Turn The Heat UP

National football player harhys stewart has what it takes to be this island’s next sports superstar. Barely out of his teens, he talks about drive, dedication, and his goals on and off the field

- Jeffrey Yan

“It’s not about being the best according to someone else’s vision; it’s about doing everything I can so that at the end of the day when I’m done, I know I did everything I could.

From the moment he first stepped onto the football pitch and kicked his first ball when he was three, Harhys Stewart knew that he had found his calling. This 20-year-old Singaporean has dedicated his young life to the beautiful game, which led to him signing on with the Young Lions as a defender last year. But when the pandemic put sports on hold shortly after, Stewart temporarily stepped out of his football cleats and into the fashion world—signing on with NOW Model Management and making a splash in the world of style. Born to a Singaporean Malay-Chinese mother and a Welsh father, Stewart, with his unique look, well-defined features, grey-blue eyes and lean, taut body, wouldn’t look out of place on a CELINE runway. Here, he talks about the highs and hurdles of chasing a childhood dream—and doing it in pink shoes to boot.

When did your passion for football start?

My dad was really into sports and that rubbed off on me. Growing up, my elder brother Ryhan (21 and also a national football player) and I played a lot of sports, and I slowly went into football because it was what I enjoyed the most. From a young age, I knew I wanted to be like the football players I saw on TV, playing in front of a big crowd. Ryhan and I had similar goals, so we worked off each other, trained together, got on the same teams... it was a lot easier having someone there with you, helping you get through everything.

What was your childhood like, being so dedicated to one thing so early on?