Ultimately, our annual ball is a gathering and celebration of people that are making a difference in our country, who are making Singapore a better, more impactful, interesting, diverse, inclusive, and exciting place in which to live. This fete is our thank you to the individuals making a mark on our lives and on the lives of others, both here and abroad.

In December, we will be publishing 2023’s list of Asia’s Most Influential, a yearly celebration of 100 people in each market in which Tatler is published who have made a “positive impact” on their sector, community or country. This is our annual recognition of leaders of industry who have made significant contributions that have helped to advance their sector or that have helped put Singapore on the global map—the people who have made their marks.

In case you missed it: All the highlights from Tatler Ball 2022

Make Your Mark, as a ball theme, can be interpreted in many different ways. In an accompanying article, we dive deeper into what this might mean sartorially. If you’re attending the ball, and you’re keen to get some tips on what to wear, be sure to read that story.

Here, however, we’ll look at the idea a little more abstractly. For some, making one’s mark might be quite visual and visceral—creating such a striking image as to arrest others, and create a long-lasting impression. Think Lady Gaga and her “meat dress” at the 2010 MTV Music Awards or Rihanna’s canary yellow cape by Guo Pei at the 2015 Met Gala.

Similarly, artistic expressions that have made their marks are often those that broke norms and boundaries, doing things in completely new ways or depicting subjects that no one had dared to previously.

Consider Picasso’s striking Les Desmoiselles D’Avignon, a large work depicting five prostitutes in a neo-cubist style, one with a face inspired by African tribal art. Or Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, whose premiere in the Théâtre de Champs-Elysées in Paris caused a riot among audience members who were expecting a traditional ballet.

Or consider Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain, which transformed a urinal into sculpture, or Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian which showcased a banana duct-taped to a wall; these works questioned and have transformed the notion of what is contemporary art.

Making one’s mark can also mean legacy. In the same way that a crater on the moon is a permanent mark on this celestial sphere caused by an asteroid or meteorite, many of the people we honour are leaving behind lasting legacies—permanent and positive marks—on society. From a Ball perspective, some may wish to interpret this through a celebration of designers and houses who have left a long and lasting legacy on the industry, and whose works have made permanent marks in fashion history. These are the designers and brands that we often say have left their mark on our culture.

So, make your mark and see you at the Tatler Ball.

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