Audi Fashion Festival Singapore

Last updated

The Audi Fashion Festival Singapore (or Singapore Fashion Week) is a series of annual fashion trade events held in Singapore since 1988.

Contents

It was known as Fashion Connection between 1988 and 2000, Singapore Fashion Week between 2001 and 2008, and Audi Fashion Festival Singapore after gaining titular sponsorship from Audi in 2009. [1] [2] [3] [4] The event was again rebranded as Singapore Fashion Week in 2015 despite still being known as the 'Audi Fashion Festival Singapore'. [5] [6]

The event is not to be confused with the Singapore Fashion Festival, which also ran between 2001 and 2008, but was supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). The Singapore Fashion Festival eventually became the Asia Fashion Exchange (AFX) in 2010, [7] and hosts the Audi Fashion Festival Singapore as part of its flagship event. [8]

The last event is expected to be in 2017 as current event chairman Tjin Lee is setting her sights on expanding regionally. [9]

2009 - 2014

Audi Fashion Festival (AFF) was a fashion festival that took place in May every year from 2009 to 2014. Incepted in 2009, it replaced the Singapore Fashion Week, and welcomed consumers to conventionally by-invite only shows for media and trade. [10] It was held at Tent@Orchard in the heart of the Orchard Road fashion belt from 2009 to 2012, and 2014. In 2013, AFF moved to Marina Promenade. [11]

Organized by Mercury Marketing & Communications, AFF was the first privately funded consumer fashion event, [12] with Audi as the titular sponsor. It was a high-profile platform for both international and Asian emerging and established designers. [13] During its run, the festival showcased collections by a host of top international designers and labels such as Prabal Gurung, Oscar de la Renta, Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood, Gareth Pugh, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Missoni, Ungaro, Erdem, DSquared, Roberto Cavalli, Mugler, Zac Posen, Roland Mouret, Carolina Herrera, Tsumori Chisato, Peter Pilotto and Hussein Chalayan. [13] On top of international designers, Singaporean designers showcased at AFF. The number of local labels doubled from 2013 to 2014, with four local labels – Hansel, Ong Shunmugam, Exhibit, and Saturday – showcasing at Audi Fashion Festival 2014. [14]

2009 Audi Fashion Festival

The 2009 fashion festival took place at the TENT@ORCHARD from 6 May to 10 May 2009. Singapore's fashion elite gathered for the nation's biggest scale fashion event at the newly minted Audi Fashion Festival – marking the first ever privately owned fashion festival. Organized by Mercury Marketing and Communications, the festival welcomed fashion's biggest and hottest names including Christian Lacroix, Gareth Pugh, Vivienne Westwood, Jacquetta Wheeler, Ashley Isham, RAOUL, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Mango, and Singapore's creative crop from BlackMarket, Nicholas by Nic Wong and Hansel by Jo Soh.

‘Driving Innovation and Inspiration' was the theme for the inaugural Audi Fashion Festival 2009 and the festival certainly lived up to that note with a spectacular string of shows that inspired, dazzled and rocked the region. There were many firsts; first haute couture collection to be showcased on such a grand scale on Orchard Road, Gareth Pugh first catwalk presentation of his Fall 2009 women's and men's collection, and Ashley Isham's debut of ethereal yet elegant bridal gowns.

The five show-filled days of Audi Fashion Festival drew a strong 7000 guests, with a sell-out six ticketed shows. Audi Fashion Festival 2009 wrapped up as the most glamorous and dazzling event of the fashion and social calendar with Vivienne Westwood's Anglomania Autumn/Winter 09-10 collection. Dame Vivienne Westwood was also awarded Audi Lifetime Achievement Award, with Commercial Director Giuseppe Aragoni in town to accept on her behalf.

2015 - present

In 2015, the event was rebranded as Singapore Fashion Week (SGFW) although it is still referred to as the Audi Fashion Festival Singapore.

