The latest in homegrown fashion rocked the catwalk when designers from Singapore’s fashion incubator project PARCO next NEXT made their return to the Audi Fashion Festival (AFF) today.
The PARCO next NEXT show featured eight designers from the project, including Pauline Lim of PAULINE.NING, who graduated from the programme in April 2012. The other labels from PARCO next NEXT’s most recent intake, 20:TWOTHREE, Episene, evenodd, LION EARL, MASH-UP, MILS and QUAINTHOOD, began retailing at PARCO Marina Bay on April 14.
The newer designers put forward their Spring/Summer 2012 lines, and the models also carried bags from Veira by Tan Wey Ling, which is entering its second year with PARCO next NEXT.
PAULINE.NING
Alumnus PAULINE.NING showcased a collection specially created together with Ideas Empire and the Museum Label earlier this year. Ideas Empire, via its collaborative workshop, IE X, teams with artists and designers from various creative disciplines to create interesting and unexpected cross-collaborative concepts.
This is the second time PARCO next NEXT’s designers have been a part of the Audi Fashion Festival and the Asia Fashion Exchange, Singapore’s largest fashion event. Its designers are amongst a select group of homegrown designers being featured at the Audi Fashion Festival, alongside international labels such as Zac Posen, Mugler and Yeojin Bae.
For Sunny Lim of MILS, who recently returned from showing at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia (MBFWA) in Sydney, it is a chance to broaden his commercial reach. He is hoping that through AFF, as well as his booth at AFX’s tradeshow platform BLUEPRINT, he will be able to catch the eye of international buyers.
“The response to my show in Australia was really positive, and I was approached by several buyers, including one from New York. Nothing is set in stone, but these potential opportunities for expansion are really encouraging. I hope the response in Singapore will be as good,” said the 24-year-old designer.
Both Episene and MILS were also featured in a second show on May 17 – the Singapore Showcase @ BLUEPRINT – where they previewed their Pre-Spring 2013 and Spring 2013 collections respectively.
Earlier this year, several PARCO next NEXT labels, including MAE PANG and PAULINE.NING, were featured in a pop-up store in Shibuya PARCO curated by Yuji Yamamoto, the son of renowned Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto.
“In both Singapore and Japan, PARCO has been a strong advocate of local and emerging talent in fashion by providing platforms for its designers to get greater exposure,” said Mr Shuichi Hidaka, PARCO (Singapore)’s managing director.
