My favourite fashion brand, Singapore-based label Depression, has launched a very timely capsule collection that will allow you to proudly shout out your Coronavirus vaccination status.
The ‘Freedom Capsule’ collection is a series of three limited edition graphic tees inspired by surviving lockdowns, lockouts and the designers’ hopes for a better tomorrow.
The Antidote tee comes in regular or oversized styles, the Vaccinated tee requires you to actually prove your vaccination status before you can buy it, and the Freedom shirt is a symbol of the hopes of a post-pandemic world.
I’ve always loved Docs. I bought my first pair when I was still in high school – a long, long time ago – and I still have them more than 20 years later. I have Docs studded with Swarovski crystals; I have wedge platform Doc ankle boots; I have Doc sandals; I have bi-coloured brogues; I have mary-janes … I have lots of pairs of Dr Marten shoes, but I’d still really, really like to have a couple of pairs of the brand’s newest collections.
The Quad Neoteric collection combines the historic brand’s heritage features including a sole that’s mutated into a fabulously thick platform. It looks like the classic ‘Airwair Bouncing’ sole, but is actually a lightweight two-part innovation with a built-in SoftWair insole for added comfort.
The collection comes in Nappa Lux leather, with the Doc Marten signature yellow welt stitching, heel loops and recognisable tread. The collection includes the Audrick 8-eye boot, Audrick Chelsea and the Audrick 3-eye shoe styles.
The Tarian collection is a new addition to Dr Martens’ casual range, with an upper that’s more like a hiking boot combined with the brand’s classic sole that comes with a SoftWair insole.
The Tarik boot is part of the Tract line from the brand, and has yellow welt stitching and the AirWair heel loop. The boots come in both nylon and leather options – black Wyoming leather and either black or gunmetal Extra Tough 50/50 nylon.
Both the Quad Neoteric and Tarian collections will be available in Australia by September 30, at www.drmartens.com.au.
‘Made in China’ has, rather unfortunately, been considered a symbol with negative connotations, denoting as it did historically that anything made in China was cheap rubbish. Thankfully in the last decade or so, this misconception has been mostly overcome, particularly in the areas around technology.
However there has continued to be a perception that when it comes to original creativity, the work coming out of China is less refined, more derivative, and not as stylish as that of the rest of the world, indeed, even the rest of Asia.
Japan has long been considered a bastion of high design, from ceramics and architecture, to fashion and technology; in the last five years South Korea has also been seen as owning a particular type of original design. China, however, has not.
Which is a shame. After all, the core design traditions of both Japan and Korea are Chinese. The form of writing, building, traditional clothing … All can be traced to China.
In current times China’s impact on the creative world has been seen mostly through the lens of business and money. Chinese luxury buyers are to be tempted with red and gold versions of existing products … ‘just in time for Chinese New Year’, but the majority of creative brands have not only patronised the Chinese market, they have also appropriate its culture and used blatant racism in its advertising.
All of this leads one to wonder why more attention hasn’t been given to the current crop of quality creatives now coming out of China. There are a number of highly regarded architects and artists, for example, that do appear to receive accolades, so why not the fashion designers?
There are a number of Chinese designer names who have managed to make enough noise to be noticed, mostly because they are based in Europe. Masha Ma, Angel Chen, Yiqing Yin, Ryan Lo and Yang Li are all based in either Paris or London.
This lack of attention towards Chinese fashion designers is due to the tendency of Western fashion media to ignore anything that isn’t right in front of their noses.
In an attempt to try to remedy this attitude, here is an interesting Chinese fashion brand worth discovering.
HEMU
Founded in 2010, by Yang Fengrui, Hemu is a modern take on traditional Chinese clothing without too many of the obvious cliches.
While there are definite straight nods to tradition – mandarin collars, frog closures, long loose layers, tassels – they are used in a relatively sparing manner to create the impression of histroriosity, rather than a direct knock-off like you find on Hanfu clothing websites.
What strikes the eye immediately is that Yang is moved mostly by fabric; every piece of the Spring 2020 collection depended on the fluidity of the silk used to impart the meaning and even structure of the garments.
The focus on the texture of the fabric, in plain swathes of white and black showed a very modern take on a traditional qipao. Muted shades of gold and umber, plus a single shot of red, held the collection together.
