Spotlight on Asian talent

This year's Audi Fashion Festival (AFF) will feature 26 homegrown and Asian designers, the largest ever in the festival's history, up from 17 last year.

Festival director Tjin Lee says: "Singapore is an Asian fashion capital, and with the festival's evolution over the years and the emergence of international Asian designers such as Prabal Gurung, Jason Wu, Alexander Wang and Phillip Lim, the public and media have been clamouring for more Asian content."

The annual fashion event, from today to Sunday, is organised by Mercury Marketing & Communications.

Audi Singapore returns as the title sponsor. Says Mr Jeff Mannering, managing director of Audi Singapore: "2014 marks the sixth consecutive year that Audi is the title sponsor of the fashion festival. It forms an important part of our commitment towards Singapore and the fashion industry here."

Opening the event is Nepalese-American designer, Prabal Gurung, who will showcase his Fall 2014 collection.

Ms Lee says: "Prabal Gurung was the ideal choice for an international Asian designer, as he was born in Singapore, and this marks his first homecoming since leaving Singapore as a young boy."

Gurung's innovative approach to fashion has caught the eye of United States' First Lady Michelle Obama and Hollywood celebrities Cate Blanchett and Zoe Saldana.

Closing the show this year is fashion guru and stylist to the stars, Oscar de la Renta, who will present his Fall 2014 collection.

The humble, old-school designer, whose philosophy is simply "do my best, that's all", received positive reviews for his latest collection.

Among the pieces in the collection are pencil skirts with flaired bottoms, black leather pieces, pinstripes and flirty dresses with distinctive silhouettes.

As with previous festivals, there will be plenty of glitz and glamour. Gracing the shows will be Hollywood actress Kate Bosworth and model Godfrey Gao, both the faces of SK-II, AFF's official skincare brand.

Lee Hwa Jewellery marks its return for the third time as official jewellery sponsor and will be showcasing its exquisitely crafted pieces throughout the event.

Going big on local names

Local designers take centre stage at this year's AFF. Ms Lee says: "In addition to featuring an Asian designer in the opening show, another first is that more Singapore designers will get their own solo shows than ever before."

Priscilla Shunmugam of Ong Shunmugam, Nic Wong of local label Saturday, Ashley Isham and Jo Soh of Hansel are among those putting up solo shows at the event.

Shunmugam is known for incorporating the designs of Asian ethnic wear in her women's wear line, while Nic Wong's trademark is his meticulous attention to geometrically quirky details and experimentations with form and structure.

You can also check out other designs from the local fashion scene in the Singapore Designers Showcase, presented by the Textile & Fashion Federation (TaFf).

The showcase will feature the collections from the label A.W.O.L. by designer Alfie Leong, and Triologie by Sylvia Lim and Jennifer Neo. Leong's Fall/Winter 2014-2015 collection will present his signature draping and layering style, while Trilogie's versatile and wearable pieces with relaxed silhouettes will be the focal point of its Spring/Summer 2014 collection.

Young talents

Fashion fans can look forward to the Singapore debut of the Canadian-born, Londonbased Thomas Tait.

The talented Tait made the fashion world sit up and take notice as a student at Central St Martin's College in London - his final school project was selected to be showcased at London Fashion Week.

Tait's designs combine structure and fluidity demonstrating a clean aesthetic.

Giving young designers a stage to flaunt their talent has also always been a highlight of AFF.

This year, 2013 winners of the Audi Star Creation will present their capsule collections to AFF audiences.

The capsule collection - a concept coined by Susie Faux, the owner of a 1970s London boutique, Wardrobe - comprises essential go-to items of everyday wear for both men and women.

The two young winners whose collections will be in the spotlight this year are Chinese designer Sun Yi Jin, 25, a Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology graduand, and Vietnamese designer Vu Ta Linh, 27, whose women's wear collection is inspired by the waves and contours of the rice terraces of Sapa in Vietnam.

Look out also for the works of a fresh batch of aspiring designers, whose designs will be up for scrutiny in the fifth edition of Audi Star Creation, a fashion competition organised by TaFf.

This year's competition has drawn a record 400 entries. Mr Mannering says: "Besides being an exciting competition for young talents, the Audi Star Creation also serves as a springboard for them to be picked up by the fashion industry where they can further their craft."

Last year's show attracted 18,700 guests, and a similar turnout is expected again.

This article was published on May 14 in The Straits Times.

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