The event is organized by Mercury Marketing & Communications. An excerpt of the website states "casting a spotlight on Asian talent, SGFW is a showcase of world-class collections by top and emerging designers and labels and is the only fashion week in the world that feature established and emerging regional and homegrown designers and labels alongside the world’s most iconic international designers." [15]

Singapore Fashion Week 2015

The fashion event claimed the iconic name Singapore Fashion Week and returned with a revamped format. Building on eight successful editions as a consumer-centric fashion festival, SGFW broadened its scope to include thought-leadership initiatives and industry development. [6] One initiative was the SGFW Fashion Talk Series – a series of thought-leadership and industry talks organized in partnership with LASALLE College of the Arts.

In 2015, SGFW introduced strategic global alliances. SGFW partnered with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), which saw CFDA members Diane von Furstenberg and Thakoon Panichgul showcasing their latest collections as part of the tie up. SGFW's partnership with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) saw British designer and UK’S "GREAT" campaign ambassador Victoria Beckham presenting her Autumn/Winter 2015 collection at SGFW 2015. [15]

To support homegrown talent, SGFW introduced Fashion Futures, a new talent development programme to internationalize Singapore designers. [16] Singaporean designers Priscilla Shunmugam of Ong Shunmugam, Sabrina Goh of ELOHIM, and Chelsea Schott-Blackhall of Dzojchen presented as part of the pilot edition of Fashion Futures.

Singapore Fashion Week 2016

The Singapore Fashion Week returns in 2016 with a new date, location and initiatives. The 2016 edition took place in October instead of May, from 26 to 30 October, in order to align with international Fashion Weeks. [17] The new date allows designers to showcase Spring/Summer collections that are more suited to the region's tropical climate instead of Fall/Winter collections that were previously showcased when the festival was held in May. [18] Further, a six-month calendar of fashion and industry-related activities made accessible to the public would culminate in the Singapore Fashion Week held in October.

SGFW 2016 was held at National Gallery Singapore, housed in two national monuments in the heart of the Civic District – the former Supreme Court and City Hall. At the new location, SGFW would feature a curved runway with more than 350 front row seats, instead of conventional theatre-style seating, for a novel guest experience.

The 2016 edition will include Digital Fashion Week (DFW) after its acquisition by SGFW, which would welcome a larger digital presence for SGFW. DFW is a designer showcase formerly targeted at young designers with an emphasis on online and social media. It has supported more than 50 local designers through fashion events and runway shows held annually in Singapore and Bangkok. Viewers can enjoy 360° virtual reality and live streaming of SGFW content via the Digital Fashion Week’s online portal. [19]

In addition to SGFW Gallery, SGFW introduced Singapore Fashion Week Access – an industry-support platform that aims to support the Singapore fashion industry by providing designers and businesses opportunities to exhibit their collections through smaller scale, flexible-format fashion presentations. [20]

SGFW turns the spotlight on Asian talents with the participation of top names in fashion such as Chinese couturier Guo Pei, Indian-American fashion designer Naeem Khan, and London-based designer Han Chong who is behind contemporary womenswear label Self-Portrait. [21] For the first time ever, a Singaporean designer – Max Tan of MAX.TAN – will open the fashion week at SGFW Access.

Singapore Fashion Week 2017

The last Singapore Fashion Week took place on 26 to 28 Oct 2017. [9]

Related Research Articles

Vivienne Westwood English fashion designer

Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood is an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.

Tourism in Singapore Impact of tourism in Singapore

Tourism in Singapore is a major industry and contributor to the Singaporean economy, attracting 18.5 million international tourists in 2018, more than three times Singapore's total population. It is also environmentally friendly, and maintains natural and heritage conservation programs. Along with this, it also has one of the world's lowest crime rates. As English is the dominant one of its four official languages, it is generally easier for tourists to understand when speaking to the local population of the country, for example, when shopping. Transport in Singapore exhaustively covers most, if not all public venues in Singapore, which increases convenience for tourists. This includes the well-known Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system. Singapore is the 5th most visited city in the world, and 2nd in Asia-Pacific.