Less clever are the menswear pieces (see the video) that take a more obvious leaf from the traditional garment book; however in the current age of non-gendered dressing the sheer fact that most of the menswear garments could be interpreted as long gowns is an interesting perspective. The traditional Chinese dress style, after all, offered long, flowing garments for both sexes.
Here’s another piece from my Masters’ blog that I think is worth reposting …
Are couturiers and their ateliers still relevant?
Dior Haute Couture SS18 finale: The list of Grand Couturiers that showed during Haute Couture SS18 fashion week included Givenchy, Alexandre Vauthier, Giambattista Valli, Julien Fournié, Jean Paul Gaultier, Stéphane Rolland, Christian Dior, Alexis Mabille, Franck Sorbier, Chanel, Schiaparelli and Maison Margiela. Image: Dior via WWD
Fashion is not just about high street stores, online shopping and $5 t-shirts. Fashion at its core is about the making of garments to fit and suit your body perfectly.
Who are the couturiers and what is haute couture?
With the current fashion trends focused almost entirely on streetwear and sportswear, it’s easy to forget that fashion used to come first from the delicate hands and exacting minds of the haute couture ateliers – the studios of ‘high elegant sewing’. Basically sewing by hand.
Over the years, however, it has come to be defined as being: ‘fashion that is constructed by hand from start to finish, made from high quality, expensive, often unusual fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable sewers, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques’ (Huffington Post 2015).
The Chambre syndicale de la haute couture as it is now known was originally founded in 1868, and rigorously chooses a very limited number of 100 members in three groups or Chambres Syndicales – Haute Couture including Grand Couture, Couturiers’ and Fashion Designers’ Ready-to-Wear and Men’s Fashion as exemplars of quality fashion and design (Chambre syndicale de la haute couture 2018).
Of these three groups, to become a member of the Haute Couture Chambre Syndicale is considered the highest honour a fashion designer can aspire to (Chambre syndicale de la haute couture 2018).
Why should we care about haute couture ateliers? Haute Couture can be defined as being the highest level of the creation of garments; the Chambre was founded to promote ‘Haute Couture and creation [to] have a major impact by combining traditional know how and contemporary technology at all times’ (Chambre syndicale de la haute couture 2018).
It is the work of these couturiers and their atelier teams that continue the core skills and history of handcrafting garments to perfectly fit a body. These handcrafting skills are the basis for every factory machine action that is used to create prêt-à-porter, or ready-to-wear clothing.
Without the continuation of revered ateliers like embroiderer Maison Lesage which partners with Chanel for its haute couture collections, so much knowledge and skill would be lost.
Without the couturiers and ateliers, there would be no fashion; just a lot of clothes.
For a long time I’ve had an issue with Singapore media describing certain companies that make clothes as ‘fashion brands’ but which are actually ‘retail’ labels. These brands – Love, Bonito is one of them – are not really ‘fashion brands’; they are companies that make nice clothes, at reasonable prices, with a bit of personal style, for people to wear on a daily basis. These brands are more similar to Topshop and Uniqlo than they are to Dior or Chanel, or even Vetements.
In Singapore there are number of quite successful retail brands that have been making their way into popular shopping memories, but which are not fashion brands per se. Brands like Love, Bonito, By Invite Only, Beyond the Vines and Benjamin Barker, were recently featured at the Singapore Fashion Awards 2017, as part of the ‘marketing’ section, not as part of the design awards. And having been a founding judge for the awards, I know that the reason these brands are featured is because they are popular and much more retail-friendly than many less wearable or conceptual designer brands. Designer brands that are more appropriate to be considered as ‘fashion’ labels.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that more retail-friendly brands are worse than the more fashion-forward labels. What I’m trying to highlight is that these types of clothing companies are not ‘oranges and apples’, they’re more ‘oranges and coffee-smoked buffalo tongue’. The first is something that doesn’t scare the shopper, the second is only for the very adventurous.
