Deconstruction and reconstruction as art. That’s what Arthur Chong Yu Lin wants you to take away from his collection, which is inspired by breaking through the limitations – or illusions of them – set in stone by fixed identities or structures in favour of “a more open, less defined self.” One may call it creating chaos, but Arthur says that’s one way we can break through to the unknown, to find fresh, innovative possibilities.

“Do look closer at the fold,” Arthur says to those who view his collection, “because the fold can create more volume.” Creating volume while also maintaining simplicity, he adds, in order to make his collection more commercially viable in Asia and Singapore in particular. But he plays around more with colour combination in this collection, combinations he finds “very critical and very hard.” Sometimes you’ll have the first sketch of the colour palette, he says, before ordering samples only to find that the whole palette needs to be rearranged. And sometimes the fabric supplier might just run out of stock in one colour, leaving the designer to scramble to make changes yet again.

But, Arthur says, what he’s learned in making this collection is that challenges shouldn’t stop you from attempting complicated things. What he hopes to convey with his collection is that we shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes in pursuit of fine art, just as in life. When Arthur’s previous fabric supplier canceled his supply due to some timing issue, he was left with two weeks to do the design, including sourcing the fabric elsewhere. He also faced challenges finding a space to sew his garments, when he couldn’t afford renting out a studio.

Arthur insists his motivations for overcoming his challenges all boiled down to his own persistence. “Not because of money and not because of reputation,” he tells BAZAAR. “When I commit some time and promise someone to do something… I will do my best and finish it for them.”

Choi Nakyeong says she designs for women who are “strong, independent, and can express themselves differently.” Her collection, which features light colours and unexpected details, is aimed at illuminating the limitless possibilities in the curves and shapes of design, according to Choi.

“My collection is inspired by K-traditional creative dance,” Choi tells BAZAAR. “The unique feature of Korean dance is to express the beauty of curved lines rather than straight movements.” The inspirations are evident; Choi aims to create clothes that emulate the expression of thoughts and emotions found in the dance, replicating the rhythmic movement of the traditional skirts in the shapes and curves of her designs.

In light of this, Choi says she selected permeable and absorbent lightweight fabrics for her designs, which she hopes will illustrate a free-spirited appearance, elegant beauty, and the unique spirit of Korean dance. She speaks fondly of draping (“one of the most attractive techniques to design garments as a designer”), and how useful it is for improvisation, creativity and visualisation during the design process. But she says finding inspiration and boosting creativity when brainstorming new designs remained challenging.

But Choi found her own way out of that creative rut. “When I designed five looks for the collection, I created an atmosphere where I listened to the music of the Korean traditional dance song and turned on a blue light that made me feel like I was in that time,” Choi says. “I cannot just look at fashion photos from the internet and draw the design on a sketchbook.”

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Faith Lois Seet Fae calls her collection Silver Lining – a seemingly appropriate reaction to finally coming home to Singapore after almost three years. When asked about her design ethos, Faith tells BAZAAR she’s “existing to rebel against the mundanity of life and invoke a greater joy and energy to the everyday.” Don’t we all want the same out of our own lives?

“I feel like I’m having my main character development era,” Faith continues. She cites several inspirations for her latest collection – Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz and Britney Spears, just to name a few (“Her iconic full denim look because Y2K is here to stay and slay,” Faith adds). But, one might ask, what exactly do Dorothy and Britney have in common?

Faith ties it all back to main character energy. Britney’s denim look, with denim representing the versatility of humans reacting to and going along with change; Dorothy’s ruby slippers, showing that she had what she thought she lacked all along. (Fun fact: those shoes are silver in the original novel, hence the silver shoes in Faith’s collection.) “I mash the curious space between the uncanny and the familiar to create my narrative and designs,” Faith tells BAZAAR. “Silver Lining conveys hope and courage with that playful chaotic sunshine energy!”

Turns out it’s all very personal for Faith, this metaphor for optimism. “Every moment, good or bad… has made me become who I am today.” Reminiscing on the challenges of pulling together a collection, Faith talks about overcoming the lack of manpower, and the lack of social awareness around her line of work. “It’s really tiring,” she says, when others don’t realise how much work it takes to bring her creations to life.

But Faith’s motivations remain clear to her. “For me, fashion has been my safe place to express myself with the passion I have, to make beautiful things,” she concludes. “My motivation is to tell my narrative and hope my work brings joy and sparks a thought. That fashion is a simple thing we can bring into our everyday life to evoke greater joy and energy.”

