Say hello to IN GOOD COMPANY's first flagship store at ION Orchard!

'One day you're in, the next day you're out' is the famous quote repeated by Heidi Klum on every episode on Project Runway as she gives the hopeful contestants a dose of reality when it comes to the business of fashion.

That same sentence proves especially true in Singapore where over the past few years, so many home-grown labels have come and gone, mainly for not being able to turn their brand into a viable business.

So when two young and talented Singaporean designers come together and build a success story over the span of just two years, they must have been doing something right.

The duo - namely Sven Tan and Kane Tan - who were previously the designers behind the beloved local label AllDressedUp, have decided to continue their journey independently after the later closed down and lunched their brand IN GOOD COMPANY (IGC) which is now one of the most celebrated and successful local labels around.

Last week marked another milestone in their journey: the launch of their first flagship store - at ION Orchard nonetheless. Obviously, I couldn't be happier!!!

Mode in Asia: Curated and eclectic online shopping from Shanghai

A while back it was entirely down to Singapore to hold up the reputation of Asian designers online.

But that’s starting to change, as other parts of the region start to get their online act together.

And nowhere is the fashion e-tailing concept growing faster than in bustling and busy Shanghai.

The business city of China has embraced online in a big way, with the likes of the super curated Bundshop making waves in the West.

Now it’s the turn of Mode In Asia to shine the spotlight on the pan-Asian fashion scene. This newly-launched site is both curated AND eclectic. Two of my favourite words!

It stocks emerging designers from across the region – from Thailand’s LaLaLove London (keep reading to find out how you can win a LaLaLove London top through Bonjour Singapore), to Singapore’s Aijek and Stolen (check out my previous post about this amazing label!).

From quirky party frocks to elegant evening numbers: Mode In Asia offers many choices for the eclectic ladies. Best of all, they are all unique pieces from independent Asian designers!

Stolen: Bringing sexy back to Singapore!

My love for colour is documented all over this blog, but just like any other fashionista, I have bagged myself more than the odd LBD throughout the last decade.

Yet the older I get (yup, only last week I turned 31!) the more I appreciate what a classic well-made understated dress can do. That’s where Singapore label Stolen comes into the picture; creating elegance that has tempted me to part with my hard-earned cash – and won me over as a lifelong fan!

Treading the line between elegant, sexy and edgy – Stolen makes some of the most timeless and well-made clothes I’ve seen on the little red dot. With material like twill, crepe, shantung silk and chiffon – the dresses look and feel luxurious.

Helen Lee: From Shanghai with love…

There can be no doubt about the serious fashion talent emerging from Asia – after all I manage to run a blog focusing only on labels from this side of the world.

But rarely have I seen a designer who has perfected everything about their craft and can be compared to some of the polished gems you see in places like London or Paris.

Although the talent is there, a lot of these young designers seemed to lack the one thing which I consider very important in garments: quality.

However, one designer whom I had the pleasure to meet recently has climbed right onto the top of my must buy list of Asian designers. Ladies and gentlemen, meet China's very own Helen Lee.

From her choice of top-notch fabrics to the original prints, immaculate cutting and finishing and superb details – Helen had me at hello.

My two absolute favourite looks from Helen Lee: A lace rain coat
from the SS13 collection...

And a stunning combination of knitted sweater, moon-printed skirt
and gorgeous accessories from the AW13 collection.

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.

Bonjour Giveaway: Win ONE of THREE stunning items (I selected) from Inverted edge

Whenever another platform – a boutique or an online store – promoting independent Asian designers pops us, I’m always excited and intrigued to know more about it.

Within the last year, I’ve witnessed the springing of at least a handful of these places around Singapore alone and only last month, a new welcome edition has surfaced on the scene. This is Inverted Edge, a Singapore-based online fashion e-tailer selling some carefully curated items from a pool of Asia Pacific independent designers.

There are so many things on the site which are drool-worthy, from the now familiar local favourites like Carrie K. and Lion Earl (check out the stunning limited edition structured peplum vest!) to Indonesia’s Nina Nikicio and Major Minor, New Zealand's Stolen Girlfriends Club, Australia's Injury and much much more…

This limited edition LION EARL peplum vest is exclusive to Inverted Edge! Love it!

The Best of the Best Parco next NEXT designers: SS13 launch

Parco next NEXT and its designers need no further introduction on this blog. The fact that I even have a designated section for them here says it all: I believe in these young designers’ talents so much and I’m always ready to support them whether by writing or shopping ;-)

Last week was the re-opening of this fashion incubator space with a new look – yet no new designers. In fact, it was rather a celebration of 20 of current and previous labels which made it to the ‘The Best of the Best’ list.

