Asia Fashion Exchange, Asia's largest annual fashion event, took place in Singapore from May 12th to 18th. The event consisted of four components: the runway-style Audi Fashion Festival, the B2B trade show Blueprint, the Asia Fashion Summit, a panel discussion featuring leading figures from around the world, and the Audi Star Creation, an event to discover young designers. The Audi Fashion Festival, the most glamorous event, attracted socialites and businesspeople from neighboring countries such as Hong Kong, Thailand, and Indonesia. In addition to designers from Europe and the United States, local designers also made a notable presence. Ashley Isham is already a popular and well-known brand in its home country of Singapore. Designer Ashley Isham studied fashion at Middlesex University in London before launching his own brand in 2000. The show also featured popular Taiwanese model and actor Godfrey Gao. His strong and sexy style, combined with a contemporary twist, featured lace, lavish embroidery, floral prints, and mannish check patterns in his new collection, blending the mood of his Singaporean and London roots with makeup inspired by the world of Serge Lutens. Gao's signature aesthetic was also evident in the stunning finale, in which the models collapsed en masse. Hansel, a brand with a shop at the Mandarin Gallery on Orchard Road, performed the show with smiling ponytails, carrying Sony tablets (a sponsor of the Audi Fashion Festival), Xperia smartphones, and champagne in hand, expressing designer Joe So's signature pop and retro aesthetic. The key motif for the show was an abstract, hand-drawn spiral plant pattern, adding an accent to the minimalist dresses and shirts that form the brand's foundation. Also striking was the vibrant yellow and green colors paired with belts and sandals. Since its debut at Australian Fashion Week in 2003, hansel has been recognized both domestically and internationally, winning Designer of the Year at the ELLE AWARDS Singapore and being worn by celebrities like Katy Perry and Chiaki Kuriyama in Japan. SATURDAY is a simple, wearable brand perfect for the weekend. Designer Nick Wong won the Newcomer Award at the Mercedes-Benz ASIA FASHION AWARD in Singapore for his first womenswear collection in 2004. Drapes and asymmetry are his hallmarks, and he typically avoids patterns, focusing on a monochrome aesthetic. This time, he presented tank dresses and skirts in materials like cotton and sleek leather, using layered fabrics and tucks to create volume.
"Ong Shunmugam" is a young brand that started in 2010. Based on Orientalism, it proposes a dress-like style that adds modern elements to an exotic atmosphere that makes extensive use of traditional Southeast Asian textiles. There are many body-conscious items with beautiful lines, which are then boldly combined with a pattern mix that creates individuality. They also offer sets using bright yellow and blue in solid colors, as well as more casual items featuring geometric patterns. The brand has continued to make great strides in recent years, winning the Grand Prix at the "DESIGN FOR ASIA AWARDS 2013" in Hong Kong.