Inspired by contortionists, body modification, human deformity, and the art of sculpture, Joe Kean’s collection reflects the various possibilities which unfamiliar forms may bring to a specific garment. Emphasising shapes and silhouettes, Joe specialises in creative pattern cutting, and gets inspiration from his surroundings in life and the study of the human body.

“The collection incorporates draping on the hard form of shapes,” Joe tells BAZAAR, “and removing it to create the silhouette by using darts and pleats… By applying the same technique of forming a square onto different fabrics, [it] creates a different form of altering the silhouette. It is a hybrid between a hard and soft silhouette.” Illustrating the idea that the human body is always shown in different ways and forms, Joe says he hopes his collection encourages us all to “embrace and appreciate” those differences.

Speaking to the challenges he’s faced as a young designer, Joe talks about the difficulties he’s faced sourcing specific fabrics here in Singapore while developing his collection. The other challenge, he says, has been learning how to achieve his design aims without disrupting the beauty of the human body. “I would need to place the forms in appropriate places to ensure it creates the out-of-body silhouette,” he says, without adding it abruptly.

Reflecting on his time in the BAZAAR NewGen program thus far, Joe says his motivations for joining the competition are the same motivations which have helped him overcome the challenges he’s faced along the way. Expressing his gratitude for the opportunity, Joe says “it helps me to improve by getting feedback and hearing from people in the industry.”

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Bridging modern fashion with traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy, Serina Lee Ying Han aims to balance sophistication with timeless silhouettes in her eponymous collection. A signature of her brand? Hand-painted textiles influenced by Chinese art – paired with digital art animations being sold as NFTs.

This is how Serina plans on marrying the past with the future. Anybody who purchases a NFT from her brand will receive a physical token as a gift – a hand-painted item of clothing from her collection. The collection opens with a verse by a Chinese poet from the Song Dynasty, Su Shi, about how much time people spend on their craft, and how they dedicate their entire life to a form of practice. “It juxtaposes finite time with infinite creativity,” Serina tells BAZAAR. “This collection speaks about the boundless nature of imagination and creativity. It dives into creating a world with infinite time, seen through the lens of a Chinese painter. This is reflected through the garment silhouette, textile, digital graphics and art.”

Some highlights from her collection: entirely hand-painted by Serina herself, one will also find subtle hints of vinyl, flock and removed fibres. “The silhouettes are inspired by scrolls, art canvas and paper,” Serina adds. One can choose to actually wear the garments, or hang them on the walls of one’s home.

Yet despite hoping to convey a sense of balance with her collection, Serina says she finds that creating that balance has been one of the hardest parts of being a designer. But she remains unfazed by those challenges, telling BAZAAR, “I think that challenges are learning opportunities for me to grow.”

“My design vision is distinctively dark and deconstructed,” Sit Shi Jie says of her collection. Accentuated waistlines and asymmetrically-cut silhouettes are aimed at highlighting the human body; impermanence and imperfection are expressed through raw, frayed details. Those details, she says, add textural touch and dimension to create interesting compositions, while she hopes her comprehensive design considerations and construction process maximise and highlight each fabric’s properties.

“This collection takes on the idea of Ouroboros,” she says, “with the concept of endless eternity. It is reflected in both the construction process and versatility of the pieces.” Excess fabric is manipulated into the seams of pleat panels, while strategic strap and loop placement allows for free-styling of the draped pieces. “My usual design style includes intricate draping details that are too tedious to reproduce,” she continues. With this collection, she hoped to minimise fabric waste and streamline the production process.

Aiming to balance the masculine and feminine, she says she wanted to introduce a simpler approach to draping with the cuts, silhouettes and weights of the fabrics used here. This allows the garments to be easily manipulated by the wearer, to further encourage creativity in the styling of pieces. The geometrically-shaped pieces can be re-tied and hung across the body in different ways.

As for what she loves most about designing, Sit Shi Jie says one of the techniques she loves most is also one she finds most difficult to master: draping. “It’s a process I enjoy so much, but [it] takes a lot of time, attention to detail and technical precision. Working on the dress form, smoothening, creasing the fabric along the curves of the body to create the texture, fit, drape that I want, is tedious – but always a fulfilling experience.”

What keeps her going? Always thinking about how she wants her muse to look and feel in her pieces. “Seeing my pieces being worn and giving off the charisma that I visualise,” she says, “feels like the greatest accomplishment.”