INTRO—
DUCTION
DUCTION
#SGFASHIONNOW represents a major strategic shift for ACM. It is the first time we’re presenting Singapore fashion at the museum, and to push the envelope further, we’ve chosen to feature designers who are still practicing — and, very importantly, who are still in business — today. This stems from our desire to explore how the museum may be a developmental platform for the creative community.
Director
Asian Civilisations Museum and Peranakan Museum
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#SGFASHIONNOW also features an unprecedented approach to us curating an exhibition, with the actual task of curatorial being ceded to the brilliant students at LASALLE College of the Art’s School of Fashion. Things are further complicated by our collaboration with the Textiles and Fashion Federation (TaFF) — Singapore’s fashion and textiles industry association — wherein the winner of Singapore Stories, which is Singapore’s National Fashion Design Competition, is featured in #SGFASHIONNOW.
KENNIE
TING
TING
It was always my dream to feature Singaporean fashion designers in the context of Asia and the World.
LEFT: ACM contemporary gallery
The exhibition is the first that follows ACM’s 2020 repositioning as Singapore’s National Museum of Asian Antiquities and Decorative Art. The repositioning allows us to champion #InnovationInTradition, and to extend the timeline of our curatorial focus to the contemporary day.
We’d already flirted with exhibiting Asian fashion, most recently contemporary Chinese couture. But it was always my dream to feature Singaporean fashion designers in the context of Asia and the World, and against the backdrop of ACM’s ravishing, cross-cultural, pan-Asian Collection. This being the case, we felt we could only do this together, in strong partnership, with the larger fashion community in Singapore.
We’d already flirted with exhibiting Asian fashion, most recently contemporary Chinese couture. But it was always my dream to feature Singaporean fashion designers in the context of Asia and the World, and against the backdrop of ACM’s ravishing, cross-cultural, pan-Asian Collection. This being the case, we felt we could only do this together, in strong partnership, with the larger fashion community in Singapore.
LEFT: ACM contemporary gallery
… we could only do this together, in strong partnership, with the larger fashion community in Singapore.
LASALLE TEAM
For #SGFASHIONNOW to happen at all, I would like to thank President of LASALLE, Professor Steve Dixon. Enormous thanks go to Circe Henestrosa, Nadya Wang and Daniela Monasterios-Tan at LASALLE’s School of Fashion for taking the leap into the (fabulous Technicolour) unknown with us. Major kudos go to student curators, Gabrielle Yeo, Celestine Wong, Jessica Faustine Suwito, Felicia Toh and Guo Li Le. We’re all SO proud of you!
DONORS & CONTRIBUTORS
Major thanks go to the generous donors to this exhibition, Paige Parker and designer Andrew Gn; as well as partners and advisors, Semun Ho, CEO of TaFF, and Tjin Lee. Thank you to National Museum of Singapore and my fellow Museum Director, Chung May Khuen for the loan of the piece by Baëlf Design. Thanks also go to the ACM team, in particular, Jackie Yoong, but also Ian Liu, Barbara Fras, Ng Wan Gui, Arielle Lau and many others; and to the LASALLE team behind this gorgeous e-publication that accompanies the exhibition.
DESIGNERS
Finally, big thanks to all eight designers featured — aside from the two already mentioned, also LAICHAN, Ong Shunmugam, Time Taken to Make a Dress (TTMD), Studio HHFZ, Stylemart, and Singapore Stories 2020 winner, Carol Chen – for being game enough to come on board.
I hope
you enjoy
the ride!
you enjoy
the ride!
CURATORIAL
STATEMENT
STATEMENT
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