Audi Star Creation 2012 Winners: Q&A with Thailand's Soravit Kaewlamon, one year on!

The last interview of the three part series with Audi Star Creation 2012 winners (the other two are here and here) is with the boldest of all three: Soravit Kaewkamon from Thailand.

If you're familiar with the Bangkok fashion scene then you'd know that it is probably the most colourful and fun of all Asia. From prints to cuts and daring designs the Thai designers love to experiment and Soravit is no different.

After seeing her menswear winning collection, I'm looking forward to see the designer's complimentary womenswear collection which she will be showing at AFF next week!

So why did she switch to womenswear? Will it be as bold as the first one and what are her future plans? Find out this talented designer's answers below!

(P.S. I've giving away 5 pairs of tickets to watch the ASC winners show at AFF. Find out more on facebook).

Audi Star Creation 2012 Winners: Q&A with South Korea's Ko Young Ji, one year on!

Just a week before their show at Audi Fashion Festival this year, I'm running short interviews with last year's 3 winners of the Audi Star Creation (ASC)  fashion design competition, to find out where they are one year on after winning.

Today's Q&A is with S. Korean designer Ko Young Ji whose feminine collection last year stood out especially in contrast with some of the more directional collections of the other participants.

Find out more about the designer, who is launching her own label very soon and reflecting back on the past eventful year of her journey.

You can also read the other winners' interviews here and here.

(P.S. I'm also giving away tickets for the ASC winners show at AFF, find out more about it on facebook.)

Audi Star Creation 2012 Winners: Q&A with Roderic Wong from China, one year on...

As someone who's very interested in the emerging designers scene, I often wonder about these young talents I encounter and what it is like to have been on their journey so far - regardless how short it may seem to be.

Last year, one of the most enjoyable things I followed on this blog was the Audi Star Creation competition where I interviewed all 12 finalists and got to see their final showdown on the runway at Audi Fashion Festival (AFF).

The three designers who eventually won were Roderic Wong from China, Ko Youngji from South Korea and Soravit Kaewkamon from Thailand whom each got a one-year internship at F J Benjamin in Singapore to get a valuable experience in the industry and a cash prize to kick-start their careers.

Fast forward one year, and here are the three designers preparing for their second show at the upcoming AFF this month and I have to say, I can't wait for time round too!

But before I get to see their new collection, I had some questions for each of the winners and was intrigued to know how was the past year like for them.

I will post these short interviews over 3 days starting today, and will also be giving away 5 pairs of tickets to watch their show at AFF (check the facebook page for details).

Today, I'll start with the designer whose work truely wowed me for he uses unconventional techniques and has a keen eye on details. This is Roderic Wong who no doubt has a great future ahead of him in fashion. Check out what he has to say regarding his internship, evolution as a designer and future plans!

A look from Roderic Wong's winning collection of 2012, 'tissue of being'!
Looking forward to see his new collection at AFF this year too.

Audi Star Creation 2013: Introducing the 12 Finalists – Part 2

Last week, I’ve introduced the first 6 of the 12 finalists of Asian fashion design competition, Audi Star Creation.

Today I follow up with the rest of them to give you a hint on these young aspiring designers’ ideas and inspirations – as well as sketches!

I’ll be looking forward to seeing their full collections on the runway at next month’s Audi Fashion Festival and find out who will eventually win the competition.

But despite the fact there can only be 3 winners, it is important to remember that these 12 designers were picked from 355 entries from around Asia and thus getting this far is an accomplishment in itself.

Here’s hoping that regardless of the results, all these talents would get eventually discovered and endorsed by someone who will be able to turn their dreams – and hard work – into reality.

An interesting and futuristic design by Vietnamese finalist Ngo Hoang Kha  

Audi Star Creation 2013: Introducing the 12 Finalists – Part 1

Almost a year ago I had the pleasure of doing what I love doing best on this blog. Namely, talking to 12 aspiring designers from around Asia as they made it to the finalists list of Audi Star Creation competition.

For a few weeks in a row, I ran interviews with each and every one of them, got to know more about their inspiration and approach and finally saw their creations come to life on the catwalk at Audi Fashion Festival (AFF).

Fast forward one year and here is another batch of talents for this year’s competition and while I won’t be interviewing them at this stage, I wanted to at least introduce these designers and some of their sketches and ideas as something to look forward to at AFF.

It’s worth noting that the 12 finalists who made it came from different parts of Asia including China, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and even Mongolia – and each has displayed some great potential which I leave for you to judge.

So here’s a little about the first 6 finalists and will be introducing the rest next Wednesday 17^th April so keep watching this space!!!

(For more about the competition and last year’s finalists and winners, click on this link)

A sketch from Malaysian finalist Jean Teoh

Dzojchen: Making Denim and Leather cool in steamy Singapore

If you ask any stylist worth their salt for the must have items in anyone’s closet, the list would most likely include a great pair of denims and a leather jacket.