I have a great deal of respect for Love, Bonito’s founders. They have created a very lucrative business in a fashion retail environment that’s been under a great deal of pressure for the last 2-3 years. The brand knows exactly who their customer is; they know what she wants; and they know how to give it to her in a seamless online-to-offline experience. The brand has a variety of price points, but retains its core directive from its launch, expanding only as much, and as directionally, as is needed to grow the business. Love, Bonito is not a fashion brand swinging on the weird wind of trends and concepts; it’s sailing along smoothly along in a clear direction. And this is not a bad thing.
Image from Love, Bonito Chinese New Year 2018 capsule collection. Model: Jasmine Sim
While I may not consider Love, Bonito to be a hardcore fashion brand – you can read about the Singapore brands I do consider more ‘fashion’ – the founders have never claimed it is one. They are purposefully creating a business that has long term prospects in the retail market.
There are a few other Singapore brands that are also not exactly pristine when it comes to plagiarism. Whole9Yards has been cited for knocking off first, Self Portrait – the classic coloured lace dresses of its earliest collections – and now Malaysian designer, Jonathan Liang. Pleatation is obviously a copy of Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please label.
For Pleatation, the concept arose at the same time as micro pleated skirts started flooding Zara and Topshop; the brand cleverly linked up with this trend.
Image from Jonathan Liang SS17
When Whole9Yards first launched there was not a whole lot to talk about. The design concept was very ‘office lady’. However, after Self Portrait’s iconic lace dresses took off in 2013, Whole9Yards began to specialise in lace dresses the average OL could afford. The lace dress became a staple of its output. And very successful it was too. Although I’ve noticed that the brand has massively increased their prices now that they’re doing items that look like those of Jonathan Liang.
Image from Whole9Yards AW17
Again, I’m not saying that affordable retail options are an entirely bad thing. What I am saying is that making items that so closely echo the creative work of other designers is not fashion; it is copying. It is the lack of original design coupled with riding a wave of commercial popularity that makes it ‘retail’ and NOT fashion. At least as far as I’m concerned.
As I was quoted in this very flattering story by Adele Chan, the Editor-in-Chief of Nylon Singapore … “As always, I want to remind readers that this is my personal opinion, and as with anything, you can always have your own.”
Have been looking at some of the photography I’ve done lately and realised that I’ve been getting a lot better at it; at least I think so. Here are some backstage snaps I took at the Finland’s Fashion Frontier runway show featuring a couple of Singapore’s top models – male and female, including the amazing Jean Yong in the main image above – and some other lovely faces … It’s all in the eyes. I might need to invest in a proper camera.
There is a tendency in small communities to rave about any local brand or designer simply because they ARE local.
While it is important to support local talent, it is just as important to give praise where due, and to not simply celebrate the ‘localness’ for its own sake.
This is what has happened over the last 6 years in the Singapore fashion industry. Local brands with little to no true originality have been patted on the back and given media coverage simply because they exist. It’s like giving all the kids in a race a certificate and no medals for first, second or third.
When you don’t appear to get anything more for standing out from the crowd and being better than others, what’s the point of trying?
Conversely, just because you have a lot of friends in the local media, it shouldn’t mean that your work is placed higher on the tent pole of adulation.
In Singapore there has been a general creep towards admiration for retail brands that have successful social media accounts, rather than support for labels that do their own thing and focus on creating original work.
Yes, we should be proud of the brands that have continued to be economically viable in the current difficult retail environment – and indeed, they deserve praise simply for surviving. However, retail-successful brands are not going to be cutting edge fashion design in a trend-focused, shopping-driven country like Singapore.
Over the last 9 years in Singapore I have seen so many fashion brands come and go. Some deserved to disappear from our fashion radar, but others succumbed due to the lack of media attention, the lack of fashion education for shoppers – also media-led – and a general oversupply of any, and every, fashion brand in the world. Not to mention, of course, the increasing rise of online shopping.
Out of this complicated mess of being ignored in favour of someone’s friend’s new blogshop sourced from Dongdaemun Market; fighting for sales against global retail giants; and forever being forgotten by the fashion media except for the annual ‘Singapore issue’, there have risen a few fashion and accessories brands worth talking about.
These are my personal picks for Singapore fashion brands that actually work from a creative base of originality; no, they’re not all perfect (no brand is) but they have worked to ensure that they have a brand identity that doesn’t depend on ripping off other brands.
