I really wish i could be in Singapore for all of this that’s happening NOW.
Fashion Steps Out @ Orchard (FSO) 2012 is a 6-week event from 16th March till 29th April that’s gonna be jam-packed with fashion shows galore, MasterCard shopping rewards and activities that will involve both fashion insiders and public alike!
Also, for the FIRST TIME EVER, the whole of Orchard Road will be closed to vehicular traffic so that ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY (i just had to write it in caps) models will walk for a spectacular runway show, that is the opening event for Fashion Steps Out.
Imagine 170 models. Wearing the latest styles from international and local designers. Strutting down a road that’s converted into a runway. Even the buses that go along that route are to be diverted!
The event is open to public viewing and I think it’s awesome how such a grand event is accessible to everyone and anyone who loves fashion. If you don’t want to miss this fashionable momentous moment, make sure you block your calendar for this Saturday evening, 17th March!
To kick off Fashion Steps Out to a bright and blazing start, there are already larger-than-life 3D fashion and light installations being exhibited along Orchard Road! Called The Lighter Side of Fashion by Raffles Design Institute, students from said institute have converted their imagination into giant light installations that capture classic silhouettes in fashion history.
> When: now till 1st April
The Fashion Bazaar is something i’d love to go for… it promises to be a chic and trendy bazaar filled with high street brands and stylish food. Brands on website mention Topshop Print Shop, Ms Selfridge Candy Store (i want!), Diva Garden, What Women Want Styling Shop and many many more.
> When & Where: 23rd – 25th March @ Mandarin Gallery
> Tip: The first 300 shoppers to charge a min. of $50 to their MasterCard gets a free April copy of Harper’s BAZAAR
To preview Spring Summer collections from the likes of Ermenegildo Zegna, Maria Grachvogel, and Calvin Klein Jeans; you can check out Paragon for Spring 2012. There will be over 4 glamorous weekends of runway shows.
> When: 16th March – 6th April
> Tip: Visit www.paragon.com.sg for show details
At Orchard Central, A Colourful Affair will be taking place – featuring brands like Ashley Isham, Desigual and Levi’s®, as well as local designers Blackmarket No. 2, SABRINAGOH, The Reckless Shop and many more.
> When: 31st March – 22nd April
> Tip: There will be 2 shows per weekend at 3pm and 7pm
Of course… with a lot of fashion shows, there’s going to be a lot of SHOPPING. It’ll be like going to an amazing restaurant and not eating if you don’t! Because MasterCard is the official card for Fashion Steps Out, there will be deals and privileges for its cardholders.
The MasterCard Spend & Redeem lets you redeem a $30 shopping voucher every time you spend $300 with your MasterCard. To know its participating outlets and details, click *here*.
Even if you spend at least $50 with your MasterCard, you still get a chance to enter the FSO Lucky Draw where the prize is… a brand new Citroën DS4 worth $90,000.
> When: 16th March – 29th April
There’s a lot more stuff i haven’t included above… like how you can style yourself at Fashion Gets Real and have a panel of fashion experts decide whether you get to keep the outfit; or how you can win $3,000 worth in prizes for What’s Your Fashion Alter Ego? There’s even the Imagining Fashion contest run by Canon IXUS whereby if you’re one of the winners, your photos get blown up and displayed outside Mandarin Gallery.
For a WHOLE lot more info, visit the Fashion Steps Out 2012 website *HERE*
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An event that i’m familiar with with and hope to attend again is the Asia Fashion Exchange that’s happening from 14th – 20th May 2012. Trust me… i was so keen on this that i googled the dates for it a few months ago when they weren’t even released yet!
The whole point of AFX is to position Singapore as Asia’s leading fashion hub, and consists of four key pillar events:
1. Blueprint: a trade show that positions itself as the fashion trade gateway to Asia which creates business opportunities between international buyers and promising design players. I blogged about attending Blueprint in 2010.
2. Asia Fashion Summit: a premier business conference that generates thought leadership content and insights on fashion topics for industry professionals.
3. Audi Fashion Festival Singapore (16th – 20th May): a showcase of world-class collections by top and emerging designers and labels, both international and Asian, and like, one of my favourite events. Ever. I’ve attended and blogged about a few shows (click on link to read):
House of Holland show & style shots of ppl i met
Alldressedup FW10 (i’m so sad they closed their store in Gardens, KL)
Tiff & Co, Herve Leger and Marchesa shows
Last year Audi Fashion Festival streamed live shows to over 500,000 viewers in 91 countries. It subsequently won the Singapore Experience Award for Best Lifestyle Event by the Singapore Tourism Board. This year the festival will offer new innovations i.e. MasterCard will be launching a digital platform that will connect with millions of fashion consumers from all across the region to interact with and support leading designers in contemporary fashion directly.
And last but not least, my FAVOURITE shows to watch are under the fourth pillar of Asia Fashion Exchange:
4. Star Creation, a regional fashion design competition to spot budding talent.
Malaysian Daniel Ngoo was one of the three winners at last year’s Star Creation. Honestly, i was blown away by so many of the young designers’ work and wanted to BUY so many of their pieces!!
For this year’s Star Creation, the finalists were just announced last week! The 12 selected finalists include two from Malaysia. Yay! Represent!
All 12 finalists will be facing off on the runway on 14th May @ The Tent at Orchard to be among the three selected winners who will each receive $10,000 cash, a coveted one-year work attachment with FJ Benjamin and the chance to launch their own capsule collection at Audi Fashion Festival 2013 and Blueprint 2013. (Which reminds me, i hope i can buy 2011’s Star Creation winners’ pieces at this year’s Blueprint!)
You can LIKE Audi Star Creation’s Facebook page to keep updated with the young designers their progress!
For more info on Asia Fashion Exchange, visit www.asiafashionexchange.com.sg
