Raffles Singapore’s Fashion Marketers dream big with successful fashion show
Singapore - Twenty-two of Raffles Singapore’s very own Fashion Marketers organised a fashion show themed “It’s Only a Dream” as part of their Fashion Coordination and Promotion module. Despite the theme, the Raffles Fashion Marketers had a big dream behind the fashion show — to promote Singapore as Asia’s fashion hub, and to feature luminary Raffles Alumni Designers.
The successful event received positive response from the attendees, many of whom lauded the Raffles Fashion Marketers for the well-organised and professional show.
Divided into three segments, the show commenced with the showcase of exquisite jewellery pieces by nine Raffles Jewellery Designers. Raffles Alumna Cynthia Fransisca, who graduated with a Master of Design majoring in Fashion Design in December 2013, wowed the audience next with her “Beyond the Veil” collection. The finale of the show featured the “A Thousand Kisses Deep” collection by “Ophélie”, a label of Raffles Alumni Sean Loh and Sheila Agatha. |
 |
Sean and Sheila were the respective Malaysia and Indonesia winners of the “Asia New Generation Fashion Designer Award” organised by Harper’s BAZAAR. Recently, both of them gained regional recognition after being featured in Harper’s BAZAAR Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia magazines.
The Raffles Fashion Marketers were divided into various teams: Creative, PR, Marketing, Finance and Logistics. Each team was responsible for different areas, including the conceptualisation of the show, liaison with agencies, budgeting, sourcing of sponsors and event day logistics. Like a well-oiled machine, the students displayed great teamwork and seamless coordination.
Raffles Fashion Marketer Cicily Chan shared, “A glamorous fashion show is the fruit of hard labour behind the scenes. We encountered many obstacles during the event planning, and are thankful to Creative Practitioner Anisa Johnny, who provided us with lots of help and guidance. The applause and positive feedback received from the audience made all the hard work worth it.
“It takes great teamwork and communication with one another to produce a great show. Everyone has put in their 110 percent for this show, and our sweat and hard work paid off at the end.”
Christian Dior invites Raffles Shanghai students to its haute
couture show
 |
Shanghai, China ‐ Raffles Shanghai was one of 16 top design schools worldwide to be invited to Christian Dior’s haute couture fashion show in Paris, France. The three‐day, all‐expenses‐paid trip by Dior gave participants a rare opportunity to tour Dior’s headquarters and attend a workshop, conference and haute couture show.
Raffles Shanghai selected its top three fashion design students — Xu Yingjin, Wu Die and Fu Yuji — to fly to Paris with Fashion Design Assistant Programme Director Liz Thng.
|
Together with delegates from other schools, they visited Dior’s ateliers on Avenue Montaigne and saw first-hand how the haute couture artisans painstakingly finish the intricate garments that would become the central motif of the collection for the haute couture show. The delegates were also given a tour of Dior’s headquarters as well as informative lectures on the maison’s culture and history by the CEO, Sidney Toledano, and the Archivist, Soizic Pfaff.
This trip also gave the Raffles Fashion Designers the rare opportunity to interact with couture designers and other students who share the same passion and talent in fashion design. At the workshop, they met designers from other LVMH houses such as Louis Vuitton and Celine, who shared their experience with the students. The highly anticipated event of the Paris trip was undoubtedly the couture show, which took place at the Musée Rodin. Although the students had a sneak peek of the collection at the workshop earlier, they were still excited to see the completed haute couture, accentuated with exquisite accessories, on the runway.
“This is a once‐in‐a‐lifetime experience!” Xu Yingjin exclaimed. “The show is spectacular. I think this Paris trip will have a huge influence on me and my design.”
The Raffles Fashion Designers could hardly conceal their undeniable excitement. Fu Yuji expressed his desire to become a top designer in the future. “Of course, I need to study harder to achieve that,” he said.
Wu Die realised the importance of English when she communicated with students from other schools. “Everybody is communicating in English. A designer needs to express a concept effectively in English. As a design student, it is crucial to master a foreign language.”
