In July this year, The Straits Times reported that 357 Singaporeans and permanent residents were newly diagnosed with HIV infection last year, bringing the official figures of people in Singapore infected with AIDS to 3,060.

It is a growing social problem, and the local fashion industry is playing its part to raise awareness of the the problem.

In conjunction with Singapore Fashion Week, which starts in October, a group of local personalities have joined efforts to spread the HIV/AIDS awareness through messages in their self-designed T-shirts, based on the theme "Raising awareness and dispelling discrimination against HIV/AIDS".

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) is collaborating with the Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFf) to showcase more than 50 specially designed tee-shirts by prominent local personalities from diverse backgrounds.

Established designer names, politicians and local personalities have contributed their designs to this project, and their T-shirts will be on display at VivoCity from Oct 12 - 21 during Fashion Shares - A Tee-Shirt Exhibition to Support HIV/AIDS Awareness. You will be able to see T-shirts designed by Paris-based designer Andrew Gn, MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC Baey Yam Keng and TV celebrity Adrian Pang, among others.

There is even a T-shirt designed by nine-year-old Ollie Wellington Wu, son of plastic surgeon to the celebrities, Dr Woffles Wu.

Nine-year-old Ollie with his T-shirt of a sea turtle

Dr Koh Yang Huang, Senior Deputy Director, Communicable Disease Education, Adult Health Division, HPB, said: "We are heartened to see local personalities come forward to lend their voices for this project. It is important to change social attitudes towards HIV/AIDS and create a positive environment for people to learn about HIV/AIDS and its prevention.

"Destigmatisation of HIV/AIDS will encourage those who might be infected to go for testing, so that they can go for treatment early if tested positive."

There will be an opening party for Fashion Shares on Oct 13 to officially unveil the shirts.