From kopitiam to cool: How the white tank top became a style staple for men

Celebrities like Glen Powell and Jeremy Allen White have been incorporating the white tank top look. Photo composite: Instagram/Glen Powell, Calvin Klein

As a man in Malaysia, you might feel a twinge of apprehension about putting on a white sleeveless top.

Why? Because this humble piece of clothing, also know locally as a singlet, has long been linked to the image of a retiree idling at the local kopitiam – more laid-back than fashion-forward.