From Dior’s perspective, the point of this grand gesture was to share the passion and savoir‐faire of haute couture to a new generation of would‐be fashion designers. The exclusive invitation by Dior has proven Raffles Shanghai’s standing in the industry. This is another successful milestone of the school’s strong partnership with the industry to groom students into leaders of tomorrow. Raffles Shanghai will continue to excel and strive to nurture more new design talents for China’s fashion industry.
Bright Spark — Raffles Sydney student wins top internship prize
Sydney, Australia - Chloe Little, a Raffles Graphic Designer and current Masters candidate from Raffles Sydney, has been awarded the top prize in the “Spark Awards” by international brand consultancy, Bluemarlin. For her remarkable efforts, Chloe was awarded a cash prize and a three-month internship with the consultancy firm.
Into its eighth year, the Spark Awards received entries from colleges across New South Wales and Victoria. Approximately 100 students enter the awards each year, of which 25 students will be selected for a three-week internship at the Sydney studio. At the end of the internship programme, all the finalists will be given a design brief to brand themselves. They will then be judged based on their time in the studio and the final work they design.
Bluemarlin felt that Chloe’s “Edge” coffee table concept book stood out from the other entries as her rationale was well thought out and the thinking was clearly represented in her creative output. She had considered every aspect, right through to the choice of colour.
“A brand doesn’t just live on the front of a piece of packaging. It was the way she brought the brand to life through brand activation on many media; her beaker mug was inspired, (and) that caught our attention,” commented the judges.
Chloe’s win is a testimony of the holistic curriculum and pedagogy at Raffles, which empowers Raffles Designers to be creative and innovative. Besides the cash prize and internship opportunity, Chloe has also received invaluable real industry experience that will go a long way in her career.
Outstanding achievements by Raffles Singapore at the SPADE Awards
Singapore - Four Raffles Interior Designers and two creative practitioners from Raffles Singapore received top honours at the “Spatial Design Awards for Art and Design Institutions 2013/2014” (SPADE Awards), organised by the Interior Design Confederation (Singappore).
Daniel Ade Christianto clinched the Gold Award (Retail Category), Silver Award (Hospitality Category) and “Designer of the Year” Award. |
 |
Vincent Kamadi and Ye Myo Htwe won the Gold Awards for the Hospitality and Education categories respectively. Devina Chandra was the Merit Award winner for the Institution category. Raffles Creative Practitioners Louis Albert Dube and Rosah Lopes also walked away with the Mentorship Awards.
The SPADE Awards is an international spatial design competition open to full-time students pursuing a spatial design-related discipline or studies. The competition aims to showcase the best design ideations in the areas of Interior Design/Interior Architecture, Residential Design, Corporate Design, Food and Beverage Design, Exhibition and Retail Design and projects that entail strong spatial contents.
Daniel shared, “I participated in this competition to challenge myself and bring my work to a higher level. Winning the competition was unexpected yet awesome! It’s my biggest honour to win these prestigious awards for Raffles Singapore.”
His winning design for the retail category, titled “Sony Life”, is a design concept for the next electronic retail store dedicated to Sony. Daniel was inspired by the cultural revolution of people and gadgets. Daniel has some words of encouragement for his peers. “Hard work will always be rewarded. When we put in our best, we will get the best. A designer should never be afraid to challenge himself. Always put in your very best in everything you do. At the end of the day, it will be worth it,” he said.
Raffles Creative Practitioner Louis commented, “I am very proud of my students. They have worked hard to achieve professional standards on design development and presentation skills. This competition will also help them in securing better jobs through their portfolios that demonstrate their capacity to perform.”
As the Mentorship Award winner, Louis was glad to be able to help the students to reach this level of professionalism. Golden advice from Louis: “Continue to research and be curious about design. It changes every day and nothing stays the same.”
Student entrepreneurs from Raffles Mumbai venture into lifestyle products
Mumbai, India - Two budding entrepreneurs from Raffles Mumbai, Smruti Mathisekaran and Aditi Lunkad, have set up “Chaar Pai” to retail lifestyle products designed by the Raffles Interior Designers themselves.
The pair of long-time friends started the business as an avenue to express their creativity. The design theme of “Chaar Pai” is a fusion of aesthetics, ethnicity and modernism. Aditi and Smruti have designed stationery, fashion and home décor products, and aim to specialise in designing furniture and home accessories. They currently retail their products through social media network such as Facebook.
