Shentonista Of The Year 2017 — The Making Of

And here we are—for five years now, we’ve been looking back at the people whom we’ve met and whose stories we’ve shared across the year. And each year, we’ve turned to you, the readers, to choose the most stylish and inspirational amongst them to be crowned Shentonistas Of The Year. Following last year’s well-received features, we once again  had our winners join us on set, and  took the chance to catch up as well.

We kicked off the contest at the start of January with an initial pool of almost 300 candidates, and over the course of the following month, we let your votes do the talking, narrowing the field down again and again till our three final winners emerged. Your likes put the earnest, hardworking Hafiz ahead of the competition, securing him the Shentonista Of The Year title. For leaving a clear impression on us with his endless enthusiasm for design’s potential to change lives, the multitalented Ziqq took our Team Choice. The Best Comment went to Jessica for her heartfelt comment on Ziqq’s photo, letting us know the impact her friend has had on the lives of those around him.To get things started, we invited our winners to the Club Monaco store at Ngee Ann City to pick out their outfits for the shoot. Ziqq was the first to arrive after a day of work, though it took us a while to recognise him without his man bun, which he had cut off since we last interviewed him. Staying true to his clean and classic style, he chose a navy blazer and went preppy with a sweater pulled over a striped shirt.

Jessica came next, eventually deciding on a light grey sweater under a pastel pink sweater. We styled it up with quirky polka dotted socks and a geometric necklace to really bring out her fun-loving personality. Last of the day, Hafiz embodied his down-to-earth nature with a classic denim shirt and dark pants. We added a black bomber jacket and leather boots, bringing James Dean to mind with his rugged charm and boyish good looks.

The idea behind the shoot for this year was to have the backdrop reflect the different personalities of each of the candidates, communicated through different fabrics and textures. With a lush silver velvet for his background, representative of his refined, sophisticated style, Ziqq was the first, arriving bright and early on shoot day with an energy not many can muster at 8 in the morning. He embellished his already-dapper ensemble with a lapel pin, rose gold watch, and tasselled loafers, flourishes which accentuated the overall look without being too overpowering. His shoot went smoothly, conversation carrying on easily in between shots, and he was very much as we remembered him, every bit as passionate about his work and his dreams.

Jessica showed up next, her infectious smile bringing much cheer to the set. For her set, we opted for some variety, changing the heavy drapes for a light airy chiffon and tulle in yellow, all the better to showcase her exuberant personality. In between questions, she was game to pose in almost any way that we requested, never once losing her winning grin.

Our last shoot for the day was with our winner Hafiz. A little awkward in front of the camera at first, our conversation with him helped him to quickly loosen up and settle into the flow of the shoot, and we were glad—and amused—to learn that our last feature of him had helped both his career and love life.

We had a great time catching up with all our winners, and Hafiz, Ziqq, and Jessica, we hope you enjoyed the process as well as the little bundle of gifts from all the awesome people we worked with last year. We’d also like to thank all of you for joining in and being a part of our Shentonista Of The Year 2017 contest. With your likes, shares, and comments, you showed love for your friends and complete strangers alike, people who may have inspired you in some way with their stories. Thank you for coming on this journey with us, and for reminding us why we keep doing what we do. We look forward to meeting more of you and sharing your stories this year, and for the years to come.

Special thanks to Club Monaco for being a part of this project.

Thanks also to our amazing clients for their support: Club Monaco, We Need A Hero, Grain Traders, Kilo, Camp Kilo Charcoal Club, Kilo Lounge, Freedom Yoga, Gallery & Co., SEEDS and Chikuyotei.

See all posts from the series: Hafiz, Ziqq, and Jessica.