By Stephanie Warren

Founder and Managing Director of SENATUS Kien M Lee emerged as the winner of the "Dress Me for the Finale" Competition for Singapore.

To celebrate 30 years of partnership so far, Hugo Boss and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes have teamed up to launch an exciting interactive competition that brings together Formula 1 and fashion fans from across the world.

About the Hugo Boss X McLaren Partnership
Hugo Boss has been outfitting the McLaren Formula 1 racing team for the past three decades, with more than 20,000 pieces constructed so far for the 135-strong team consisting of the racing, marketing and hospitality members - to ensure that they are designed for peak performance and can withstand extreme wear and tear.

McLaren Racing also boasts an unrivaled pedigree, celebrating countless triumphs with legends like Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda and Alain Prost in their past stable. The current line-up concists of former World Champions Jenson Button (2009) and Lewis Hamilton (2008), who are the faces of the new Hugo Boss X McLaren campaign.

"Dress Me for the Finale" Online Design Competition
To celebrate the 30-year milestone, Hugo Boss and McLaren have put together an online international design competition, "Dress Me for The Finale", which kicked off in February this year, and will run throughout the race season of 2011, with the application process opening up to the 19 race cities ahead of their race dates.

Hugo Boss and McLaren will then select one design to be worn at the respective qualifying race. One winning design out of these 19 nominated overalls will be chosen to be worn the two Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers at the final qualifying race in Sao Paolo -- the last Formula 1 race in the 2011 calendar.

We speak to our Managing Director Kien M Lee on how he came about winning this design competition for Singapore.

The Singapore leg of the competition was open from 23 June to 14 July 2011, and amongst 138 entries, the design submitted by Kien who is a big Formula 1 fan, came as both a surprise as well as a validation of the passion he has for the sport.

The lion motif on the back of the McLaren overall seen here on Lewis Hamilton

What is Your Inspiration for the Design?
The McLaren team has its roots in Woking, United Kingdom, with two British drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton and the similarity between the U.K. and the host country Singapore, amongst other things, was our common use of the LION as the national emblem. I thought it was most appropriate to use the "King of the Jungle" imagery to express the Power and Grace of the Formula 1 sport and the McLaren competitors.

You'll also notice the four stars on the trouser leg of the overalls, which is inspired by the National Flag of Singapore -- which has five stars and a crescent moon. The 4 stars represent the fourth time the Singtel Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix has been held. On the sleeves (forearm and bicep), there are claw scratches showing the 'fight for survival' in the lion's den!

SENATUS' Kien M Lee at the presentation by Hugo Boss with Jenson Button at ION Orchard in Singapore

How Long Did You Take to Come Up with This Design?
The competition was open to Singapore residents from late June to mid July, but having followed the races earlier in the Calendar, right from the start at Shanghai Grand Prix when Hugo Boss designed the first overall as a demonstration piece, I had already started thinking about which design elements were most appropriate.

In the end, I went with a simple yet powerful approach, which was to create a design based on the Lion.

So All of This was Done Online?
The online application for the design competition was very intuitive and easy to use, even though it had a very complex backend process. If you imported a picture and 'dragged' it unto the 'canvas', it was automatically placed UNDER the pre-existing logos!

As an owner of a web platform, I was very impressed by Hugo Boss' website.

How was Meeting Jenson Button?
I'm a huge fan of Jenson Button -- who is the epitomy of control and coolness. His first appearance in Singapore was as a driver for the Honda team, then the following year as the leadup to his Championship winning year for BrawnGP.

Just How Big a Formula 1 Fan Are You?
The Singapore Grand Prix has significant meaning for me, as the inaugural season in 2008 marked the same year I returned from the U.S. to set up my business in Singapore. As the sport in the country grew from strength to strength, so has my venture.

We also own a Facebook page for Formula 1 fans at //facebook.com/formula1gp/ which has 14,000 fans -- the largest for a motorsport and motoring community in the Asia region! On this page, we engage in banter and musings about each Grand Prix though the calendar. 

All in all, it is a great experience interacting with fans all over the world!