Juggling their studies and demands of the business, establishing contacts and understanding the market were challenges that Aditi and Smruti had to overcome. Their positive attitude and perseverance have kept them going. They aptly said, “We have so much we want to do and can’t wait to do them! We have the foundation laid, what is left is to build on it. It is going to be a never-ending process of building and improving as we grow the business.”
They also value the opportunity to be able to apply what they have learnt in their business, and are grateful to the creative practitioners and staff at Raffles Mumbai for their support. In fact, their entrepreneurship foray was inspired by one of the courses in their Interior Design studies, and they were further encouraged by the overwhelming response received from the pop-up stalls they set up at college events.
The two Raffles Interior Designers have displayed strong entrepreneurship spirit, and we look forward to seeing them blossom and augment the Raffles quality of “Success by Design”.
To know more about Chaar Pai, please visit www.facebook.com/chaarpaiiproducts
Raffles Alumnus Paul Nathaphol featured at Myanmar International Fashion Week
Singapore - Raffles Singapore Fashion Design Alumnus Paul Nathapol has achieved another milestone in his career, having showcased his Spring/Summer 2014 collection at the “Myanmar International Fashion Week 2014” (MIFW 2014).
Held at the Junction Square Mall in Yangon on 7 February 2014, the MIFW 2014 was organised by Star Event Production and sponsored by Mercedes-Benz. Renowned Myanmese designers Kaung Myat, Myo Min Soe, Phyo Pyae, Joker and other international brands brought their collections to this distinguished fashion event.
Paul showcased the Spring/Summer 2014 collection from his eponymous label, “Paul Nathaphol”, at MIFW 2014. The collection of “Existence Precedes Essence” was inspired by the 1950s existentialism movement and French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre’s work, “Being and Nothingless”. Paul combined his signature sharp tailoring with his draping skills and created pieces of art that exuded classy sensuality.
2014 looks to be an eventful year for Paul. He will be showcasing his Spring/Summer collections at the “Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia” and in Bangkok, as well as launching his boutiques in Bangkok and Sydney by the end of the year.
Uncover your potential at Raffles Jakarta Open House 2014
Jakarta, Indonesia - Creative practitioners, staff and students alike were in high spirits when Raffles Jakarta opened its doors to prospective students at the Raffles Open House event recently.
With this year’s theme of “Uncovering Your Potential”, the aspiring designers and marketers, some with their parents, many others with their friends or classmates, were eager to experience Raffles Jakarta’s vibrant campus and creative learning environment through the various hands-on workshops, including Fashion Design’s “Creative Draping”, where participants applied their creativity and created part of a garment using muslin.
Another popular activity was the “Build Your Dream Room” Interior Design workshop. Participants were asked to create a design concept of a bedroom using cut-outs of furniture, paintings, fabrics and other decorative items.
Other workshops conducted by creative practitioners from Multimedia Design, Visual Communication and Fashion Marketing received positive feedback from participants, as the creative practitioners left a positive impression of what their journey to success with Raffles could be like. Prospective students also walked home with goodie bags, though many were so engrossed in completing their creations that they were reluctant to leave at the end of the Open House.
Aspiring designers and marketers who have missed the Open House can still contact Raffles Jakarta to schedule an appointment to visit the campus at the CityWalk Sudirman building.
Raffles Singapore goes all out for the “Singapore Design Week”
Singapore - DesignSingapore Council organised the “Singapore Design Week 2014” (SDW) recently and Raffles Singapore supported the event through its active participation in exhibitions, talks and a workshop.
Open to the design community, businesses, design students and the general public, SDW aimed to raise the awareness of good design, deepen the appreciation and understanding of design innovation, and encourage the use of design for innovation and productivity. Events under the SDW umbrella included the anchor event “SingaPlural 2014” and “International Furniture Fair Singapore 2014”.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing between Raffles Singapore and Design Business Chamber Singapore (DBCS) was held at the “Singapore Design Business Summit 2014”. Raffles Singapore and DBCS will collaborate on projects and events that will create opportunities for budding Raffles Designers in terms of job placement, industrial attachment and industry collaborations, which will further enhance their development.
Besides the MOU signing, Raffles Alumnus Lawrence Chong, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of business design consultancy Consulus, was also the moderator of the “Design Means Business” talk at the Summit.
