Raffles Singapore Celebrates our Graduates' Triumphant Pursuit of Pinnacle

Singapore - A night that witnessed the convocation of 407 Raffles graduates, APEX Graduation celebrated the biggest graduating cohort ever with a new wave in showcasing students' works digitally, and Designer's Nite, an event collaboration with Design Business Chamber Singapore (DBCS).  

APEX Graduation is signified by the highly faceted prism joined by axes of lines where Raffles' creative practitioners bring out the best in every student. Held on 18 June 2014 at Fairmont Singapore, APEX Graduation received overwhelming enthusiastic responses from graduates' families, key industry partners, and numerous distinguished guests.

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Raffles Alumnus Shines in Jakarta’s Fashion Night Out

Jakarta – Fashion Night Out hit the heart of Jakarta this May, bringing the city to live with high fashion and glamour. Gracing the event along with the celebrities and fashionistas, was our very own Raffles Singapore Alumnus, Cynthia Francisca Haryono. Cynthia was handpicked to represent Raffles Jakarta, an exclusive participant of this event.

This fashion event was first made popular in New York, and is now a resident event in Jakarta. Kuningan City Mall staged this event and transformed its mall into a runway of lights featuring the Spring/Summer collections by Indonesian celebrity designers such as Friedrich Herman, Yosafat Kurniawan, Rinda Salmun or Marissa Nasution.

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Interior Design Lecturer Scores Mirvac Deal

Sydney - Raffles Interior Design lecturer Aileen Sanjoto is a happy woman. Not only has she been contracted to design the first iconic Collection Bar at Broadway Shopping centre in Sydney, but the job is close to her philosophies on sustainable design and eco-living.

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Raffles Batam and Swissbel International Sign MoU to Mentor Raffles’ Interns

Batam - Raffles Batam and Swissbel International signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) towards supporting Raffles interns as a mentorship partner through internship programmes at Swissbel.

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Raffles Collaborates with Top Beauty School

Sydney - Students from Raffles Sydney's Fashion Design, Fashion Marketing and Photography courses have collaborated with other young creatives at The Australasian College of Beauty & Makeup in a joint brief that the two colleges hope will become a more regular activity on their academic calendars.

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Distinguished Guest Speaker, Professor Jason Pomeroy

Singapore - On 23 May, Professor Jason Pomeroy conducted a seminar on green design and sustainable design approach to buildings and interior spaces, followed by a book autograph session. An enthusiastic response of 36 Raffles Singapore Interior Designers attended this seminar.

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Raffles Singapore Celebrates our Graduates' Triumphant Pursuit of Pinnacle

Singapore - A night that witnessed the convocation of 407 Raffles Singapore graduates, APEX Graduation celebrated the biggest graduating cohort ever with a new wave in showcasing students' works digitally, and Designer's Nite, an event collaboration with Design Business Chamber Singapore (DBCS).  


APEX Graduation is signified by the highly faceted prism joined by axes of lines where Raffles' creative practitioners bring out the best in every student. Held on 18 June 2014 at Fairmont Singapore, APEX Graduation received overwhelming enthusiastic responses from graduates' families, key industry partners, and numerous distinguished guests.


Dr Loretta Chen, Creative and Business Development Director of VMSD remarked, "The quality, standard, attitude, sense of professionalism and creativity of the students are amazing. I'm very proud of the college, faculty and students, and I will continue to support Raffles."


In conjunction with APEX Graduation, Designer's Nite was a networking event collaboration with DBCS held on 16 June at Raffles Education Square. It marked the launch of APEX Graduation Exhibition, showcased a well-orchestrated mini fashion show and bridged Raffles students with industry partners. Guests who visited the exhibition experienced a multi-sensory digital experience through the RafflesSG application using Samsung tablets.

APEX Graduation unveiled a fashion show by graduating Raffles Fashion Designers that wrapped up the entire event on 18 June. That night, 21 graduating Raffles Fashion Designers were selected to showcase their 8-pieces collections that were of professional standards and bursting with creativity. The diversity in the students' backgrounds recreated dynamic elements of boldness, modernity, feminism, vibrancy, elegance and sophistication into their individual styles that were incorporated in their collections.