Richard Lee Peng Boon is a Singaporean singer-songwriter, playwright and film director.

London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London twice a year, in February and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the ’Big Four’ fashion weeks, along with the New York, Milan and Paris.

The Asia Fashion Exchange (AFX) is an annual fashion festival held in Singapore between 2001 and 2015. It began in 2001 as the Singapore Fashion Festival and was conceived by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) with the goal of positioning Singapore as a fashion capital within Southeast Asia. The festival was eventually relaunched as the Asia Fashion Exchange in 2010 as a joint initiative between the private and public sector, and features a variety of fashion-related events.

Biagio Black is an American artist who is based in New York and Los Angeles. Black is best known for his distinctive large format portraits of fashion icons that include Vivienne Westwood, Kate Moss, Kiera Knightley, and Marion Cotillard. Black's work has mostly been featured in Los Angeles and New York City.

Prudence Millinery

Prudence Millinery designs and makes couture hats for major designers all over the world.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee Indian fashion designer

Sabyasachi Mukherjee is an Indian fashion designer, jewelry designer, retailer and couturier from Kolkata, India. Since 1999, he has sold designer merchandise using the label Sabyasachi. Mukherjee is one of the Associate Designer Members of Fashion Design Council of India and the youngest board member of the National Museum of Indian Cinema.He has designed costumes for Bollywood films such as Guzaarish, Baabul, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Raavan, and English Vinglish.

Jasper Garvida Filipino fashion designer

Jasper Garvida is a fashion designer. Born in the Philippines, he grew up in Canada before moving to London to study Fashion Design at Central St. Martins College of Art and Design. He established his eponymous fashion label in September 2008, known for its bold, highly embellished womenswear. Jasper has swiftly established his reputation as a unique luxury designer with an emphasis on tailoring and feminine silhouettes.

Jayne Pierson is a Welsh fashion designer. She launched her début collection with On|Off at London Fashion Week in September 2009. She has designed for Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood. Her speciality is designing fashions for artists and actors.

Edmund Ser is a Malaysian fashion designer and businessman based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is best known for his designer brand, Edmund Ser of Malaysia. He created the Edmund Ser, Spade, and SER fashion labels. He has been a guest judge on Project Runway Malaysia, as well as judging the Malaysia Young Designers' competition and the Miss Malaysia Pageant.

Anamika Khanna is an Indian fashion designer who operates from her studio situated in Kolkata. She has been covered by the Business of Fashion (BOF) for being the Indian designer who has blended traditional Indian textiles and techniques with Western silhouette and tailoring. She is the first Indian designer to have an International label: "Ana mika". Her creations are sold online and offline stores across India and abroad. Before entering the fashion industry, Anamika was a classical dancer and painter.

Ong Shunmugam is a Singapore-based contemporary womenswear label founded by designer Priscilla Shunmugam. It is designed and made across Asia and offers ready-to-wear ranges and bespoke designs.

Priscilla Tsu-JyenShunmugam is a womenswear designer. She is the founder and designer of the womenswear label Ong Shunmugam.

Hayden Ng Singapore based Fashion designer (born 1966)

Hayden Ng is a Singapore based Fashion designer.

Not Just A Label (NJAL) is a London and Los Angeles-based global fashion industry platform, virtual showroom, and online community that connects independent designers with consumers. Representing more than 35,000 designers from over 150 countries, NJALhas launched the careers of designers such as Mary Katrantzou and Damir Doma and has support from celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Vivienne Westwood and Beyoncé.

