New Gen Z-Curated Exhibit Asks, “What Is Singapore Fashion”?
What is Singapore fashion? The first iteration of the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM)’s #SGFASHIONNOW showcase – a collaboration with LASALLE College of the Arts’ School of fashion, and the Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFF) – explored the concept by reinterpreting the design of cheongsams, kebayas, and other traditional costumes.
This year’s edition, which was also curated by a team of Gen Z fashion students, revisits the question with a new theme: Architecture of Drape.
If you’re wondering what that means, consider the draping and wrapping required in the sarong, the sari, and the hijab. Then take a look at the ensembles below. In each of them, local designers navigate parallels between architecture and fashion by experimenting with shapes and with fabric manipulation.
The result is a showcase that 1) celebrates the diversity of Singapore via a diversity of designs, and 2) that gives a platform to both established and emerging designers. Ultimately, it “imagines the Singapore fashion industry as a construction site, for it is an ongoing project.”
In other words, rather than giving definitive answers, #SGFASHIONNOW invites visitors to have a conversation about Singapore fashion – it’s a work in progress, much like our individual identities, and our identity as a nation.
Check out some of the designs here:
Fun Fact: While designing this dress, "King of Jacket" Thomas Wee eliminated all the elements he considers unnecessary, such as zips, buttons, hooks, belts, and joints, until all that was left was a piece of fabric and a single seam.
Read more about this piece here
Fun Fact: Labal designer Latika Balachander was inspired by the skin's natural folds, as well as its droopiness and sagginess, while creating this piece.
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Fun Fact: Inspired by his mother's relationship with Catholicism, designer Bryan Yeo created an ensemble that could function as a portable praying altar.
Read more about this piece here
Fun Fact: The butterfly knots at the halter pay homage to the Chinese legend, 'Butterfly Lovers'.
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Fun Fact: Singapore Stories 2021 winner, Jon Max Goh, created this garment as a futuristic, androgynous take on the form of a kebaya.
Read more about this piece here
Fun Fact: This lace-like chainmail mask, designed by Closet Children's Rachael Cheong, draws inspiration from the iron maiden, a medieval torture device.
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Fun Fact: Look closely and you'll notice that the Lucile Platform Calf Boots from Charles & Keith are comprised of two parts: an inner piece that can be worn as socks, and a pair of sandals as the outer piece.
Read more about this piece here
#SGFASHIONNOW is currently being showcased at the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) until 16 October, 2022
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