Raffles Alumna Ace Chia, who is also the founder of local fashion brand Elska, delivered a talk on design entrepreneurship for the DBCS workshop at National Design Centre. Raffles Singapore also partook in the “Design Arena @ Park Mall” exhibition and “Design Conversations” held at the National Design Centre, where Raffles Creative Practitioner Hector Arturo Salazar Navarrete conducted Product Design workshops and shared his past industry experiences.
Hector shared, “SDW is a good platform to interact with designers from various industries. It also serves as a good opportunity to reach out to the general public on how design plays a part in everyone’s life.”
Industry collaboration plays an important role to challenge Raffles Designers with real-world environment. Creative practitioners can also hone their skills and knowledge by interacting with their industry peers. Raffles Singapore looks forward to the increased opportunities to enhance the development of Raffles Designers and creative practitioners through the MOU with DBSC.
Raffles Mumbai Alumnus Yashesh Virkar debuts with distinction
Mumbai, India - Raffles Mumbai celebrates another success as alumnus Yashesh Virkar earned industrial recognition for his designs, barely two years after establishing his own label. Yashesh’s works were featured in three leading magazines in India — Architectural Digest, Elle Décor and Society Interiors. This distinction not only recognises his achievements but also puts him on the “who’s who” list in the industry.
Yashesh graduated from Raffles Mumbai with an Advanced Diploma in Product Design in 2007. He utilised the Raffles Global Advantage and continued his undergraduate studies at Raffles Singapore, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Design in Product Design.
His professional experience in the field of design have come a long way; these experiences have helped shape his overall approach towards design. Coupled with his craving for extensive knowledge, Yashesh has developed a keen eye for honesty and simplicity in design.
The pivotal point of his career was his stint with Christopher Guy Harrison, an internationally-acclaimed furniture and lifestyle designer. Through the array of international projects he had worked on, Yashesh found his calling in designing furniture and lifestyle products. In 2012, he decided to launch “Yasanche”, his own line of furniture and lifestyle products.
Raffles Mumbai is proud of the achievements by Yashesh, who will become a role model and motivation for all Raffles Designers.
Please visit www.yasanche.com to find out more about Yashesh’s designs.
Raffles Delhi participates in JRE Fashion Show
New Delhi, India - Raffles Fashion Designers from Raffles Delhi displayed their talents at the “CANVAS 2014” fashion show, organised by Raffles Millennium University (JRE Group of Institutions) in Greater Noida. “CANVAS” is an annual management, cultural and sports aimed at bringing various student talents under the JRE Group of Institutions together.
The theme of the fashion show was “Crazy and Unconventional”. Instead of a typical fashion runway, the designers had to showcase their creations and present their design concepts. Raffles Fashion Designer Ravi K Tirkey won the first runner-up award and walked away with a cash prize.
The Raffles Fashion Designers appreciated the opportunity to showcase their talent and hard work.
Ravi said, “It was a great pleasure to be a part of the “CANVAS”. The idea to present our design concepts was interesting and new. Winning the second runner-up award was unexpected as the competition was strong.”
On the value of participation, Prerna said, “The purpose of participating in the show is not about winning; it is to get more exposure and build up confidence. The fashion show has prepared us for upcoming competitions in the future. We often understand, learn and value something even more deeply when we are physically present to see the amount of effort, labour and skill involved.”
Raffles Delhi’s creative practitioners were also invited to be the part of the jury for the fashion show; they had a difficult time selecting the winners from the outstanding submissions. Encouraged by the positive response from participants, Raffles Delhi will expose students to more of such challenges to motivate them to put in their best.
Raffles Singapore Creative Practitioner wins international recognition
Singapore - Raffles Singapore Creative Practitioner Dr Frederick A. Halcon’s research paper has been accepted for publication and presentation by the International Centre of Economics, Humanities and Management (ICEHM).
ICEHM is the organising body of the International Conference on Business, Management and Corporate Social Responsibility (ICBMCSR) at which Dr Frederick presented his paper. The conference is a platform for practitioners and educators to share the results of their research with peers from all over the world.
