LASALLE Degree Show at Audi Fashion Festival: Singapore’s Fashion Future?

Being surrounded by impeccable designer fashion – perfectly cut, meticulously finished and impossibly luxurious – we sometimes forget that even the biggest names in the industry have started somewhere.

Naturally, for some designers, the road was bumpier than others but regardless – it is my personal belief that just like anything else in life, getting to the top takes not just talent but also a lot of hard work and persistence while time remains the biggest factor in proving who survives and who quits the race altogether.

Asia in no different and as everywhere else in the world, we have so much talent still waiting to be discovered.
Last week witnessed a small yet important step towards the support of emerging designers in the region. For the first time in its 5 year existence, the Audi Fashion Festival which took place in Singapore has included a show of fashion graduates – that of prestigious LASALLE College of the Arts – as part of its program which boasted names such as Prabal Gurung and Oscar de le Renta.

The show entitled ‘Between Worlds’ showcased the work of 20 fashion graduates who experimented with Creative Pattern Cutting, Meanswear, Womenswear and Textiles.

Eclectic and varied as it was – the show nevertheless displayed the potential that some of these future designers possess. Yes, the garments might not be as perfectly executed or thought of as something which you’d find off the racks at the Valentino store but still, the passion, hard work and excitement were present for sure.

But, what does including a graduation fashion show in a fashion week of bigger scale exactly mean or achieve?
‘I think it is fundamental to showcase talented graduating students. They are the future of fashion in Singapore. Showing them in a platform like AFF is an immense opportunity that I hope they will be able to seize and use as a platform to start a successful career’ – says Lionel Roudaut, Programme Leader of the Fashion Design & Textiles at LASALLE College of the Arts.

However, showing a beginners’ show in between more established – and in this year’s case even legendary – designers has its pitfalls as well especially as some audience might expect the same standards of quality and judge their work accordingly. But does it really matter or is it relevant at this stage? This is where relativity should be considered when judging.

Sitting at the show, I was impressed by a few of the pattern cutting students who have replicated famous designers’ collections and added their own take on it. The results were interesting and varying from the subtle modifications on the original to a whole transformation. The technical skills also varied and some of the garments – especially those by Lee ZhuEr as she took on Yohji Yamamoto FW09 collection – were impressive. So were some of the dresses from Fonnis Choo‘s replica of Comme de Garçons SS12 collection which took drama to the next level.

Roudaut as well is confident about the efforts done by all parties to represent the best of what’s there ‘the students that have been selected to be showcased realised collections where the technical skills were supporting their creative concept to high standard of workmanship. We were confident enough to show our best students to a crowd of industry professional.’ he explains. ‘The Fashion Design & Textiles programme put a lot of efforts to train our students to present collections that can be showcased in professional platforms. it’s a collective effort that requires a lot of energy from all parties, but that is necessary’.

And now the inevitable question – What’ next?

While having such a show is definitely a step in the right direction, a lot is still needed to boost the fashion industry in Singapore and make sure these emerging designers have the best chance of succeeding and making it in the competitive fashion world of today. While it is certainly every designer’s dream to start their own label right away, some experience in the ‘real world’ is necessary to make sure their venture is realistic, successful and most importantly lasting.

This is also echoed by Roudaut: ‘I always encourage students to work for global companies after they graduate, to understand how the fashion systems work and to gain professional experience. It is such a complicated industry that is functioning at many different operational levels’.

‘I recommend them to work 3 to 5 years, if they want to start their own label. There are so many responsibilities to be the owner of a business that is better for them to be well prepared. Going overseas to intern in companies is also a brilliant way to gain professional experience. They need to be exposed to a different reality, that will put them outside their comfort zone and grow their full potential’.

After witnessing numerous promising yet poorly-conceived young labels come and go in this little red dot, I can only hope that these graduates would take their professor’s advice to heart and remember that after all ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’.

Rana Wehbe