Dr. Loretta Chen, Creative and Business Development Director of VMSD and Giuseppe (Joe) Spinelli, Principal of Raffles College of Higher Education presented certificates to the 2 recipents of VMSD's Young Talents Scholarship Award sponsored by VMSD.

Best Collection Award winner for Advanced Diploma in Fashion Design and recipient of VMSD Young Talents Scholarship Award, Juliana Ng commented, "I was excited, happy and proud of myself. Throughout my course of study, Raffles has changed and pushed me to the limits, challenging myself, exploring myself and showcasing my creativity. Raffles taught me everything from theories to practical application and even the entrepreneurship aspect in the fashion industry. It also provided me with an industrial attachment that allowed me to gain working experiences with industry professionals and famous designers in Singapore. Raffles is by far the best institution ever."

Relish the APEX Graduation and Designer's Nite events from the photos below!


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Raffles Alumnus Shines in Jakarta’s Fashion Night Out

Jakarta – Fashion Night Out hit the heart of Jakarta this May, bringing the city to live with high fashion and glamour. Gracing the event along with the celebrities and fashionistas, was our very own Raffles Singapore Alumnus, Cynthia Francisca Haryono. Cynthia was handpicked to represent Raffles Jakarta, an exclusive participant of this event.


This fashion event was first made popular in New York, and is now a resident event in Jakarta. Kuningan City Mall staged this event and transformed its mall into a runway of lights featuring the Spring/Summer collections by Indonesian celebrity designers such as Friedrich Herman, Yosafat Kurniawan, Rinda Salmun or Marissa Nasution.

Raffles Jakarta gladly accepted the invitation from Kuningan City to join this event. Both parties shared a common goal which was to give an opportunity for young creative talents such as Cynthia Francisca to showcase their designs and increase international exposure. “I hope, that young designers can show their skill and compete in the international fashion world, " said CEO of Kuningan City Mall, Very Y. Setiadi.



During this exclusive event, held from the 21st to the 23rd of May 2014, Cynthia took to the runway alongside famous designers with her ready-to-wear collection, “Beyond the Veil”. The collection was inspired by darkness, death and sexuality. Cynthia Francisca elaborated: “I like to work with red, black and white. The idea of darkness and sexuality drove my research for the collection. It led me to Lilith, the first woman on Earth, and she became one of my main inspirations for this work”.

Cynthia was delighted about joining this event and added new pieces to her already stunning collection. She captured the hearts and attention of the crowd with her exquisite designs and won praise for her attention to details which stood out in her collections. Raffles Jakarta was extremely proud of her for putting up an awesome performance. Our Raffles Designer truly was the star of the night.


 

Interior Design Lecturer Scores Mirvac Deal

Sydney - Raffles Interior Design lecturer Aileen Sanjoto is a happy woman. Not only has she been contracted to design the first iconic Collection Bar at Broadway Shopping centre in Sydney, but the job is close to her philosophies on sustainable design and eco-living.

“In a society conscious of recycling and sustainable living, we’ve used recycled timber pallets to design the collection bar,” she says. “We also transformed a defunct shipping container into changing rooms, and synthetic grass covering on the floor so customers could have a ‘picnic’ while waiting for service.”

According to the Mirvac website, The Collection Bar gives customers the chance to have online purchases delivered to a dedicated collection point within the Centre, try them on in exclusive changing rooms and return on the spot - a service not currently being offered at any other shopping centre across Australia.



For Sanjoto, this kind of commission is paramount to and synergistic with her teaching in the interior design department at Raffles, where industry experience is critical to the success of the programme and where young creatives feed off the knowledge and experience brought to life in the classroom by industry professionals. She credits Dr Bob Chung, Programme Director of Interior Design at Raffles as a tremendous support. “I owe him a great deal of knowledge,” she muses.