DEPRESSION
Image: Depression
Yes, I admit that I am personal friends with the designers behind Singapore streetwear unisex brand Depression. However, this doesn’t mean I can’t objectively appreciate what Kenny Lim and Andrew Loh have done over the last 10 years. Yes, Depression is 10 years old.
A brand that began as t-shirts for the impoverished junior industry creatives and hairstylists of Singapore, has grown into a brand that has a distinct DNA, is stocked globally and has shown at Berlin Fashion Week.
Depression is not a brand for everyone. It’s mostly black, drapey, oversized, punk-influenced streetwear for guys who work in the creative industries and girls who don’t like wearing pink lace dresses. But this doesn’t mean it’s not good.
Depression has a particular point-of-view and a targeted customer. And these are the reasons why it has survived Singapore’s ‘retail apocalypse’.
Image: Depression
Depression does have some issues. Over the years the brand has had hiccups in fabrication and fitting, but the team of designers tend not to make the same mistakes twice. As the brand owners have branched out into a multilabel store – Sects Shop – and a number of in-house brands, their ‘learnings’ have been incorporated into improving the Depression label.
Despite, or in fact, because of this, Depression is a Singapore fashion brand worth celebrating, whether or not you love an all black wardrobe.
Depression is available from Sects Shop located at Orchard Gateway #04-14, Singapore, and online at www.depression.com.sg.
IN GOOD COMPANY
Image: In Good Company
Designed and owned by the creative team behind now-defunct original Singapore brand Alldressedup, In Good Company is a tight collaboration between two designers who have their own specialties, and who know exactly who they are designing for. I’ve always said that the team, who worked together for about 10 years, made all their mistakes with someone else’s label, which is why they have grown from strength to strength since the brand launched in 2015.
Image: In Good Company
Jaclyn Teo, Sven Tan, Kane Tan – no relation – and Juliene Aw, are the co-founders of In Good Company, which started out with contemporary womenswear designed specifically for Singapore and the Southeast Asian region’s hot weather in a series of capsule collection ‘drops’, and has now expanded into matching ‘mini me’ collections for kids, and menswear. The brand is stocked in a number of stores in Singapore and the surrounding region, including in Jakarta, and has its own ‘tropical minimalist’ flagship store in ION Orchard on Orchard Road.
Image: In Good Company
The reason I describe the brand as being ‘tropical minimalist’ is that its aesthetic is a mix of Scandinavian minimalist design (yes, there’s a fair bit of COS in the shapes of the clothes) combined with a love of strong colours, ease of wear and machine-washability; perfect for tropical weather.
Image: In Good Company
Cuts tend to be on the smaller, Asian side, however the brand launched first as an online store and has a wide range of global customers. The signature very-fine shoulder and back strap details, and unique fabrics like machine-washable silk and cotton ‘neoprene’ means In Good Company remains modern without being trend-driven. Pieces from early collections can just as easily be worn with the latest launches and also fit nicely into ‘arty’ wardrobes that feature a lot of Comme Des Garçons. Yes, there are a few ‘basics’ that have a tendency to look like COS summer collections, but overall, In Good Company retains its own voice.
Image: In Good Company
The co-founders knew exactly who they were selling to before they launched the brand, and continue to stick to that very defined demographic despite the brand’s increasing profile as original Singapore design. They’ve been offered opportunities internationally – in countries that are definitely NOT tropical – but have stuck to their guns when it comes to designing for the region, not being beholden to global weather and not sticking to arbitrary fashion seasons.
It’s the combination of sticking to their preferred business model, knowing their customers and always exploring technology to create new, more comfortable fabrics, that has seen In Good Company continue to grow and establish itself as a strong independent Singapore fashion brand. This is not a brand that wants to become a global behemoth, the founders are all about staying true to their personal aesthetic and likewise living a life that allows for family and friends.
In Good Company is located at ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn, #B1-06, Singapore. Open daily: 10am – 9:30pm, Tel: +65 6509 4786. You can shop the brand online at www.ingoodcompany.asia, and the store is also home to a cool cafe, Plain Vanilla Bakery.
CARRIE K. ARTISAN JEWELLERY
Image: Carrie K. Artisan Jewellery
Once again I have to own up to being personal friends with the team behind Carrie K. Artisan Jewellery, but hey, Singapore is a small place.
