How long is forever? For aspiring designers whose work were contextualised in the time of a global pandemic, it meant thinking about the indefinable affliction of what the future would hold. The next generation of designers from Singapore have amassed nothing short of an impressive vision of our design future. Accompanied by a full suite of storytelling, these fashion ideas are more than just trends and seasonal ready-to-wear creations, they are inform ideals that encompass just enough storytelling with the sensibilities of making fashion approachable and democratic.
To conclude the 2021 iteration of the Men’s Folio Designer Of The Year competition, we get up-close with the six finalists of the competitions for a short chat.
The results of the competition will go live tonight at 6:30pm on mens-folio.com.
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Charis Tan
Let us in on a brief explanation of your collection
My collection was inspired by the contentious issues of deforestation and the haunting effects it has on biodiversity and the planet’s ecosystem. Taking forms from nature and its aftermaths of destruction, bundled up with the hopes of restoring the environment, My goal was to transform these visions into a collection.
What other means of infrastructure do you think instructors should provide to aspiring designers in Singapore?
Creative spaces and opportunities for connection and positive interactions where more Singaporeans can understand the work behind every piece of creation by our local up and rising designers. Students can also be given more opportunities to work with various designers or fashion houses locally or overseas while still schooling. Institutions can also bring in more advanced technology and knowledge to our local education system, this would allow them to explore and grow in different ways.
Tell us something interesting that happened during the making of the collection.
What I’ve submitted for this competition was part of my graduation collection, therefore there was a lot of brainstorming and research going on. But what made the process special was when I was juggling two part-time jobs while studying at the same time, and one of the job was as a backstage dresser for Cirque Du Soleil when they were here performing back in 2019. Working with the fashion team gave me some inspiration too!
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Denise Yeo
Congratulations on making it into the Designer Of The Year 2021 competition! Could you tell us a bit about the collection?
The collection titled “Where Is My Blankie?” is about looking at the world naively through the lens of a hopeful child. Human beings often form attachments toward things, in particular children, who often carry around a safety blanket, teddy bears or something equivalent, as some sort of comfort or protection. And for me, that object was a towel, which as a child, I folded into a sharp tip and rubbed it around my hands and lips (which explains the gingham and childlike collection). Where Is My Blankie? therefore embodies nostalgia and a kitsch relationship with objects in our memory.
What do you find most challenging about being a young designer in Singapore?
I think the most challenging thing about being a young designer in Singapore is the seemingly lack of appreciation towards the art & creative scene, which means thriving here in Singapore is incredibly hard. Reaching local markets is also challenging, as Singaporeans are not used to paying to consume. This also contributes to the pressure of standing out and succeeding in an oversaturated field. Well…I guess one cannot blame artists/ designers for finding their place outside of the market!
What other means of infrastructures do you think institutions should provide to aspiring designers in Singapore?
I think that institutions can better equip aspiring designers in Singapore by creating more platforms (that also involve the designer themselves in the process) that can spark conversations (within the designers themselves and also the general public). Institutions can also provide aspiring designers with skills that help them market themselves in the digital realm. Further insight into the practicalities of getting work, how to negotiate with pricing, which company to target, and the importance of industry connections is also needed.
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Ethel Poh
Congratulations on making it into the Designer Of The Year 2021 competition! Could you tell us a bit about the collection?
They were mainly depictions of emotions felt from songwriting through brain scans. This collection is dedicated to my grandmother Ellen. I was inspired by a lyric journal curated and handwritten by her, with over 700 songs dating back from the 1950s to the 1970s. The end result of my work represents a timeline of her adulthood — each look representing an iconic song from a significant stage of her golden years. This collection is therefore a physical embodiment of emotions and bodily sensations one feels while listening.
What do you find most challenging about being a young designer in Singapore?
Finding the balance between experimenting and creating pieces that are viable enough. As a young designer in Singapore, it feels daunting knowing that your ideas would be narrowed within a box in order to fit the demographic, especially when your art becomes your livelihood.
Are there specific designers whose path or journey you admire?
Rick Owens, Martin Margiela, Simon Porte Jacquemus and Susan Fang. I look up to them not only for their designs but also for the spark and passion for their art… Done so humbly. They have paved a way for fashion, creating iconic silhouettes of their time, and reconstructing the fabric of the industry with much care to the environment and their conscientious designs.
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Jane Simorangkir 
Tell us something interesting that happened during the making of the collection.
I made this collection for my polytechnic final-year-project. At that time I was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia and audio and visual hallucinations played a huge part during the making of my collection. There would be times when while in the midst of making my garments, I’ll have my psychosis. But the journey for this collection was heartwarming and it taught me many things, including channeling the deepest darkest part of your mind into a garment.
What do you find most challenging about being a young designer in Singapore?