Parallel to her academic responsibilities at Raffles, Aileen Santojo is Senior Interior Designer and Project Co-ordinator for Archizone Pty Ltd based in Lane Cove. Her Bachelor and Masters in Interior Design were completed over 5 years at RCDC, and as a consequence, she has grown both professionally and personally to become a proud educator who believes that “most importantly, interior design is a collaborative effort. I didn’t get these contracts on my own, but would like to thank the team at Mirvac, as well as the Graphic Designer and Architectural Draftsman at Archizone for their support.”

The role of interior designer is one that can be misunderstood by many people, due to the modern-day confluence of roles such as “stylist” and “decorator” which can overlap with the more technically-rigorous profession of interior design. “Our talents are often sidelines, putting us in the same basket as Stylist or Interior Decorator,” says the designer-educator. “The fact is, we are not all about cushions and wallpaper ; we design services that require knowledge of building construction, the execution of technical drawings and the study of human behaviour and sociology,” she adds.

As part of her blistering schedule, Santojo is working on new projects at Macquarie Shopping Centre, with tenants such as Bread Top. The project is currently under construction and expected to finish by mid- August. The Mirvac deal and other contracts are another example of the dynamic industry partnerships clinched by Raffles Sydney.

A first for the retail industry, The Collection Bar will revolutionise the relationship between online and ‘traditional’ retailers via this unique partnership. The Collection Bar is located next to the Customer Service desk on level 1. It will be open from 8am to 8pm every day and 8am to 9pm on Thursdays.



Raffles Batam and Swissbel International Sign MoU to Mentor Raffles’ Interns

Batam - Raffles Batam and Swissbel International signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) towards supporting Raffles interns as a mentorship partner through internship programmes at Swissbel.


The agreement was signed between Raffles Institute of Higher Education Batam’s College Director, Mr. Ken Chan and Swissbel International’s General Manager, Mr. Denny Jatnika on 10th June 2014 at the Swissbel Harbour Bay hotel. The ceremony was well covered by the major local press and many other media platforms.

Click here to view Press article from Tribun Batam.


Raffles Batam College Director Mr. Ken Chan said on the occasion: “We are honoured by the enthusiasm we have received in response to the Raffles programmes from the local community and are glad to welcome Swissbel as our latest industry partner. Raffles programmes are designed to motivate and empower talented students by providing them with world-class education and training, preparing them for careers in the design and business management sector. Through partners such as Swissbel, they will receive valuable practical training and learn from experienced practitioners who will prepare them for highly challenging future roles in Indonesia’s and possibly the global diversified services sector.”



During Swissbel’s GM Mr. Denny Jatnika speech, he said: " Human Resources is the critical backbone of an organisation, therefore Swissbel is committed to develop Raffles Batam’s students through training on the ground in the hope of producing graduates who are able to compete in the global world of work through this collaboration. Swissbel’s commitment in the development of human resources is realized with the signing of an agreement with Raffles Batam in providing internships for Raffles’ students at Swiss-Inn, Swiss-Belinn and SwissBel Harbour Bay Hotel.”

Swissbel aims to provide an experiential internship programme for our Raffles students. They will tailor a learning programme in hotel management that will encourage them to apply the practical knowledge they have picked up in school, into actual work situations. This will help the students to be exposed to the corporate work environment and prepare them for work after graduation.

About Swissbel International

Swiss-Bel hotel International is a network of International Hotel Management and spread over 15 states from the Middle East, China, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Till now, the network has reached 47 hotel properties and is still growing, most of the properties are in Indonesia, from Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali to Papua. Hospitality management founded in 1987 by Peter Gautschi and headquartered in Hong Kong with some Regional Offices in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Australia.


 

Raffles Collaborates with Top Beauty School

Sydney - Students from Raffles Sydney's Fashion Design, Fashion Marketing and Photography courses have collaborated this semester with other young creatives at The Australasian College of Beauty & Makeup in a joint brief that the two colleges hope will become a more regular activity on their academic calendars.

Titled “The Collaborative Project,” the editorial photo shoot was organised such that the project was divided into three style groups with a distinctive visual concept and each group worked with four looks within that specific concept. Designers, stylists, photographers and H&M stylists within each group developed an appropriate overall concept that could be applied to all 4 looks, with minor alterations.



