Between The Seams

What does it take to become a fashion designer in Singapore? We sit down with fashion lecturer dinu bodiciu and fashion design graduate samuel xun to peel back the layers surrounding the issues of creativity versus commercialism, fashion school versus the real world, as well as all the pressures and expectations confronting a contemporary designer

- Andrea Sim

London seems to be the breeding ground for fashion’s next generation. The former is turning out meteoric global talents such as Craig Green, Grace Wales Bonner and Kiko Kostadinov who have in a short span of time, either launched far-reaching labels or headed up or collaborated with the industry’s biggest players. Closer to home and in China, there is also a burgeoning pool of exciting designers;

Angel Chen, Chen Peng and Shushu/Tong are but a few names who are finding success on a global scale, as well as within the country’s self-sustaining market. In our September issue, Peng shed light on the platforms and infrastructure — a fashion week with commercial continuity — in China that allows fashion design to be a viable creative pursuit and business. Now, we look homeward at our own landscape and ask: What does it take to be a fashion designer in Singapore today?

A CONVERSATION WITH…

Dinu Bodiciu