Carolyn Kan, the founder and designer of the brand is the perfect example of a Singapore creative just doing her thing, being excellent at what she does, and ignoring the shallow, wider world of globally focused trends and social media ra-ra.
Image: Carrie K. Artisan Jewellery
Carolyn launched the label way back in 2009 as a way to ‘tell stories’ after changing her career. Almost immediately the brand took off as an international jewellery exporter; her quirky designs based on everything from nuts & bolts to paint splatters and morse code, struck a cord with people looking for ‘wearable art’ that was not only affordable but also unique and told a personal story. Carolyn has always done commission work, creating very personal pieces for customers who want something that tells their own story.
Image: Carrie K. Artisan Jewellery
The retail side of the business has grown over the years to encompass pieces in silver for less than a $100, to fine jewellery versions that can go for thousands. Every collection starts from Carolyn’s odd-but-interesting brain and continue to tell fun and unique tales about her world and the fans who have bought into it.
Image: Carrie K. Artisan Jewellery
On top of all this, Carolyn has been the backbone of the creative design scene in Singapore. Her creation of the Keepers Studio concept from pop-up weekends and stores, to a permanent retail space at Singapore’s National Design Centre, has seen her become the most important person in the national design scene. Without her, there would not be successful Singapore brands – a bold claim but one I’m ready to defend.
The Carrie K. Artisan Jewellery atelier is located at National Design Centre, 111 Middle Road. #02-03 (Annex building along Queen Street), Singapore. Open: Monday to Saturday, 12:00 – 7pm, Tel: +65 6352 2559. You can also shop the brand online at www.carriekrocks.com, and at the Keepers store. For a full list of stockists including international, go to www.carriekrocks.com/stores.
These are my current best Singapore designer fashion and accessories brands. I’ll continue to update and add to the list.
Everyone seems to agree that Singapore has some of the best shopping in the world. You really can buy everything in the shopping city, especially when it comes to fashion, shoes and accessories … There are all the European, American and Asian international brands, as well as some unique Singapore-centric labels as well. For my money, the best places to shop are some of the more eclectic multi-label stores … Sects Shop, Keepers and Biro Shouten.
SECTS SHOP
All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
Sects Shop is the store for people who love streetwear, alternative fashion and anything a bit spooky and goth. Founded in 2014 but the two creative minds behind Singapore fashion brand Depression – Kenny Lim and Andrew Loh – this multilabel store located in Orchard Gateway is always at the forefront of the next big trend. Although it’s mainly a menswear store, there’s a strong unisex component to the buy that neatly covers the new Korean streetwear trends of oversize, unisex ‘skirts for boys’ trends as well as generously-cut ‘drapey black goth’ pieces that are definitely female-friendly. Shoes are available in smaller sizes for women, and there are always accessories like bags and jewellery that can be adopted by both sexes.
All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
What I love most about Sects Shop is that it’s always got something new – a new label, a new fashion-forward trend – and the staff are extremely knowledgeable about not only the labels in-store, but also about the current trends for styling.
All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
The interior consists of various ‘shop-in-shop’ spaces that curate the various looks and trends into different spaces. The furniture pieces have been specially created to match the store’s concrete-industrial-tropical-trash feel and are used to create different spaces. Sects Shop is also home to semi-regular pop-up party events that basically include a runway show of the store’s hardcore fans in their best Sects Shop looks.
I have to admit to being a bit biased about the beauties of Sects Shop. I am a longtime friend of the co-owners 🙂 and also a big-spending customer; I do LOVE Korean fashion brands.
I was also the creative director for the shop’s recent Spring Summer campaign shoot … READ MORE HERE
Sects Shop not only has a great Instagram account that lets you know what’s new in-store, the owners have recently also launched an account called sects.education that’s designed to show Singaporean’s how to be a bit more cutting edge when it comes to their street style looks, and features images from some of the city’s more interesting fashionistas. Well worth following for some interesting Asian fashion inspiration.
Sects Shop is located at Orchard Gateway #04-14, Singapore.
KEEPERS
All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
If you are looking for genuine Singapore design then you need to check out Keepers in the National Design Centre, which is worth checking out in its own right if you like any sort of design.