Students worked alongside well-known industry professionals in the fashion, beauty and photographic arts sector such as Raffles’ own star styling lecturer Gabe Robinson (stylist on the Nine Network’s The Voice) and ACHM Head of Hair and Makeup, Roberto Napolitano.

“The final shoot was a very successful collaboration,” says Sabi Sohrabi, Programme Assistant for Fashion Marketing. “Despite a couple of unforeseen issues it went really well, thanks to the efficient and creative problem-solving of the students involved. They showed a great deal of professionalism and worked well together.”



Distinguished Guest Speaker, Professor Jason Pomeroy

Singapore - On 23 May, Professor Jason Pomeroy conducted a seminar on green design and sustainable design approach to buildings and interior spaces, followed by a book autograph session. An enthusiastic response of 36 Raffles Singapore Interior Designers attended this seminar.


Professor Jason Pomeroy is an award winning architect, master planner and academic at the forefront of the sustainable built environment agenda. He is also the founding Principal of Pomeroy Studio. He graduated with Bachelor and post-graduate degrees with distinction from the Canterbury School of Architecture and earned his Masters degree from Cambridge University. Prior to founding Pomeroy Studio, Professor Jason Pomeroy worked in Brussels, Amsterdam, London, Bahrain and Kuala Lumpur. His architectural, real estate and construction experiences have influences in international construction/development and design firms including YRM, Kajima and Broadway Malyan.

As an Asia Board Director, Jason’s award-winning projects transcended scale and discipline and included the Idea House: the first carbon zero prototype house in South East Asia; Trump Tower Manila: the tallest residential tower in the Philippines; and Vision Valley Malaysia: an 80,000 acre Network Garden City extension of Kuala Lumpur.

This seminar provided insights into how green design is adapted to the building industry and how design consultants thrive to help ease the earth’s problems through creative design solutions. Raffles Creative Practitioner, Franz Gonzales shared, “Through this seminar, the students learned how green design not only affects the human beings, but also the living environment."

The seminar ended off with Raffles Interior Designers receiving Professor Jason Pomeroy's book ‘Skycourt and Skygarden: Greening the Urban Habitat' personalised with his autograph.



Guest Lecturer and Workshop on LED Lighting

Delhi - It was a great learning exposure for our Raffles Delhi Interior Design students on 16th May 2014.

One of the Interior Design students, Rishab Sarpal, said "It is an interesting event. We have benefitted from the session."

Sambhav Jain, another Interior Design student added, "This session helped me in learning and understanding lights for creating different moods."

These two students belonged to a group of lucky Raffles Delhi Interior students who were treated to a buffet of LED lights display and a presentation on the novelties and trends in LED lightning, by Mr. Rohit Kapoor.

Mr. Rohit Kapoor, Director of Arditi India Ltd was in campus to share his knowledge with our students. Arditi India Ltd is an Italian based lightning company and one of the leading companies in Europe, with a solid 50 years of experience in design, production and marketing world-wide range of electronics and electrical lighting products such as LED modules, LED power supplies, LED drivers, LED controllers, electronic transformers and ballasts.

Mr. Rohit Kapoor went the extra mile to bring the samples of different kinds of LED lights to our campus, so that our students would be able to touch and feel it. It was a great experience for our students as well as for Creative Practitioners. Great thanks to Mr. Predrag Stojicevic, Creative Practitioner of Interior Design, who helped to contact and coordinate with Mr Rohit Kapoor, so that such interaction is possible.


