10 notable fashion labels you need to know before Singapore Fashion Week rolls around

The anticipated SGFW is upon us once again. Beyond all the excitement and buzz surrounding noteworthy social media personalities who’ll be flying in… or even glamorous #ootds and snippets of runway reporting that’ll potentially flood your Instagram stories to anticipate, it would probably be an undistinguished SGFW for you if you’re unfamiliar with the main spectacle of the event – the designers and labels themselves.

In order to get a better feel of who’s who this season, it’s important to get up close and personal with these distinguished labels. And boy do we have you covered with this power roundup of the top 10 celebrated designers to know this fashion week. Here are some fashion brands you need to know.

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The New York-based designer, Jason Wu, who had dressed Michelle Obama at her first Inauguration Ball in 2009, is a celeb favourite who has also dressed Hollywood stars such as Reese Witherspoon, Juliana Moore and Diane Kruger.

At SGFW, the designer will be making his runway debut in Asia with a collection of fun spring florals in juxtaposition with sleek, sophisticated details encapsulating the likes of tailored satin numbers and modish graphic motifs.

Multi-disciplinary designer Michelle Chan is the owner and founder of Singapore womenswear label Weekend Sundries. The line of sophisticated, crisp garments were crafted to chronicle a style that’s uncomplicated to parallel an unfettered lifestyle. Weekend Sundries delivers a chic offering of simple cuts that’s neither too decorous nor borderline boring. Michelle’s minimalistic vision is exactly what we crave for in a fuss-free day-to-day outfit for the office.

For the first time ever, fashion week will be opened by a Singaporean designer. And who better than fashion veteran Laichan to break fashion history in the most elegant way possible? This year, Lai Chan collaborates with Her World to create pieces with the Her World reader in mind.  

Expect to see opulent looking pieces, inspired by Asian culture and history, from this bespoke designer, who has dressed the likes of dignitaries and high society ladies. Some of Lai Chan’s expertise lies in creating dramatic costumes for theatre and movies; so we’re particularly stoked to witness how that would translate into a collection of elaborate bespoke gowns.

GINLEE is a fashion label established in Israel in 2011 by Singaporean designer Gin Lee. Inspired by her surroundings and the diverse cultures she was exposed to, Gin documents her life journey through her collections; a testament to the label’s unique design DNA.

The label is currently stocked at 16 retailers in Israel and five in Singapore with the likes of Tangs Plaza at Orchard and Kapok at National Design Centre. With relaxed silhouettes and fluid designs that facilitate movement and style, Gin’s designs offer a sophisticated twist on classics and versatile fashion.

Whole9Yards is a Singaporean womenswear label that has earned an international presence with its non-conformist approach to styling and an all-round authentic appeal in its identity and expression. The creative directors responsible for spearheading the label to global phenomenal success is Singaporean Daniel Ngoo and Parisian Franck Pouch.

The power duo lends their creative touch of urban grudge attitudes to the brand, tying it well with the contemporary feminine street style looks of which the label is known for. Look forward to see a harmonious clash of ‘tough vs soft’ presented evidently through a mix of skater girl-chic looks and befuddled, romantic tulle frocks.

The 26-year-old Indonesian label first emerged as a prominent Asian label to look out for in 2009 when it sent its collection of modest fashion down the runways of Melbourne Fashion Week. Since then, it has ventured throughout the globe in engaging different audiences in the Europe, US, and the Middle East by accommodating to both the modest fashion community and general public through various collections with different outreach.

Dian Pelangi, the Creative Director behind the eponymous brand, lends her artistic vision to her colourful, classy designs which divulge narratives of Indonesian culture and tradition through pattern play and fabrication.

Homegrown fashion label Ying The Label, known for its watercolour-artwork prints, is the brainchild of Ms Phuay Li Ying. Elusive, instinctive and arty, Ying’s character and penchant for painting translates into her designs through exquisite prints, colours, forms and textures.  

At this year’s National Day Parade, local politicians were dressed in elegant pieces inspired by our beautiful island home itself. Some of these politicians include Vikram Nair, Member of Parliament, and his family, Grace Fu, and Sim Ann.

Before starting her own label, the Myanmar-born Wai Yang first began her studies in fashion design at Raffles Design Institute in Singapore before pursuing another degree in Fashion Textiles at the London College of Fashion. It was only after gaining some industry experience at a few commercial and luxury brand when she launched her own label WAI YANG in 2016.

WAI YANG’s deconstructed abstract pieces are a living, breathing artistic testament to the designer’s thought-provoking visions of the state of the world in which we inhabit. Focusing on details and the texture of unconventional materials, this androgynous label is sure to present yet another thought-provoking, unexpected collection this SGFW.

Dedicated in exploring an exquisite type of elegance unique to Japanese culture, Zin Kato, the designer, seeks to apply beautiful delicate materials from Japan and his own personal craftsmanship in pattern making in all his designs.

Tying together a sense of surrealistic allure and casual everyday wear, this Japanese label prides itself in its avant garde which borderline on the term ‘wearable art’.

Ling Wu is a local luxury handbag brand which prides itself in its use of the finest materials and tactiles; crafting bags and accessories from butter-soft leathers and hand-polished exotic skin.

Designer Goh Ling Ling wishes to create bags with not only unparalleled form, but also function to best serve the modern, independent woman. Her voluminous bags tend to embrace the wearer’s body and lifestyle with assorted styles and colours. This SGFW, anticipate an assortment of fresh cutting-edge bag designs with unconventional silhouettes.

We’ll be covering Singapore Fashion Week 2017. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram (@herworldsingapore) and Twitter (@herworldsg).

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