Created by one of Singapore’s most prolific and genuine artisans, Carolyn Kan of Carrie K. Artisan Jewellery which also has its studio in the same group of buildings, Keepers has had a number of incarnations, starting as a pop-up store on Orchard Road and ending up with its permanent spot in the Design Centre.
Carolyn is Singapore’s number one style and design collaborators – Singapore’s godmother of design. She has created numerous opportunities for all sorts of emerging artists and designers to come together to create unique capsule collections, but has also spearheaded the development of space for these artisans to actually SELL their creations. As a multilabel store, Keepers offers everything from jewellery, fashion, furniture and homewares, to unique flavoured teas and chocolates. Keepers is also behind the annual Singapasar fleamarket that features only Singaporean creations.
Thomas Wee capsule collection at Keepers. All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
So, back to the store. Situated in the front of the ground floor, the store is a free-form space that morphs into different design concepts based on individual brand concepts.
Currently Keepers is holding is a pop-up capsule collection from Singapore’s ‘Dowager Empress’ of fashion, Thomas Wee. This all-white range of beautifully hand-finished, couture-cut fashion pieces are based on Thomas’ all-time best-sellers. The designer himself was there opening night, taking measurements and informing customers that he would tailor various bits and pieces to better suit their body shapes.
Thomas Wee capsule collection at Keepers. All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
This is the type of personal service that adds to the joy of visiting Keepers. Carolyn and her creative husband/partner Chong can often be found hanging out in the store making useful suggestions to customers over which pieces of jewellery to buy, or which Ling Wu exotic skin bag looks best. Hands down, Keepers is the best place to buy stylish souvenirs from Singapore; and it’s the best place to snap up artistic presents as well.
Thomas Wee capsule collection at Keepers. All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
Keepers is located at National Design Centre, 111 Middle Road, #01-01, Singapore. Open 12pm to 8pm daily. The National Design Centre is also home to Carrie K. Atelier and super hot dining & cafe spot Tanuki Raw plus another cool multi-brand store Kapok.
BIRO SHOUTEN
All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
For shoppers who are more into the extreme hardcore minimalism of very select hand-curate objects and fashion items; or stylistas who are obsessed with the normcore purity of Japanese design, Biro Shouten is the tiny, perfect store for you.
This is where the brothers bring together their concise curration of the very best versions of micro-targeted accessories, homewares, organic home scents, jewellery and clothing, including Mastery handmade small leather goods and Takashi Endo Ceramics.
All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
The store itself is small, but perfect in layout and design – very Japanese in concept and feel. Although it’s located in a somewhat odd area (a very Singapore heartland shopping mall), it’s directly next to the Lavender MRT stop and well worth making the effort to visit.
Biro Shouten is located at Kitchener Complex, Level 3, 809 French Road, Singapore.
I’ve just discovered another fashion shoot I did while I was at http://www.herworldplus.com … You know you’ve been in the industry a long time when you forget a great shoot you did only a year ago!
Creative Direction: Niki Bruce
Photographer: Vee Chin
Styling: Randolph Tan and Ong Jollin
Hair and Makeup: Sha Shamsi using Mac Cosmetics and Sebastian Professional
Model: Saida @ Mannequin
I suspect that few fashion people have ever considered Finland as a source of more than nice interior decor prints from Marimekko. Perhaps a few people interested in architecture and industrial design may have heard of Alvar Aalto. Finland, despite it being home to some of the founding designers of what’s now described as ‘Scandi’ style – white, minimalism, blonde wood, hand-crafted ceramics, pops of primary colours – is generally lost in the recitation of other Scandinavian countries when it comes to descriptions of style and design capitals of the world.
Detail of the embroidery by Sini-Pilvi Kiilunen. Image: Niki Bruce, #shotoniphonex
This lack of awareness is rather unfortunate. Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is home to a number of excellent designers from fabric and fashion to interiors and architecture. It is also home to a rather good design school based at Aalto University, the country’s premier education institution.
In November 2017, at an elegantly intimate event in the new Andaz Hotel, a select group of Singapore’s fashion literati were finally introduced to some of the talent that’s currently coming out of the land of forests and lakes.
