clothing as a way to educate, connect and preserve stories that might otherwise be overlooked.
DIA is a publication series that explores Malay cultural dress and how it continues to exist in contemporary life. Through research, styling, image-making, writing and reflection, the project looks at cultural garments as living forms that carry memory, identity and change. Each issue focuses on one garment and uses it as a starting point to examine its cultural meanings, visual language and relationship with the wearer. Rather than presenting cultural dress as something fixed or only tied to tradition and ceremony, DIA approaches it as something personal, evolving and still relevant today. The first volume, 'Second Skin', centres on the kebaya. As a garment that is widely recognised across Southeast Asia, the kebaya carries many associations with heritage, pride, femininity and occasion. This volume looks at how the kebaya can move beyond familiar or formal representations, situating it within everyday settings and more personal forms of styling. Through this approach, 'Second Skin' considers how the kebaya can remain culturally meaningful without being worn in conventional ways. The volume presents the garment as part of daily life, shaped by the wearer and connected to the present.
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