Filipino fashion designer Lesley Mobo has worked in Paris and London. He spent his early years in Philippines before moving to London to study Fashion. After gaining a University degree in Biology and a scholarship offer from a prestigious Medical school, he instead turned his hands into fashion design. Graduating from the prestigious Central St Martin's in 2002 with a First Class B.A. Honours Degree in Fashion, his final year collection titled "Maniac" was co-sponsored by Cerruti allowing him to use luxurious tailoring fabrics from Lanifico Fratelli Cerruti Italy. He also received the Colin Barnes Award for fashion illustration from Central St Martin's, a nomination in the Chartered Society of Designers Fashion Awards held in the British Natural History Museum, and participated in the ‘Fashion in Motion exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum from which his works were featured in the BBC News. In 2002 he was interviewed by John Galliano for the House of Christian Dior, and has also assisted for Clements Ribeiro and Cacharel. In 2002 he accepted a designer post in the newly established brand Jasmine Di Milo in Harrods, London.

Manila Fashion Festival (MFF) is a major fashion event held bi-annually in Manila, Philippines showcasing both local and international designers each season. Following the festival's principal sponsorship with Panasonic starting with the Fall/Winter 2018 show last April 2018, the event was renamed to Panasonic Manila Fashion Festival (PMFF).

Alyona Subbotina

Alyona Subbotina is a Kazakhstani fashion model and entrepreneur. She gained international recognition after exclusively opening the Givenchy fashion show in Paris in 2011. She has worked with designers such as Giorgio Armani, Givenchy and Helmut Lang.

Vivienne Hu American fashion designer

Vivienne Hu is an American fashion designer based in New York City.

References

  1. ↑ Singapore, National Library Board. "Singapore Fashion Festival | Infopedia". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  2. ↑ FASHION FESTIVAL 2001 POISED TO POSITION SINGAPORE AS A REGIONAL FASHION CAPITAL Archived 1 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine . Asiatraveltips.com (20 November 2000).
  3. ↑ "About | Audi Fashion Festival". audifashionfestival.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  4. ↑ Chia, Stacey. "Audi Fashion Festival goes solo". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "The Success Story Behind Singapore Fashion Week". Fashionista. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  6. 1 2 Phillips, Tracy. "Singapore Fashion Week: 20 years in the making". Buro 24/7. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  7. ↑ "SPRING - Asia Fashion Exchange launches in April 2010". archive.li. 21 June 2010. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  8. ↑ "Singapore's Passion For Fashion Ramps Up with Asia Fashion Exchange". www.stb.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  9. 1 2 Seah, May (16 November 2017). "The curtain falls on Singapore Fashion Week". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  10. ↑ "Audi Fashion Festival 2014 "The Art of Progress"". Audi Fashion Festival. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "Day 1: Audi Fashion Festival 2013 begins". HerWorldPlus. 15 May 2013. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  12. ↑ Ankita, Varma (13 July 2015). "Entrepreneur Tjin Lee: Day-dreamer comes through". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  13. 1 2 "Audi Fashion Festival 2014". Mercury Marketing & Communications. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  14. ↑ Chia, Stacey (13 May 2014). "Audi Fashion Festival highlights local designers alongside international labels". Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  15. 1 2 "Singapore Fashion Week 2015: 13-17 May 2015". French Chamber Singapore. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  16. ↑ Chia, Stacey (16 February 2015). "Singapore Fashion Week 2015 returns with a new direction". HerWorldPlus. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  17. ↑ Thoufeekh, Shairah. "Singapore Fashion Week 2016: The Biggest Local Fashion Event of the year has been Postponed to October". honeycombers. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  18. ↑ Woo, Alyssa (18 February 2016). "New Date and Local for Fashion Week". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  19. ↑ Woo, Alyssa (28 April 2016). "Runway shows at Singapore Fashion Week will be live-streamed online". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  20. ↑ "S'pore Fashion Week unveils new partnerships and intitiatives". Today. 28 April 2016. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  21. ↑ "Singapore Fashion Week 2016: Asian & Local Designers Take The Spotlight This October". Pop Spoken. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.