Finland’s Fashion Frontier was the first time Finnish designers were showcased in Singapore. Organised by Helsinki New (a really innovative company that promotes Finnish design and fashion), Helsinki Marketing (owned by the Finnish government) and in collaboration with Aalto University, five young designers’ capsule collections were shown on a runway.
All in all it was an interesting snapshot of a country’s design aesthetic, and quite an eye-opener for many a jaded fashionista’s palate.
Full disclosure … I have to explain that I once spent an enormously fun, cold, fascinating year in a small town in Finland – with lots of trips to Helsinki, of course. A town that was described by visiting Finnish makeup artist Miika Kemppainen as ‘hard core’. So I have a bit of a soft spot for the land of forests and lakes. 🙂
FINLAND’S FASHION FRONTIER … THE REVIEW
Backstage at Finland’s Fashion Frontier show. Image: Franz Navarrete
Overall, I have to say that I was mostly impressed by the quality, and design sensibility of the five young Finnish designers – Rolf Ekroth, Anna Isoniemi, Sini-Pilvi Kiilunen, Janette Friis and Ida-Sofia Tuomisto. The menswear from Rolf Ekroth and Sini-Pilvi Kiilunen was particularly strong, and the disco-ball party outfits from Anna Isoniemi stood out as being very on-trend.
ROLF EKROTH, menswear
Rolf Ekroth creates the Finnish version of oversized on-trend streetwear. He will be one of eight invited Finnish designers at Pitti Uomo in January, and has already collaborated with Paris’ Galeries Lafayette on a Spring Summer 2017 capsule collection. His grasp of the current trend of ‘futuristic sportswear’ is obviously the reason behind his rise to popularity, since it’s so ‘hot right now’.
A look from Rolf Ekroth backstage. Image: Franz Navarrete
What makes Ekroth stand out from the general pack doing similar things is his use of materials. This is, in fact, the true strength of these young Finnish designers. Ekroth uses a material similar to foil warming blankets to create voluminous garments that are as light as air, but totally insulating (rather hot in Singapore according to the model); he also used a quilted waxed paper-like fabric, again lightweight but super insulated.
Up-and-coming Singapore model Gabe Yap wearing a look from Rolf Ekroth. Image: Franz Navarrete
His colour choices and layering of prints is also solid and interesting; a jacquard camo print particularly stood out.
A look from Rolf Ekroth. Image: Franz Navarrete
However, some of the pieces were just a touch too close to what’s happening in Seoul and around the world; the ‘coat as backpack’ and the connected jackets and coats zipped into each other, are reminiscent of Yohji Yamamoto’s latest collection and of course, Rei Kawakubo’s designs for Comme des Garçons. ‘Homage’ as they say is not entirely a bad thing, but with more exposure and growth the influences will become less obvious. Rolf Ekroth has a strong future; one to watch.
ANNA ISONIEMI, womenswear
If you believe you can never have too many sequins, Anna Isoniemi is the designer for you. The collection on the runway was inspired by racing cars and 1960s futurism – the second influence was clearly obvious in the graphic checked pants and polo-neck top, the linear stripes and the use of primary colours. The racing car influences were more hidden as textiles that imitated brand names and the simplistic use of numbers.
Looks from Anna Isoniemi. Image: Franz Navarrete
The stubborn choice to use sequins en masse was a fortuitous decision; the ‘shine’ became a texture, adding a robotic fluidity to garments that really were very basic in cut and concept. Without the sequins, the collection would have been quite humdrum, with no quirks of cut or silhouette to make the clothes any more than current high-street items of pleated skirts, polos, wide-legged pants and oversized boxy jackets.
Anna Isoniemi is also a textile designer, which is why the colour choices were well thought through, but unfortunately we didn’t get to see her best work in this area, the sunset ombre sequin patterns that are also in her collection are lovely. It would be interesting to know what her clothes would sell for; too expensive and price herself out of the market for shiny party clothes.
SINI-PILVI KIILUNEN, menswear (or womenswear)
The feminisation of menswear is also a current fashion trend – JW Anderson, Blindness – and was covered by the work of Sini-Pilvi Kiilunen at the Finland’s Fashion Frontier show. His sumptuous velvets and indulgent embellishments of floral embroideries and ruffles layered over boxy military style coats could easily be worn by men or women. The fact that the fabrics and embroideries were also recycled added to the very ‘now’ feel of Kiilunen’s collection.