(From Left to right) Mr. Rohit Kapoor, Director of Arditi India Ltd. , Mr. Frankie Lim, Assistant College Director, Ms. Anne Chung, College Director, Academic Director & Programme Director-Interior Design and Mr. Predrag Stojicevic, Ms. Silvia Ojeda Garcia, Lecturer- Interior Design and Mr. Brian Orvik, Senior Lecturer- Interior Design


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Raffles Student’s Collection was Selected to Display at W Hotel

Bangkok - W Hotel Bangkok, a newly opened 5-star hotel in Bangkok, announced the debut of “WHAT’S NEW/NEXT 2014” with ‘W DOES BRUNCH’ starting from 1st February - 7th June 2014. This special event didn’t aim to only allow guests to have yummy treats but it meant to introduce the newly discovered fashion designers and showcase their hand-picked artistic collections. Every first Saturday of the month from 1st February - 7th June 2014, The Kitchen Table (a dining venue of W Hotel) was set in a trendy ambiance surrounding by an array of food stations while guests were appreciating the fashion trends with the hand - picked designer of the month.

The designers of the month were carefully selected from among professional designers and young-blood designers from various colleges and universities in Thailand. Only 5 designers were selected to display their masterworks and a collection designed by our Raffles Bangkok’s student met their high qualifications to be displayed at the luxury property of W Hotel.


“Les Aphrodites” collection designed by Ms. Chawit Piroonhapat – Raffles Bangkok’s graduating Fashion Design student was selected by Mr. Kullawit Laosuksri – Editor in Chief of Vogue Magazine Thailand to display at W Hotel. Chawit briefly described her collection as a combination of creative, modern, sexy and high end qualities. The target age range of the collection is from 25-30 years old. The collection exudes a certain powerful aura and strong femininity inspired by the Venus De Milo statue of the Hellenistic Era. Each garment is digitally printed with a painting of Venus De Milo and is also be inspired by gladiator shoes and leather accessories.

“My aim for this collection is to design 5 female garments which consist of ready-to-wear garments. I want my designs to evoke some kind of womanly essence and to have a strong, sensual and statuesque presence, which is achieved by highlighting and accentuating the feminine curves. This gives an illusion of a tiny waist and an hourglass figure. I also wanted the garment to evoke some kind of artistic feel to it, and it is achieved by the digital image of a hand painted version of Venus De Milo. The target group age for this collection would range between 25-30 years old.

My inspiration is derived from the famous Venus De Milo statue carved by Alexandros from Antioch. Alexandros was inspired by the Aphrodite statue from the 4th Century B.C. This alluring half naked statue is well-known for its feminine hourglass figure and her missing arms. Since her discovery, Venus has intrigued and mesmerized many people with her well proportioned figure and mysterious magnetism, which made her the most glorious creation in world’s history.”




An Exhibition of Mumbai

Mumbai - A new approach to showcase the sights and sounds of Mumbai on canvas was initiated by our Graphic Design student Nillu Rathod. Her exhibition ‘Your Local’ was exhibited at 4 different places, including in her own institute - Raffles Design International, Mumbai. The exhibition defines the culture and history of this wonderful city as well as re-discovers the city in a sustainable process.

Using both fine arts and graphic design, Nillu had illustrated the flamboyance and flair of Mumbai and Mumbaikars. Besides her peers, her exhibition also attracted renowned artists, tourists, students from other colleges and many local Mumbaikars too.

Nillu was happy with her success. She believes that art is one of the strongest platforms via which one can express their emotions. She plans to extend her project to include other Indian cities. In fact, she had already received invitations to render her creativity. Nillu expressed her gratitude towards her lecturers and friends for their immense support. We are confident that her efforts will propel her to greater achievements in her future career.




Never Stop Dreaming!

Singapore - The journey came a long way for Raffles Jewellery Designer, Raksha Reddy who emerged as the winner of Necklace Category for the MIJF Jewellery Design Awards 2014! Her peers, Stella Margaretha and Yang Mingyu were amongst the other finalists too.

Held in conjunction with Malaysia International Jewellery Fair 2014 (MIJF 2014), MIJF Jewellery Design Awards is Malaysia’s most prestigious jewellery design competition. It aims to elevate Malaysian jewellery industry towards an international standard and eventually, transform into the industry’s trendsetter. Ever since its second introduction, it has attracted more than 400 students’ submissions from all over the globe including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, China, India, Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, USA and more.


