She was the face of Singapore in the fashion capitals of the world.

Hanis Hussey was on a modelling comeback at 31 when she became the first Singapore model to appear on the cover of Time Magazine Asia in 1997.

She was discovered 15 years earlier at Lucky Plaza shopping mall, in an age whenit was still hip and happening.

When she was in her 20s, as a model for French high-fashion label Yves Saint Laurent, she was sharing the catwalk with the likes of Linda Evangelista and living the high life in Europe, while based in Paris.

Back in Singapore, after about a decade on the catwalks, she brought light to Singapore's fashion industry when she opened her own modelling agency, Hanis International.

Mrs Hanis Hussey, who is 46 this year, retired from modelling in late 1997, after becoming pregnant with her third child.

Now, she is the creative director of her own three-year-old events company, International Expat Affairs; is a mum to her three children, who are between 13 and 21; and finds time to play decent golf, with a 9 handicap .

In an interview with The New Paper, Hanis, who is married to an American and spends a few months in the US every year, said: "When I am abroad, what I miss most about Singapore is the food. You should see the many packets of rendang paste I pack when I travel."

Hanis also revealed that she shares the same birth year and month as our nation.

"Sometimes I even forget my own birthday, but I know it is coming when the city gears up for a major celebration," she added.

Happy birthday, Hanis.

This article was first published in The New Paper.