Dr Frederick shared, “I felt happy, blessed and excited. It has always been a personal goal of mine to participate in at least one international conference each year, should time and resources allow. I believe this is a good opportunity for me to share my knowledge with others and at the same time, gain new insights from fellow educators in the field of business. I also believe this is an excellent way of building my self-confidence.”
His research paper, titled “Towards the Development of Theoretical Propositions in Women’s Business Education”, was inspired by his experiences in conducting business courses at two women’s colleges in Metro Manila for more than four years. With a vast amount of qualitative data and insights from past researches, he was able to draw theories of how these institutions of higher learning can achieve competitive advantage by leveraging on their strengths and uniqueness.
Dr Frederick has also spent the first seven years of his career teaching in a co-educational institution in Manila. His experiences in both single-gender and co-educational institutions provided him with a broader perspective. He commented that women’s colleges have their own distinct niche in the education industry in the Philippines.
Dr Frederick believes that passing the dissertation is not the be-all and end-all of one’s research. “To my students and fellow educators, do not be afraid of pursuing research. It is through research whereby you can acquire new knowledge and discoveries about the world,” he said.
Read his full research paper at https://raffles-college.academia.edu/FrederickHalconPhD
Raffles Alumni create customised bridal bliss with Grace
 |
Singapore - Raffles Singapore celebrates another alumni success, as two award-winning Fashion Design alumni — Diana Widjayanto and Silvya Widjaja — have jointly established “Grace Bridal Couture” (Grace) in Indonesia. The couture line features customised bridal gowns designed to honour the unique traits of each bride.
Both Diana and Silvya have showcased their talents as Raffles Fashion Designers, having won many regional and international awards. Diana graduated top in her class and received a scholarship from Raffles Singapore to further her studies at Middlesex University. Subsequently, she pursued her Master degree at Instituto Marangoni, a renowned design school in Milan.
Diana rose quickly in the fashion world. She represented Singapore at the Jakarta Fashion Week in 2004, received the “2005 Crespi Trophy Fashion Award” in Italy, and was also the Fashion Brand Manager for Converse Benelux in Germany.
|
When she returned to Jakarta, Diana worked in top companies such as Harvey Nichols Jakarta and Fashion TV Magazine. She has since dressed celebrity chef Fitri Wahab and Indonesian socialites such as Vinna Kartika.
Silvya graduated from Raffles Singapore in 2006 and began her career designing evening wear for Celia Loe, after winning the “Miss Sixty Competition”. Silvya’s career has since blossomed and she has worked with internationally-renowned brands such as Tiffany & Co, Cortina Watch and G.H.MUMM.Ê
Continuing her career in Indonesia, Silvya worked for the Femina Group and was the Fashion Stylist and Editor for GRAZIA Indonesia. She has since dressed famous Indonesian singer Rossa, presenter Marissa Nasution and politicians Ruhut Sitompul and Anies Baswedan.
Grace and Silvya had their potential uncovered at Raffles, and their stellar experience will definitely bring “Grace Bridal Couture” to greater success in the near future.
Grace Bridal Couture is open for personalised design consultation at JL. Kartini VIII No 8-10, Jakarta Pusat 10750, Indonesia. Contact them at 021 629-3978/021 659-3938 or visit their website at www.gracebridal.co for more information.
Successful entrepreneur in the making — Raffles Singapore Alumnus Hemant Sahi
Singapore - As a Raffles Alumnus who graduated with a Master of Commerce majoring in Design Management, Hemant Sahi is putting what he has acquired in Raffles Singapore to good use in the industry.
He founded “Hemant Sahi Designs” (HSD), a multi-disciplinary design studio in Singapore and Mumbai, to provide creative solutions in the fields of video, graphics, web and interactive design.
In 2012, HSD launched its T-shirt brand in India. Following positive responses from the Indian market, the brand was launched in Singapore. Currently, the T-shirt designs are available at HSD’s store at Orchard Central, which also serves as a showcase of the other services provided by HSD.
Hermant shared, “The reception so far has been very positive. We have had a steady flow of inquisitive visitors and happy customers.”
Having studied digital design and commerce in Singapore, Hemant aspires to tap on the latent talent of local young designers. HSD plans to open two more outlets by the end of the year and collaborate with other designers from Singapore to develop exciting products that can be made available to the discerning customers at affordable prices.
