Singaporean student goes viral for wearing Lee Kuan Yew hat at Coachella

SINGAPORE: Brooke Lee, a Singaporean content creator currently studying at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has been posting content about Coachella on her TikTok account recently, including tips for fellow students who want to attend the massive music festival.

However, the posts that have gotten the most attention are the ones where Ms Lee wears a baseball cap with a quote from none other than Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding Prime Minister.

The content creator first wore the cap on the festival’s first day, along with a white lace top and a red skirt.

The white hat has Mr Lee’s name and a quote from him that reads, “Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him.”

“I’m here in my hat and I know everyone in Palm Springs is so jealous of my hat,” Ms Lee says, and, as if on cue, a commenter writes, “why does the lky hat actl look so good on you? i’m crying.”

She posted another video from that day where she said that a person asked her “from 10 feet away” if she was Singaporean because of her hat.

“(She’s Malaysian) Even the Malaysians love my Lee Kuan Yew hat,” she wrote in the caption.

The 9-second video went viral, with a number of TikTok users expressing interest in the hat. A user on the platform commented, “QUEEN I LOVE UR HAT UR SO PRETTY WHERES THE HAT FROM LOVE U QUEEENB.”

She obliged with a screengrab saying that the hat is from Durangoism, from whom the enterprising content creator asked for a discount “really nicely in true Singaporean fashion, so I can save you guys money.”

The hat retails for US$32 (S$40.85), so a discount would be welcome.

Not everyone has had positive things to say about Ms Lee’s outfit, however. While one called the hat “iconic,” another wrote, “Of course, the Singaporean has to be performative.”

Others, meanwhile, asked Ms Lee why she code-switched to a more Singaporean accent.

In a post from the same day, she also posted a photo of herself reading an ebook on her phone.

“Singaporean girl reading Lee Kuan Yew’s memoir at Coachella while holding a Jisulife fan, oil on canvas, 2026,’ she quipped.

This sparked comments such as “That cap is DOPE! LKY lives on!” 

Later, Ms Lee admitted that she had planned her entire first-day outfit around the hat. /TISG

Read also: Petition launched urging UCLA to revoke the acceptance of SG social media influencer Sugaresque after she was caught for plagiarism