Raksha remarked, "It was very unexpected! I initially thought it was a prank by my friend till I witnessed the results online. It was really amazing as I felt a great sense of accomplishment. Although the win came after 3 years, it marks a great achievement for me. Through this competition, I have learned the expectations of styles, designs and quality in the current jewellery industry. "

With the competition theme "European Style", Raksha sourced her inspiration from the Victorian Era, the drapes of intricate gowns worn by women during those times. Her necklace design represents feminism in its purest form.


While the sapphires represent wisdom that a woman possessed, diamonds represent courage and everlasting beauty. "For my peers, keep trying till you succeed. Never ever give up because once you win a competition, it keeps you participating for more."



BE OPEN ‘Made In … India’ Competition 2014

Mumbai - This is another inspiring story which gives us an opportunity to boast about another of our student’s recent achievements.

Namrata Kotwani our Interior Design student has been awarded as the winner for BE OPEN’s ‘Made in … India’ Competition in the category of Home Accessories. Her immaculate piece of creativity had won her a cash prize of USD 1,500. Namrata intends to use the prize money to foster further development work in order to experiment with both practical and conceptual projects for her future entrepreneurial ventures.

Her winning project ‘Roots to Tips’ is dedicated to one of India's most prized possession and a unique icon of India – the peacock. Namrata believes that within simplicity, we can find sophistication. Hence her design was conceptualized along the same lines. It uses a simple form of tile puzzle with cut-outs of the peacock’s resplendent fantail. By combining the various puzzle tiles, one can easily form a feature wall or even visual background lighting displayed on the wall. The cuts and shape of her work is an outcome of immense hard work and perseverance. She experienced multiple failures but never gave up her vision. Namrata also thank her mentor, Ms. Manasee Kakkad, for the support and encouragement rendered through her journey.

More information about the Namrata’s winning entry and also about the competition can be found here.




Bustling Fashion Popup Store at Raffles Singapore Campus

Singapore - Raffles Singapore campus was enlivened and bustled with Fashion Popup Store set up by Raffles Fashion Marketers at Raffles Concierge on 29 and 30 May 2014!



An exclusive collection of curated fashion and lifestyle products were featured and it received an overwhelming response from the students, staff, creative practitioners and even the public. Dr Loretta Chen, Creative and Business Development Director of VMSD also graced the event and provided her valuable advices.


Dr. Loretta Chen remarked, "I am very impressed by the level of artistry as well as their passion, creativity and entrepreneurship skills. It is a good initiative by the school as students get a taste of what really happens in the real world, the world of business, fashion and art."

"Keep trying and don't be afraid to make mistakes. Go out there to network, to meet and to talk to people. To be able to think on the feet, conduct as much research as possible in the areas they are working on, and fully understand the market play a crucial role too in moulding entrepreneurs," she shared.


While embarking on their Fashion Marketing projects, 4 groups of Raffles Fashion Marketers who will be graduating this June, took the extra mile in coming up with unique themes for their stores. One team designed their own apparel using batik, a traditional culture of Indonesia; another provided customers the opportunity to mix and match their own perfume concoction; while another collaborated with a local designer, bringing in home-grown label of jewellery pieces; the last group allowed customers to exchange apparel that they no longer liked for something fresh. Other groups sourced their merchandise from Hong Kong during their buying trip in early May as part of their studies.



On the second day, the fashion popup stores were helmed by final year Fashion Marketers. Their concepts evolved inspirations from the current trends - apparels from Malaysia's local designers; fashion bloggers-inspired transparent clutches; classy-looking, exquisite dinnerware from the emerging cafes in Singapore; ethnically-inspired handmade, handcrafted bags that maintain the authenticity of the cultures from various countries.

What an enriching and fruitful 2-days event for Raffles Singapore Fashion Marketers!



Raffles Creative Workshops for Malaysian Students

Singapore and Johor Bahru - Raffles hosted Malaysian students with specifically designed workshops to allow them practical experience in the skills and techniques, and imprinted a strong impression of the courses Raffles Singapore has to offer.



