The Japanese sure know how to throw a fashion party!
Veteran avant garde designer Junko Koshino set the style bar
at the get-go. Showing 29 exits, she started with a few ensembles from her
latest collection before segueing into a retrospective showcase spanning past
collections. She combined soft and ‘hard’ materials with a masterly hand –
mixing silks, jerseys and organzas with latex, leathers and felt, with
flourishes of gold and silver for good measure. As Junko took her bow at the
end of the show, front row guests gave her a standing ovation. Guests were also
delighted to receive a beautiful door gift, sponsored by Felice Towako Cosme,
one of Japan’s leading skincare and cosmetic houses.
Junko Koshino has been commissioned to design Myanmar’s
national team uniforms and will introduce her fashion collection and
traditional costumes of Myanmar national races for the 27th SEA Games in
mid-November in Yangon.
Immediately after the end of Junko’s show, Japan Creative
Centre (JCC) presented a short segment to showcase the outfit designed by top
six winners (three from Japan and three from Singapore) of the 3rd Sustainable
Fashion Design Contest that was held in September 2013. Modeled by six
finalists from The New Paper New Face 2013, the objective of this annual
sustainable fashion design contest is to create an opportunity for students
from Fashion Schools in Singapore and Bunka Fashion School in Tokyo, Japan to
exchange and promote ideas on the growing importance of sustainability and
responsible design within the Fashion Industry.
Sustainability is very much linked to the Japanese
philosophy of MONOZUKURI (craftsmanship). The Japanese craftsmanship has a long
tradition of producing things that are environmentally friendly, taking into
account the fabric characteristics and the environment and made things that
last with minimum wastage. As we are moving into an era which encourages us to
protect the environment and to be sustainable in our living style, SUSTAINABLE
FASHION is increasingly viable and rapidly gaining popularity.
This year, it was combined with Street Couture. Street Wear
is accessible to all and Couture represents the handmade thoughtful and quality
element of the industry which has sustained seamstresses and tailors for over
100 years. The contest was supported by fashion schools in Singapore, Design
Singapore Council and sponsored by All Nippon Airways, FIDE Multimedia, Japan
Airlines, and Textile and Fashion Federation (Singapore).
Ten finalists from each country are currently exhibiting
their garments at JCC until 19th October 2013. There will be a special
“People’s Choice Award” to be bestowed to the most popular garment exhibited
chosen by the visitors, courtesy of TAfF after the exhibition.
A short break before the next show was given as guests were
invited to a light Japanese buffet, while sipping champagne infused with tea
and spices from TWG Teas.
Resuming the fashionable evening, Japanese designer Yoshiki
Hishinuma took on a different approach. His collection was a poetic ode to
femininity and beauty through the use of hand-painted floral and fauna motifs
on silks and chiffons. While the clothes hanging on the rack was a pretty
sight, they only really unfolded their real beauty when worn on models. Not
having casted his models prior to arriving in Singapore, and not having their
measurements in hand, not only did the pieces fit, they flatter and cajoled the
curves out of the reed-like models. Hishinuma not only drafted the patterns, he
also cut, sew and painstakingly hand-painted each garment! How’s that for
dedication to the craft!
At this time, it was getting a tad warmer within the hall,
and everyone was wondering if the air-conditioning of the Fashion Hall was
switched off, and they were right! This was in preparation for next
breath-taking act as performance artist extraordinaire, Miyoko Shida, was
introduced and she began her act of balancing first a feather, then a small
carved stick, and yet another stick, then on one foot, and another stick and
another, each time adding one slightly larger than the other until the climax
of a gigantic ‘installation’ on her head. Her concentration did not once waver
and she ended her act with a deft pull of the feather before everything collapsed
to the floor. More than a few gasps of amazement were heard amongst the
audience and a rousing applause was given!
And closing the evening with a bang was Keita Maruyama’s
rich kaleidoscope of contemporary fit-n-flare ensembles and pieces that were a
wink and nod to not take fashion so seriously with his mix of unusual materials
– silk embroidery with fringe, crochet with lace. Standout styles included those with a subtle
Chinoiserie hint like a modernised cheongsam or the embroidered caftan-like blouse
with long silk tassels. As Madonna’s “Take A Bow” was played, models took the
runway in his last sequence and finale, almost like a lullaby to aptly wrap up
the evening of spectacular collections from the Japanese designers. Indeed,
take a bow, the night is over…
Creating new make-up looks for the evening was Mr Romero
Jennings, M.A.C. Cosmetics’ Director of Make Up Artistry, North America, who
has been specially flown in to head the team for Fashion Week 2013. Hair
styling for the models this evening was headed by celebrated hair maestro, Mr
Shunji Matsuo. Matsuo had worked in New York for 22 years prior to setting
roots here in Singapore, and had worked with stars like Christie Brinkley,
Gianni Versace, Jackie Onassis, Cher, Diana Ross and Donna Karan.
Evening Was a
Beautiful Fashion in Motion as Three Veteran Designers Showcased Their
Impressive Collections at Fashion Week 2013, presented by The Shoppes at Marina
Bay Sands and organised by FIDé Fashion Weeks
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