The list included some of my favourite designers to come out of Parco in addition to ones I was slightly familiar with before. It was an eclectic mix of ‘commercial’ designs which have proved popular with the public for a few years now and other more directional ones which keep pushing the boundaries and stuck to their ethos. So there was definitely something for everyone.

My only photo from the launch with the talented MASH UP trio whose label
I was wearing. I love this dress! Perfect combination of quirky and chic!

One of the winners was menswear label WSDM whose colourful cardigans
would brighten any dull outfit! Love!

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  

Toton Fall/Winter 2013: Of love, Lurik and other things…

I’m not just a big fan of Indonesian label TOTON. I’m one of their very first customers and a proud owner of some stunning pieces from their SS13 collection last year. Truth is, I am obsessed with it! (you can read more about that in my previous Q&A with the designer).

So despite following up with the collections and trends at all the international fashion weeks this season not to mention attending one, the collection that I was really waiting for was TOTON’s.

And it was well worth the wait! In fact, it was even more than what I anticipated and from the looks of it, the designer is determined on sticking to his vision of presenting traditional Indonesian techniques in a modern – even Avant-garde – interpretation.

Behind The Scenes: Styling up Zardoze's giveaway winner with some glamour

One of the many many reasons I love being a personal stylist is witnessing someone step into something out of the ordinary and instantly evolve into the best version of themselves (on the outside that is!)

There is something very satisfying about looking into their faces as they gaze in the mirror and feel confident and happy with the way they look.

And this why I was as excited as Nie Yile (the winner of my Zardoze giveaway contest last Jan) whom I finally had the chance to style and shop with for some outfits and accessories from the label, worth a whopping S$500!!!

Yile was younger than I expected and looked even much younger when I met her, so the first challenge was to try to find something suitable for her age, lifestyle and her tiny 5 foot 1 figure – knowing that Zardoze does mainly cocktail and evening wear.

What I’ll be wearing this Spring/Summer from Singapore designers

One of the great things about living in Singapore is being spoilt for choice when it comes to fashion. And I don’t mean by that the availability of big designer and high street brands everywhere you go, but rather the variety of Singaporean designers and labels, who seem to improve each season.

For those who doubt the ability of these talents, this Spring/Summer season will especially prove them wrong. The season has not yet begun but from the collections which have been released so far, a few things have caught my eye already!

From day to occasion dresses, accessories and even swimwear, check out which 5 items from Singaporean designers have hit the spot and made it to my summer list of must-haves. We’re still in March so the list will definitely expand once more collections are unveiled and once I’ve saved enough for the next batch ;-)

This dress from Singapore label Yumumu is firmly on my list this season!

5 emerging Asian designers to look out for

For decades, Europe and America have been the centre of the fashion world. While that’s largely true – the four most important fashion weeks do happen in the West after all – but that doesn’t mean that it’s only Western designers who are shaping the future of fashion.

Take a look at the rise of the Asian designer in the states, and the increasing number of designers from that side of the world muscling their way into London and Paris.

Even back in the day the likes of John Rocha (Hong Kong) and Jimmy Choo (Malaysia) were making sure the world was aware of Asia as a creative hub as well as a manufacturing base.

Over the past few years you have the more established lines of Jason Wu, Prabal Gurung, Vera Wang, Richard Chai or Alexander Wang all flaunting their Asian heritage all across the major fashion weeks.

Now the question has to be, where is the next generation of Asian designers coming from? Who is going to be the next big thing to hit the catwalks of London, Paris, New York and Milan?

Read on to have a look at my pick of five Asian designers to look out for and remember you saw it here first!

Yeashin Kim (S. Korea), Haizhen Wang (China) and Lionel Low (Singapore) are some
of the rising Asian designers to look out for!

London Fashion Week: Haizhen Wang rounds up Asia's triumph

Closing London Fashion Week has got to be a big honour. And that honour went this year to a rising Asian designer who has emerged on the fashion scene lately by winning the prestigious Fashion Fringe award last year.

This is Haizhen Wang, the Chinese-born designer who is fast making a name for himself in the industry.

Haizhen’s show was a treat and his stunning creations came as an appropriate end to this fashion week which saw a huge rise in emerging talent – one of the things that London has carved a reputation for.

London Fashion Week: Eugene Lin's evolutionary AW13 collection (photos+video)

When I was first introduced to Eugene Lin’s work – just before he took part in the first Singapore Digital Fashion Week (DFW) – I was truly impressed.