Detail look at piece from Sini-Pilvi Kiilunen. Image: Franz Navarrete
While the concept could have become overwhelmingly sweet, the addition of fabric worked with hundreds of metal rings on pants and jackets, kept the sugar way with a dash of punk. Rich deep colours of vermillion, navy and aqua also helped add a more masculine aspect. Again, it was the use of colour and texture that made this collection less ordinary; the cuts of pants, shirts, jackets and coats were more classic than fashion-forward, though the proportions were interesting.
Detail look at metal ring fabrications from Sini-Pilvi Kiilunen. Image: Niki Bruce, #shotoniphonex
Kiilunen was inspired by 19th century oil portraits of young boys, a fitting reflection on the current pop culture movement towards less gender definition in the world of fashion. Depending on how expensive these piece would be, the designer is sure to find a following. Very K-Pop; you could easily see a boy group music video coming down the runway.
JANETTE FRIIS, womenswear
Unfortunately I couldn’t really remember Janette Friis’ work until I got to the knitwear. Which, not surprisingly, is apparently her specialty. The languid, chiffon pieces in her collection were not particularly strong, too reminiscent of other designers and too obviously taken from her 1930s and 1940s inspiration. They all looked like boudoir pieces from old movies.
Dress by Janette Friis. Image: Franz Navarrete
The knitwear, on the other hand, stood out. The cozy, slightly oversized iterations of pussy-bow blouses and pencil skirts looked fresher. Although to make the concept stronger, Friis would have done well to exaggerate the proportions even more than she did.
Singapore supermodel Jean wearing Janette Friis. Image: Franz Navarrete
At this stage her work still seems to lack a strong point of difference, the more interesting items are a bit too ‘fashion’ for easy retail, and not quite ‘fashion’ enough for the high-end style market. There’s lots of potential here but it needs refining.
IDA-SOFIA TUOMISTO, womenswear
Ida-Sofia Tuomisto’s collection is apparently focused on the materials, the ‘breaking down and reconstructing [of] garments to create a final result that is both new and fresh’. Unfortunately the finished result did not seem all that new or refreshing. The mix of hard and soft textures is not new, the painting of fabrics is not new, the cuts were entirely too reminiscent of recent collections from Loewe and even Dior.
Singapore model Jean wearing a look from Ida-Sofia Tuomisto. Image: Franz Navarrete
Overall, Tuomisto’s collection was perhaps the weakest of the five shown at Finland’s Fashion Frontier. However, again, the work was saved by the use of colour – one oversized t-shirt dress showed a nice use of autumnal colour and looked much more comfortable to wear. This would be a more interesting direction to take for future work.
Look from Ida-Sofia Tuomisto final collection runway show in Finland. Image: Helsinki Now
The use of hard-textured materials combined with hand-manipulation would make it difficult to translate Tuomisto’s work into a retail range at a reasonable price; but something could be done with the dress mentioned above.
OVERALL THOUGHTS & MUSINGS …
One of the things I love about Finland as a country and culture is that it is on the border of West and East, despite not many people being aware of it. I always refer to Finland as being the ‘Tokyo of Europe’ in that it has its own slightly quirky perspective on the world; it celebrates the creation of things, not just the final product; it has an educated, polite but just-a-bit odd population that is as happy dealing with issues at a global level as it is sitting in a wooden hut in a forest next to a lake.
Miia Koski, the managing director of Juni, the company behind Helsinki Now, told me that Finnish design is a mix of Scandinavian minimalism and love of natural textures, with the celebration of bright colours more reminiscent of Asia. And she’s exactly right.
Finnish fashion is a mix of the bright and crazy colours and textures we in Asia are so fond of, with the clean lines that are not only the hallmarks of Scandinavia, but likewise of traditional Japanese design. Finland is the Japan of Europe, but it’s also very much its own world.
Helsinki New is a series of fashion projects organised by Juni Communication & Production. Go to www.helsinkinew.com and check out its instagram account @helsinki_new
Finland’s Fashion Frontier Show Venue: Andaz Hotel Singapore Production: Saara Sihvonen Hair and makeup team lead: Miika Kemppainen
niki bruce 