SINGAPORE — When Singapore's Zahra Khanum takes to the stage for the Miss Universe contest, she will be wearing a dress portraying a historic handshake between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Inspiration for the striking design came from a summit between the old foes in Singapore in June, and the island nation's efforts to build world peace, not its UNESCO heritage site Botanic Gardens, its architecture or diverse culture.

"This is just a representation of what Singapore stands for, which is world peace, and the fact that Singapore is reaching out to other countries to create positive relationships," the designer of the dress, Moe Kasim, told Reuters.

Trump and Kim pledged at their Singapore meeting to work to end the North's nuclear programme in return for bringing the long-isolated state into the international community.

Khanum's royal blue outfit comes with a three-meter-long pair of "dove wings" and the dress spreads to reveal a digital mosaic of the handshake between figures in coat sleeves representing the North Korean and American flags. — Reuters