If you’d been at the runway show for Blueprint 2008 at the Singapore Fashion Festival, no one would frown at

you if you were to exclaim, “That dress the model is wearing looks like a lampshade!”

That model is probably wearing a lampshade.

Blueprint for Success

Welcome to the unique concept of Blueprint 2008, the first showcase of collaborative works done by budding product and fashion designers in Singapore, organised by the DesignSingapore Council .

Blueprint 2008 aims to blur the lines between the 2 disciplines of product design and fashion design. 5 groups of designers were formed, with each group comprising designers from one local fashion label and one local product label.

The works of Blueprint 2008 are now being showcased at VivoCity. However, UrbanWire was first there at the Blueprint Lounge and Runway Show on Apr 2.

Design Dream Teams

Group 1:
Fashion Designer: Ben Wu from Tian
Product Designer: Jason Ong from JIENSHU

Group 2:
Fashion Designer: Nic Wong from Nicholas
Product Designer: Jarrod Lim

Group 3:
Fashion Designers: Jay Quek and Madeline Wong from Posse
Product Designers: Wendy Chua and Gabriel Tan, Outofstock

Group 4:
Fashion Designer: Chia Wei Choong from Antebellum
Product Designer: P.C.Ee from EXIT Design

Group 5:
Fashion Designer: Desmond Yang from Abyzz
Product Designers: Brian Law and Tan Sixiu from CRISPdesign

The sharing of ideas and inspiration between the 2 sides was an astounding success, with many multi-dimensional designs emerging on the drawing boards of the product designers after being inspired by the creations of the fashion designers. Likewise, the fashion designers also built upon the finesse and ideas of the product designers to create new pieces for their fashion showcases.

Blueprint Lounge: Fashion in a Showroom

From Mar 26 – Apr 6, the product designers of Blueprint 2008 showcased their works in the Blueprint Lounge at the Tent@Orchard. In the Blueprint Lounge, many unique designs, like the Bride Chair by product designer Jason Ong from JIENSHU were displayed. The product designers were on hand to explain the concepts behind their creations.

For the Bride Chair for example, the designer was inspired by the flowing train of a bride’s dress from the collection of his partner, Ben Wu from Tian, creating flowing, long hind legs for the chair to resemble it, while exploring the discomfort and anxiety that a new bride would experience.

Other designers, like Brian Law and Tan Sixiu from CRISPdesign, created their furniture based on the concept of using plane materials and creating 3-dimensional products from them.

Their furniture collection, In Conversation, was designed based on this concept and the idea that objects and their users are fundamentally linked through the utilities, standards and patterns of the objects. As the title of their collection suggests, the furniture pieces were designed from human poses and posture, for people to sit on and have a pleasant chat.

Blueprint Runway Show: Products on a Catwalk

During the Blueprint 2008 Runway Show on Apr 2, the fruits of this unique collaboration paraded down the catwalk and the results were really one-of-a-kind.

Fashion designer Desmond Yang from Abyzz showcased Metamorphosis, his collection inspired by the various stages of a butterfly’s growth. The wearers are given the freedom to change their garments according to their wishes, giving them full control of the way they wear it.

One of the highlights of this collection was a dress that can be worn in more than 50 different ways. What a boon to travellers who need to pack light.

Jay Quek and Madeleine Wong of Posse Studios presented Space Oddities, a collection influenced by fictional glam rock icon Ziggy Stardust. Space Oddities added a touch of colour to the otherwise monochromatic runway show with vibrant hues, geometric and futuristic prints. Sportswear was reinvented and reinterpreted with clothing like bomber jackets and ponchos made in dainty fabrics like silk chiffons and with geometric patterning.

Overall, the designer who embodied the essence of the blurring of design disciplines was Ben Wu of Tian. His futuristic designs looked like works of architecture, which were influenced by his formal training as an interior designer.

The runway show ended with a lamp designed by both Ben Wu and Jason Ong that was relieved of its lampshade that was then draped around a model clad in a bridal dress, forming a cloak of sorts and symbolising the essence of the concept behind Blueprint 2008.

As the model sashayed back down the runway in her complete bridal gown to the approving applause of the audience, it was apparent that Blueprint 2008 was a rousing success and a marriage of design disciplines that was made in heaven.

Missed the Singapore Fashion Festival? Catch Blueprint 2008 at Samsung’s flagship store at VivoCity from Apr 10 to 28.