The reason is that these two specific items have transcended seasonal trends, styles - and even gender - and proved to be just as classic and vital to any modern and stylish person as a great LBD for women and a perfect blazer for men.

But as an all-year round summer destination, Singapore may not exactly be the perfect place to don these usually heavy items so it was a surprise to stumble over a Singaporean label which focuses exclusively on denim and leatherwear.

Dzojchen first caught my eye during Audi Fashion Festival, where I fell in love with their super chic and effortless style which would look right at home in uber fashionable cities like NY and London.

Weekend Want: 6 top picks from Future Fashion Now

If you’ve ever shopped online then you probably know how much of a bittersweet experience it can be.

Unlike the real thing, there is no instant pleasure when you click the button or the thrill of browsing and luxuriating in the touch of a beautiful fabric.

But when your purchases are on the way, nothing beats the anticipation of waiting for that box to arrive and opening that package to see and feel it for the first time. It has that Christmassy feeling all over.

And even though e-commerce sites selling Asian designers are springing up faster than pop-up shops these days, most of them are still operating under more or less the same concept. However the newest kid in town tries to make it as interactive an experience as possible, allowing you to watch catwalk shows live and pre-order the pieces you like straight after they showed on the runway.

Future Fashion Now is making it possible to pre-order pieces from
emerging designers like MAE PANG's latest collection

Audi Fashion Festival: Singapore designers dress and impress

 Apart from the Parco next NEXT designers’ show, (yup the one I was in!), Singaporean designers had a fair share of spotlight this year at Audi Fashion Festival.

Of course I would have loved to see more of the local labels represented but the turnout and the vibe was good start – and hopefully a platform for what is an incredibly strong bunch of labels this year.

The main show I went to was Singapore designers showcase which featured 3 labels: Saturday, Depression and a.w.o.l. – I also made it to see alldressedup’s show after label owners Lionel Leo and Tina Tan-Leo kindly invited me.

alldressedup provided one of the highlights of the show with their elegant,
wearable but slightly edgy collection

Living a Model Life: Backstage at the Audi Fashion Festival in Singapore

Ever since the guys at hip Singapore street-wear label MASH UP asked me to walk the runway at their Audi Fashion Festival show I had been anticipating this moment. May 19 was a big day!

This was probably going to be the most exciting thing I’d done in my life. I mean, seriously, how many chances do ordinary people get to walk a real life catwalk, in front of well over 1,000 people?

So you can imagine just how crestfallen I was when Thursday came around. My eye went red, and basically closed. I was stood in the street, helpless, waiting for my husband to come and pick me up.

Can you spot my red eye?? Practicing the pose I never gave...

Mash-Up on the catwalk at Audi Fashion Festival (Video)

If you read my Facebook page (and if you don't shame on you, here is the link now go and like) then you'll know today was a very special day for me.

Never in my wildest dreams would I consider myself model material, so when new Singapore label Mash-Up asked if I would walk the runway for their show at Audi Fashion Festival I was totally speechless.

Was I a good catwalk model? Probably not, but I couldn't help smiling.

Audi Star Creation Finalists’ Showdown and announcing the winners

After 6 weeks of posting twice a week interviews with the 12 finalists of Audi Star Creation, I was excited to finally see their sketches transformed to reality on the runway.

In fact as each collection came down the runway I felt as if I knew the designer and the clothing intimately.

But in the end it was a competition and there had to be winners and losers.

The winners were announced at the end of the show and they were Roderic Wong from China, Soravit Kaewkamon from Thailand and Ko Youngji from South Korea. And there was also a People’s Choice Award which went to Natalia Kiantoro from Indonesia.

Do they look familiar? If you've been reading the interviews
on this blog, then you've probably seen the sketches!

The winners of Star Creation: Ko Youngji, Roderic Wong andSoravit Kaewkamon  

5 things to watch for during Singapore’s ultimate week of fashion

The biggest week in the Singapore fashion calendar is upon us and I cannot hide my excitement! Unless you’ve been living a in a bubble you probably know that two huge fashion events are happening this week. That is, the Blueprint tradeshow and emporium (i.e. shopping heaven!) and the Audi Fashion Festival.

Naturally the mainstream media are wetting themselves over the fact Thierry Mugler’s creative director (and Lady Gaga’s stylist) Nicola Formichetti will be in town and opening the fashion week. Big names like Zac Posen and Roland Mouret will be also showcasing. That’s huge news for Singapore, but what I’m really most looking forward to, are the shows and events where local and other Asian designers will be given the runway to show what they’ve got.

Raoul, one of the most successful Singapore - and now international
label - will be among those showcasing at AFF