On 24 May, 43 Johor Bahru students came for a series of Creative Workshops - Product Design, Jewellery Design, Visual Communication and Business Workshops. In these hands-on workshops, the students demonstrated exceptional creativity, especially the Product Design workshop, where the students customised and designed beautiful shapes for their hand-made lamps.



On 29 May, another group of Malaysian Arts students had a fruitful experience with their self-designed bracelets and rings in the Jewellery Design Workshop. They were also intrigued in the Visual Communication workshops when the works of Raffles Designers were showcased to them.



Indonesian Architectural and Cultural Heritage Trip

Jakata - Raffles Jakarta Interior Designers immersed in the Indonesian architectural and cultural heritage trip as part of their cultural studies in Taman Mini Indah Indonesia (TMII). The recreation area and park is a miniature reproduction of Indonesian life, representing the cultures, natures and heritages of Indonesian people. They saw the diversity in the traditional construction and interior available in their own homeland.

Great designers need to be familiar with their own local heritage and culture. This trip is helping our students to get to know the traditional way of house building, as well as traditional materials and joinery used. Visiting TMII was also a great occasion to open their minds in terms of design in general. Showing amazing variety in designs and architecture, this trip is giving the students a wider perspective on their heritage as well as on local craftsmanship.

This immersion in the vast heritage of Indonesia will surely be beneficial for the Raffles Interior Designers in search for inspiration for their upcoming projects.




A Peek into the Business World

Singapore - To better understand how business works in the corporate world, Raffles Entrepreneurs were brought to Kranji Farm and Rendezvous Hotel Singapore for practical field trips on 2 June and 26 May 2014 respectively.

The trip to Kranji Farm exposed students to understand the concept of environment sustainability as part of their understanding on the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility. The students learned about the different organic food and their ways of cultivation. The students enjoyed the field trip as they learned things beyond the scope of classroom and textbooks, and it served as an eye-opening experience in applying what they have learnt to the real world context.



Programme Coordinater of Business courses, Isaac Leung commented, "The field trip is enriching as it fulfills learning outcomes, breaks classroom cycle and enhances students’ scope about the real world."

Another field trip to Rendezvous Hotel Singapore provided Rooms Division Management students with insights into the hospitality industry and the workflow of the various departments within the hotel. Representatives from the hotel management team conducted an exclusive tour for our Raffles Entrepreneurs as they witnessed behind-the-scenes of the hotel operations. They were also given the opportunity to network with the various department heads and raise questions about the hotel, challenges faced and daily expectations of a job in the hospitality industry.



Business Creative Practitioner, Jan-Niklas Hoffmann shared, "The trip was essential as the students learned about the hotel operations and conversed with industry professionals about the nature of their work. With industrial attachment in the pipeline, this trip can further benefit students in their understanding towards hotel management. The professionals also shared a lot of useful advices that can enhance our students' future career development."

Such field trips serve to fortify the relationship between Raffles and corporate companies as Raffles continues to embark on further collaborations with its industry partners.



Raffles Interior Designers' and Creative Practitioners' Bonding Affair

Singapore - To break away from the typical classroom teaching environment, Raffles Interior Design Creative Practitioners organised a bonding event with their students at the East Coast Park on 9 May 2014.

Raffles Interior Designers together with Creative Practitioners had a fun-filled day packed with activities that instilled elements of fun, challenging and enriching. One of which is the amazing race that consisted of 7 stations. Students were split up into groups with each team comprising of a mixture of Advanced Diploma and Degree students to increase the intensity level. Students had to work as a team and at the same time, compete with the other teams in order to complete the challenges for each of the 7 stations.

Programme Director of Interior Design department, Louis Albert Dubé commented, "The students learned how to work not only as a team, but also with students from other groups. They also challenged themselves in being creative with the minimal instructions given."



The event ended off with a BBQ session where the food was prepared by Louis Albert Dubé and Rosah Lopes, Programme Director and Programme Coordinator of Interior Design Department respectively. Through this event, Raffles Interior Designers and their Creative Practitioners developed closer bonds.

A closer and united Raffles Family indeed!