Things are set to change at this year’s highly anticipated Singapore Fashion Week (SGFW), slated to run from 26 to 30 October. For starters, all the action will be happening inside the National Gallery Singapore.
“The beautifully restored public spaces of the Gallery will lend an aura of grandeur and provide an exciting backdrop for the shows, creating an immersive experience for all,” explained Kola Luu, who oversees the Gallery’s business development. Even though the bustling cacophony of Orchard Road will be replaced with the comforting hush of exhibition spaces converted from the former Supreme Court and City Hall, this year’s instalment is all about bringing Singaporean designers and their Asian counterparts back to the fore.
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The shift comes just as Singapore is embarking on a new chapter in nation-building, and the move is also symbolic of SGFW’s “continued emphasis on local talent support and industry development in Singapore and the region,” according to a statement from the event organiser, Mercury Marketing & Communications.
Besides introducing a new curved runway, Singaporean brands such as Max Tan, Ong Shunmugam, Aijek, Stolen, Chi Chi Von Tang, Exhibit and new-to-market label Arissa X (helmed by fashion and media entrepreneur Arissa Cheo) have been added to the week’s timetable as key highlights. The inauguration of Singapore Fashion Week Access (SGFWA), an industry-support platform, also allows other designers and businesses to connect with their audience more intimately through “smaller scale, flexible-format fashion presentations.”
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Ahead of SGFW’s spectacular five day-long proceedings, BAZAAR enlisted Asia’s Next Top Model alumni Aimee Cheng-Bradshaw for a spectacular preview of three brands that will be part of the contingent flying the Singapore flag high this October.
MAX TAN
No stranger to Singapore’s fashion industry, Tan is a master of construction. His namesake label is a testament to his skill of dreaming up silhouettes that exhibit a clever play of proportions.
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EXHIBIT
The brainchild of street-style star Yoyo Cao, Exhibit encapsulates the energy of the streets with camera-friendly clothes defined by clean and sleek lines.
CHI CHI VON TANG
Founder and Creative Director Lisa Crosswhite redefines Orientalism by injecting a sporty and urban attitude to traditional Asian costumes.
By Gerald Tan
Photographed by Brendan Zhang
Styled by Windy Aulia
Model: Aimee Cheng-Bradshaw/Basic Models
Hair/makeup: Manisa Tan/Palette Inc using La Biosthetique & NARS
Styling assistant: Dinie Bte Zainuddin
This article originally appeared in the October 2016 issue of Harper’s BAZAAR Singapore.