And even though he felt the need to head to London to pursue his dream, his talent gave me even more  conviction that there are many more world class creative gems in the little red dot.

I was initially attracted by the obvious. The breathtaking digital prints which featured in Eugene’s past two seasons collections have been extraordinary. But when interviewing the designer as part of DFW he mentioned to me that it is not something he will keep doing for long so I half expected his latest collection at London Fashion Week might come as a surprise for those used to seeing his stunning prints.

What he actually did was evolution and not revolution. He hasn’t ditched his staples, instead improving on his existing strengths and adding smaller experimental twists which hint at a new direction.

London Fashion Week: South Korean designer J. JS Lee's show

Transitioning from warm and sunny Singapore to freezing London in winter is no joke. Especially when my entire wardrobe consists of summer-friendly frocks with hardly any jackets or knitwear in sight.

As a warm weather lover, I’m no big fan of chunky winter wear but seeing the second South Korean-born designer Jackie Lee’s collection (under her label J. JS Lee) at London Fashion Week had me wishing I lived in cold weather all year long. Well not quite but at least a few month per year so I get to wear some of it ;-)

The beautiful and effortlessly chic pieces - from outerwear to elegant dresses - won me over. The main reason I never liked winter clothes is that heavy, gloomy feel and chunky silhouette which never looked flattering on me. The London-based designer’s mostly A-line coats on the other hand had a certain weightlessness about them. They looked comfy yet sharp and chic at the same time.

London Fashion Week: Korea’s Eudon Choi opens Day1 with a bang

If there are still any skeptics out there about the power of Asian designers, this London Fashion Week (LFW) has come to prove them wrong.

Just looking at the schedules – both the main and the fashion scout one which is designated for emerging talent – shows you the sheer amount of Asian-born designers who are making it big and are on the rise to dominate the fashion soon really soon.

From names who have earned their spot in the main lineup like Jackie Lee and Eudon Choi – the winner of last year’s Emerging Talent Award at the Global Fashion Awards in New York – to more recently spotted designers like Nova Chiu.

On top of that are those who have a bit more excitement around them. The lucky few who have been billed by those in the know as the ones to watch: Patrick Li and Yeashin. And these are just the ones showing in the first two days!

From Couture to Read-to-Wear: Malaysian designer Jovian Mandagie for Zalora.sg

My Lebanese genes must have something to do with it but I just love couture!

In fact, there’s nothing that gets my heart pulsing quite as much as slipping into a custom-made couture creation which I have been lucky to have had on a few occasions.

But while couture can be the most sumptuous thing you could ever wear, sadly it almost always comes at a hefty price tag which not many people can afford, especially the young fashionistas.

However someone seems to be doing something about it, namely up-and-coming Malaysian designer Jovian Mandagie.

Love this look from Jovian's 'Femme' collection!

A Singaporean Chinese New Year from Tong Tong

Ever since I’ve experienced my first Chinese New Year in Hong Kong a few years ago, it has firmly become one of my favourite holidays.

How can I not love it when it’s all about being with family, buying colourful –mainly red- new clothes, eating till you can’t breathe, and most importantly getting (or in my case now giving) those Ang Pows (Red Packets)!!!

And while a lot of people’s favourite part of CNY is the food, naturally mine has to be the colourful new clothes, especially Cheongsams.

I don’t think there is anything as elegant and feminine as a well-tailored and fitted cheongsam. But while the traditional ones can be slightly too dressy and restrictive for our modern day lifestyle, other options are available – namely a more modern and smart casual take on the cheongsam from quirky Singapore label Tong Tong.

Love the elegant Tong Tong A-line cheongsam which is perfect for CNY!

Bonjour Beirut: Nadine Mneimneh - ditching couture for contemporary fashion

Coming back to Beirut, I always set up myself to meet the new generation of Lebanese designers who are following in the footsteps of their predecessors of glamour and couture.

So it doesn’t surprise me when people like Missak HajiAvedikian, Azzi and Osta who have interned at Elie Saab decide to do couture and focus on cocktail and evening wear, what Lebanese designers are increasingly getting known for, not just locally but on an international celebrity and red carpet level.

The surprise is, when I came home this time, I visited Nadine Mneimneh at her atelier, who unlike her co-nationals has decided to take a totally different direction and focus on contemporary everyday wear.

Unlike a lot of Lebanese designers, Nadine has ditched evening couture
for contemporary fashion.

The recent collection uses material like Linen to create comfortably elegant looks.