HSD T-shirts are retailing at Orchard Central Mall Unit #05-K1. Visit their website www.hemantsahi.com to know more about their services.
Raffles Designers get industry exposure at Bossini Hong Kong
Singapore - Having won Bossini Singapore’s ”Print Tee Design Competition”, Denise Claire Phua Mun-Yi and Agnes Angelin Tjioe from Raffles Singapore were awarded a one-week industrial attachment to Bossini Hong Kong which took place recently.
Agnes and Denise were introduced to Bossini’s working environment and operations, and visited the apparel company’s flagship store in Mongkok. Their host Henry, who leads the design team at Bossini’s headquarters, brought them to major retail areas such as Mongkok, Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui to pick up the latest styles and trends, which are also the source of some of his design inspirations.
The students also visited Bossini’s factory in China to learn about the entire production process, from designing, fabric cutting to printing the actual T-shirt. This experience reinforced what they have learnt at Raffles, and they can now relate their coursework to real-life examples.
Agnes and Denise are grateful for the attachment opportunity, having gained valuable industry exposure, skills and knowledge. Denise said, “The one-week industrial attachment was really fun and interesting. It was an eye-opener as we learnt how the company operates, and saw for ourselves the day-to-day operations of a professional creative team.”
Echoing Denise, Agnes was all praise for the industrial attachment. “It was priceless! I learnt a lot about Hong Kong’s fashion trends, Bossini and behind-the-scenes of the fashion industry.”
Both of them unanimously agree that participating in competitions give them good exposure and priceless experience, and encourage their peers to do so too.
Taking lessons out of the classroom… to fashion hub Hong Kong
Singapore - Raffles Singapore Creative Practitioners Joe Spinelli, Madeleine Wong and Jay Quek took learning out of the classroom and brought 62 Raffles Fashion Designers to Hong Kong for a hands-on lesson on fabric sourcing. As Asia’s fashion hub, Hong Kong offers a wide variety of fabrics, some of which are not found in Singapore.
The Raffles Fashion Designers, currently taking the Major Studio Project course, were sourcing for fabrics and accessories for their final year collections. They were brought to the markets and stores to look for suitable materials. At the designated locations, Raffles Creative Practitioners showed them around the vicinity and stores before scheduling consultations with them individually.
The students prepared their sketches, planned the budget and selected their types of material before the trip. Their project management skills were put to task during the trip, having to work within their budget and seek alternatives if the desired materials were not available or the cost exceeded the budget.
Through this fruitful out-of-the-classroom lesson, the students gained deeper insights into the types of fabrics available and how to go about choosing suitable fabrics for their collections. Their upcoming task is to complete their final year collections, which will be showcased at their upcoming graduation.
Practical learning outside the classroom
New Delhi, India - A group of students from Raffles Delhi recently participated in a field trip to learn the art of Bagru textile printing. Bagru, a village in the Jaipur district of Rajasthan, is famous for two traditional textile printing techniques — “Block Printing” and “Resist Printing”.
The two-day field trip saw the students visiting the Anokhi Museum and Bagru Textiles, a social enterprise committed to preserving the traditional textile printing techniques. They were given a demonstration of “Block Carving” and “Block Printing”, followed by a hands-on session. The students chose carved blocks and natural dyes in combinations that reflect their design ethos. They concentrated on perfecting the processes involved like washing, boiling and re-washing, as they were eager to see their creations.
Besides block printing, the students were also taught the “Dabu”, or “Resist Printing” technique, which involves more complex processes to get the dye infixed to the fabric. It was tough work as they went through several rounds of washing and re-dyeing, but all their efforts proved fruitful when they saw the finished product.
Fashion Design Programme Coordinator Deepti Sharma was satisfied that the aims of this field trip were achieved. She said, “Practical learning enriches students and adds to the immense knowledge they gain from books. The skills that they have picked up from this field trip will be evident in their future collections.”
Raffles Fashion Designer Meerika Dhawan said, “This trip showed me the importance of practical knowledge and learning beyond classrooms. Besides acquiring the printing techniques, I have also learnt to respect the art, hard work and efforts put into creating each piece of fabric. It is a truly unforgettable learning experience.”
