Audi Fashion Festival Post Mortem

POV from the Asia Fashion Smmit 2014. No nonsense business(of fashion!)

Hello ,lovelies! As usual, I took my occasional breaks in between posts, BUT with good reason! I don't know whether you know, but I've recently joined the fashion team at Popspoken.com, albeit I havent written anything for them as of yet. I still hold my stint at poachedmag.com, and it's been going great. As a writer for a magazine, there is more pressure and expectation for you to produce well thought-out pieces. That being said, it comes with a price- that I channel all of my good pitches to them, and not my blog. Now some would ask "Why not just post all your good stuff on your own blog and grow your following there?". This question isn't an easy one to aswer, but it's definitely valid. The way I see it, the almost "selfish" desire to have people come to my blog is outweighed by my need to have people reach my writing.

Dresscamp fashion show at Audi Fashion Festival

In short, I prioritize my outreach, and not where I reach out from. It can be from here or, it can be on vogue.com. Where my content goes really doesn't matter, it's whether I get to share my insight with the world that counts. I started writing fashion for one simple reason: the world needs a better opinion, one that takes on a refined stance on issues that matter. Nobody gives a flying S*** about the top ten street style looks. I'll leave that to the "pretentious" blogs of yesteryear to cover. I'm perfectly fine blogging about LVMH's futile attempt at trying to acquire Hermes and what not. To me, that is real fashion blogging: intelligent opinions. 

But still, i don't want you guys to think I've died or disappeared into oblivion. And for that, I'll share with you one of my latest pieces from poachedmag.com. I hope you enjoy my musings, and I hope you continue to support me as well as other intelligent fashion blogs that promote proper fashion journalism(no tea no shade, bobo) 

For those of you that don’t follow the flow of fashion here, not too long ago Singapore became the buzzing epicentre of regional fashion for one week. Commonly known to fashion insiders as theAsian Fashion Exchange (AFX), this annual event consists of the Audi Fashion Festival (AFF), the  Blueprint tradeshow, Audi Star Creation and the Asian Fashion Summit (AFS).

From the bright, blinding lights of the runway to thought-provoking discussions on online shopping,Poached Mag was there to witness just how much Singapore has grown from being another typical consumer hub to a blossoming fashion destination not to be taken lightly. And what would fashion week be without a few industry big wigs and celebrities gracing the event?  The stellar lineup of shows included the likes of New York-based designer Prabal Gurung, revered fashion royalty Oscar De la Renta, and AFF mainstay Desigual. To further add flavour to the mix, AFF had an injection of emerging names like Ong Shunmugan (Singapore) and Thomas Tait (London), who have won the grand award at the Design for Asia Awards 2013 and the 2014 LVMH Young Fashion Designer Award respectively. Needless to say, we were bolting back and forth from after-parties to runway shows.

As if the guest list wasn’t star-studded enough, AFF also had in attendance actress Kate Bosworthand even had Canadian-Taiwanese Supermodel Godfrey Gao walk for one of the shows. We’ll be serving roundups for all the days of AFF, which is why we’ll start with Powerhouse Prabal Gurung, who opened the festival with his women’s Fall/Winter 2014 presentation.

Paying homage to New York-based British contemporary painter Cecily Brown, Gurung’s collection was redolent of an opulent, intricately woven tapestry (probably inspired by his Nepalese lineage as well). With his models walking to the music of drum beats, Gurung’s silhouettes were reminiscent of the Himalayan landscapes, with undulating drapery that takes after Cecily’s distinct brushstrokes.

Copious yards of plush knit decorated the models as they strutted down the runway, reminding everyone why Gurung is currently New York’s designer darling. Born in Singapore but raised in Kathmandu, he started his design career in New Delhi before moving to New York to complete his stint at Parsons the New School of Design. Now, his designs are worn by the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge, Michelle Obama and Zoe Saldana.

One might then ask why he decided to show in Singapore, besides the fact that he was born here. The handsome designer credits his decision to show for AFF to Carolina Herrera, who opened the Audi Fashion Festival last year. He cites Singapore’s growing affluence for quality fashion as well as our propensity for luxury goods as one of the key reasons why Singapore is a crucial country to have a presence in.

We are then left to think about Singapore’s importance as a fashion hub. Chanel has already hosted a show here (with exclusivity, no doubt), Hermès had their “Men on the Move” exhibition here not too long ago, and Calvin Klein even held the unveiling of their architectural installation in the former Kallang Airport Hanger. We aren’t just another shopping destination, yet we’re not a fully-fledged fashion capital just yet.  There's alot of work that needs to be done, but I'll be damned if we're not on the right path to becoming one soon!