Graduands incorporate disability considerations into fashion for the first time
Three international brands – Swarovski, Converse and Takasago – will collaborate with LASALLE College of the Arts to give graduating fashion students a boost as they step into the working industry. The collaboration for the graduation showcase involves SGD100,000 worth of products to be incorporated into the students’ collections – the largest external investment in a fashion showcase thus far – and invaluable consultation with the respective brands’ in-house product designers.
Themed Atelier, the curated showcase of innovation, creative skills and craftsmanship will be held at LASALLE’s Singapore Airlines Theatre on 11 May. Eleven bold and edgy collections selected from 26 graduands of LASALLE’s BA(Hons) Fashion Design and Textiles programme will be presented at the runway show.
“Students are setting higher benchmarks for themselves every year. The level of innovation, from apparel to footwear and even fragrances, has been extraordinary, especially with three popular customer brands involved this year. We want to promote excellence in design by connecting our students with the best industry advisors. These collections speak to the current fashion demands, including the needs of minority groups such as people with disabilities. We are confident of the outcomes when the graduands eventually go to market with their creations,” said Lionel Roudaut, Course Leader, BA(Hons) Fashion Design and Textiles at LASALLE.
Industry Boosters
Second-year partner Swarovski invested SGD45,000 worth of crystals that will be used in the works of five students. Each student also had the privilege of mentorship under Swarovski’s designers to optimise the brilliance of their collections.
In celebration of Chuck Taylor’s 100th Year anniversary, Converse partnered LASALLE’s fashion students to refresh hype for Chuck Taylor as the next leading fashion style icon. Students customised the sneakers as part of their collections, and a total of seven works have been selected for the finale showcase on 11 May.
LASALLE continued to push creative boundaries this year by collaborating with leading flavour and fragrance company Takasago for the first time. Two graduands, Jamela Law and Morgan Le Fay, took up the challenge to develop scents and create four-dimensional collections e.g. Jamela’s honey-inspired fragrance to match her collection’s three-dimensional-printed honeycomb structure, and Morgan’s cherry, rose and smokey musk composition to complement her childlike, mischievous collection.
This was achieved through workshops with Takasago’s international senior perfumers Ian Marr and Steve Williams to articulate their design thinking and to combine the right notes for the desired scent. The two graduands were selected for the collaboration after clinching top spots in the Fragrance Fundamentals Programme that Takasago held with LASALLE in January this year.
Taking the collaborations further, Swarovski will reward the most ground-breaking designer with SGD10,000 worth of crystals that can be applied to the winner’s subsequent collection. Converse will also offer cash prizes for the Overall Best Collection ($800) and Best Sneaker Design ($500) categories.
Fashion with a message
Graduands are stomping the runway this year to convey strong messages about the community and environment.
1000MPH by Elisa Lim Shi En and Ethrisha Liaw Jiaqing speaks to people with disabilities. The two designers conducted multiple focus groups and created various prototypes of wearable therapy for wheelchair users. The collection plays up dimensions to offer structural relief to a seated wearer, and uses beadwork as a form of therapeutic massage. The completed line of wearable therapy, which includes Swarovski crystals and carries customised Converse sneakers, aims to improve the comfort level of wheelchair users, especially if they are seated in the same position for an extended period.
Another cutting-edge collection is Jamela Law’s Bεεing/Human. Apart from Law’s creation of a new complementary scent, the collection also features Swarovski crystals and sneakers from Converse. The four-dimensional collection is a tribute to nature’s wonder and inspired by the purpose and structure of honeycomb. Law fused geometric, architectural and biological forms on a human body to question the relationship between humans and nature, and how more people can do their part to save the environment.
