Strength In Numbers

A new generation of talent is championing community and creative freedom over commercial conventions. Jeffrey Yan talks to the home-grown fashion collectives making waves.

- Jeffrey Yan

From Yves Saint Laurent launching ready-to-wear in the golden age of haute couture to Marc Jacobs showing a grunge collection when sleek, glossy luxury ruled the day, fashion history has always been made by the young and the hopeful who are unafraid to march to their own beat. They are the ones who felt an itchy change in the air and reacted decisively to help shape the zeitgeist. Now, a world away from the fashion capitals of Paris, Milan, London, and New York, a new wave of Singaporean designers are showing a similar fearlessness. Youths In Balaclava exploded onto the scene with its anarchic streetwear when so much around them was safe and sanitised. Why Not? was birthed as a response to the repressiveness they felt from the establishment. Though at different career stages, what both collectives share are a commitment to finding their tribe and doing things their way.

WHY NOT?

Frustrated by the rigidity they saw in the fashion school system here, designer Manfred Lu teamed up with Creative Director Izwan Abdullah last year to put on their own showcase. They enlisted like-minded design students to join them, as well as editor-curator-PR practitioner Racy Lim. The result was part guerilla fashion show, part performance art, and a pure manifestation of youthful energy—with each designer conceptualising every last detail of his or her segment. In a year, the collective has grown from nine to over 20 members, encompassing not just designers but also creatives with backgrounds in writing, fine arts, theatre, and graphic design.

How did the collective come about?