From The Straits Times    |

Kentaro Fujiki, 26
Japan
Collection Name: Super Flying Boy
Tokyo-based Kentaro Fujiki, who grew up in Saitama, presents “Super Flying Boy”, a collection that focuses on Asia’s energetic and emotionally-charged youth, who are about to take off – or “fly” – globally. The collection, which features dynamic cuts and bold colours, is a mixture of Tokyo street style and mode, a Japanese style characterised by simple silhouettes and monochromatic colours. The 26-year-old studied fashion design at Vantan Design Institute for three years until 2010 before taking an intensive course at X-SEED, taught by womenswear fashion designer Akira Naka.

Audi Star Creation 2013 finalists Kentaro Fujiki

Tell us more about yourself
I grew up in Saitama, Japan, with a group of buddies that taught me a lot about fashion and music, and inspired me to pursue my interest. It prompted me to move to Tokyo in 2007 and enrol in the Vantan Design Institute to study fashion design. In my time there, I had the privilege of learning from the likes of Yukari Ohara, Motonari Oni and Mikio Sakabe, all of whom have established fashion labels in Japan. I also got the chance to study under women’s wear designer Akira Naka at X-SEED. I returned to Vantan Design Institute as a student advisor when I graduated in 2011 and have worked there since. I have also interned at several well-known menswear labels like Tomohiro Tokita, Anrealage and Hall O’Hara.

What are the highlights of your collection?
The energetic young people of Asia who want to expand their horizons and “fly” to the rest of the world to gain experiences and make their mark inspired my collection. The dynamic cuts and bold neon colours represent that energy and youth. The collection also incorporates elements of Tokyo street style and “mode”, the latter reflected in the clean lines and shapes of the pieces.

What are your thoughts on Japan’s fashion industry?
Tokyo is fast becoming a melting pot of cultures, fashion and values from all over the world. This convergence of influences makes it a great breeding ground for creativity. As a designer, it allows me to approach design from many different angles. Still, the suburbs lag behind. In Saitama, where I grew up, the number of people who took an interest in couture and high fashion were few and far between. Many of them see “fashion” merely as “clothes”. My hope is that more of them will start to see fashion as an important aspect of self-expression. On my part, I hope to be able to introduce a friendly mix of street and high fashion into the suburbs.

What is your greatest fear with regards to the public’s perception of “Super Flying Boy”?
Actually, one of the pieces in the collection features underwear. It will be interesting to see how the Singapore audience reacts.

Jean Teoh, 23
Malaysia
Collection Name: Resonance
When embarking on a design project, 23-year old Jean Teoh keeps in mind a quote by Californian graphic designer Robin Mathew, that “Design is where science and art break even”. Designing, she says, is as much about one’s mastery over technical design skills as it is about being creative and creating something beautiful.  Her collection ‘Resonance’ stays true to this idea. The Malaysian designer uses common fabrics, including jersey knit, pure cotton, silk chiffon, organza and mesh, and manipulates them to create visual vibrations. To do this, she draws on techniques such as pleating, knitting, layering and embroidery to create alternative textures.

Audi Star Creation 2013 finalists Jean Teoh

Tell us more about yourself
As a child, I enjoyed drawing Japanese manga, creating my own storylines and characters, and dressing them in costumes that I envisioned. In high school, I joined the theatre club and was put in charge of designing the actor’s costumes for a school play. It was then that I realised that my true interest lay in clothing design. I went on to enrol into a Fashion Design course in Raffles Design Institute Kuala Lumpur in 2008 and graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Fashion Design in 2010. After freelancing for some time, I came to Singapore in 2012 to do my degree at the Raffles Design Institute. I graduated in December that year.

What are the highlights of your collection?
‘Resonance’ is about human interactions and about the connections formed between different kinds of people. In physics, resonance refers to the occurrence of vibrations in the environment that help to transmit sound. The concept got me thinking about the links that connect people, communities and the world. I combined common fabrics like jersey knit, pure cotton, silk chiffon, organza and mesh to create a new fabric texture, and then, using manipulation techniques such as twisted pleating, knitting, layering, folding and embroidery, create the impression that the pieces vibrate. To give the collection a classic feel, I have used a monochromatic colour scheme.

What are your thoughts on Malaysia’s fashion industry?
I’m very proud that Malaysia has so many great and established designers including women’s wear designer Jonathan Liang, whose designs have been showcased on the runways of both Paris Fashion Week and London Fashion Week. Still, I hope that the Malaysian fashion industry would pay more attention to the work of local emerging designers and support them.

What is the one place that inspires you most?
Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat, which is located in Bolivia. I have seen many amazing photographs of it and find it to be such a visual miracle. When it rains and water floods the salt flat, it becomes a giant mirror, reflecting the image of the sky and the brightness of the Sun. My dream is to be able to visit it one day.

Audi Star Creation 2013 will take place on May 13, 2013. It is part of Singapore’s Asia Fashion Exchange. For more information, check out www.starcreation.sg; you can follow Audi Star Creation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StarCreationSG and on Twitter at @StarCreationSG. Stay tuned for more designer insights as we bring you the 12 finalists for Audi Star Creation 2013.