Being a young designer is challenging because there are many things you don’t know about the industry. The industry, to me, is not all about glitz and glamor, It’s hard work and being creative, critical, and sometimes faking it till you make it. but for me, that isn’t something I believe in. I think that what’s meant to be for me, will be, as long as I stay true to myself. but it’s hard you know, being in an industry that churns the bad side out of you. sometimes some young designers don’t have the freedom to do whatever they want to do. and that’s tough. For example, catering to other people’s need and losing a part of you, the creative part where we think “I don’t care whether people will buy” mindset. that really restricts our creative minds.
What other means of infrastructure do you think institutions should provide to aspiring designers in Singapore?
I think there is a lot we can do. I am just going to name a few.
Firstly, providing more fashion related jobs for us young designers. It’s really hard finding jobs during our break/holidays. not to mention the uncertainty of us getting full time jobs when we graduate. It’s as if Singapore is not an option for us to do anything.
Secondly, support system. Lasalle has good support system in terms of helping us with metal health issues, or create a space for us to talk. But I am not sure whether this applies to other schools. Mental health is a real and serious issue that a lot of designers go through. And it is not easy to handle. Also creating a social network that also informs parents of us young designers. Informing them of these issues would help us lessen the stress as well.
Thirdly, having annual arthouse would be really interesting. showcasing works from different designers on like a road where its free for everyone to look. works can come from different design aspects, not just fashion.
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Phua Yue En
Congratulations on making it into the Designer Of The Year 2021 competition! Could you tell us a bit about the collection?
My collection was inspired by a traditional human exhibition called the “freak show” in the late 1800s where live performers were presented in shows for their distorted features and unusual appearance. Getting inspired from different freak performers helps me to translate those elements into a different prospect of unattractive beauty. Therefore, I want to present my whole collection in a different perspective of a perfect imperfection and its definition of a beauty standard of human freaks.
Tell us something interesting that happened during the making of the collection.
I would say that the constructing of my first outfit was extremely tiring and time consuming as I combined with the nuno-felting technique onto my oversized pants that includes a lot of rubbing and washing of the fabric which has to be done repeatedly in order to blend and secure the wool fibres well. The process of nuno felting took a couple of days for me to complete which made my entire room full of fur flying around.
Are there specific designers whose path or journey you admire?
I was really inspired by two Korean designers such as Juun.J and MAXXIJ for their unrealistic perspective on creating garments that seems to be impossible yet able to re-create and stimulate the boundaries of creativity through art and fashion. Their fearless and expressive vision through fashion has given me a lot of inspiration and admiration as a designer.
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Teo Ka Yong
Tell us something interesting that happened during the making of the collection.
Since it was my final collection, I really wanted to try as many new things as possible so it was a collection full of my “firsts”! While I definitely learnt so much during the process of making, I did meet with quite a number of difficulties when making my garments true to my designs. One “interesting” thing would be how the puffy down skirt of my key concept look (the purple look) had to go through around 7 toiles before I settled on the final pattern! To give better context, normally it takes me only about 2 or 3 toiles to achieve the right patterns but everything about this particular skirt, the material and textiles on it and especially the silhouette was so new to me that it was really difficult to achieve the ideal look I was going for. Along with time limitations, since this skirt isn’t the only garment I had to make during that semester, I’m really glad I managed to finish on time!
What do you find most challenging about being a young designer in Singapore?
From my experiences, which is only a short 3 years as a student designer (haha), what I found most challenging here could be the lack of opportunities to obtain some kind of public exposure? Schools certainly try to do their part and incorporate some industrial collaboration within our modules but otherwise, the only times we have a shot at “exposure” would be a magazine issue featuring some graduate students or like right now, making it through a competition. It would be nice to see a comeback of Singapore Fashion Week or more events that could provide opportunities to local designers!
Are there specific designers whose path or journey you admire?
Honestly speaking, no, there isn’t any specific designers in mind if we’re talking about their path or journey since I think that no matter what kind of journey they went through, everyone under their own unique circumstances who can start off their own brand is really admirable! I recently started to research and start diving deep into the “how” of creating my own label and it is really, really difficult, for the lack of better words to describe (haha)!
Would you change any decisions you have made so far in your career?
Nope, there’s nothing to change if I am only just at the starting line!
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This interview has been edited for clarity.
Photography Ethan Lai
Art Direction Izwan Abdullah
Styling Manfred Lu
Grooming & Hair Eric Tan & Jenny Tan | PaletteInc using Giorgio Armani and Keune.Haircosmetics
Production Manager Marion Narisma
Styling Assistant Justin Neo
Once you’re done with this story about getting to know the Designer Of The Year 2021 finalists, click here to catch up with our November 2021 issue!
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