British supermodel Naomi Campbell graced her first South East Asian show at #DigitalFashionWeek (DFW) Singapore 2013 on its opening night on Nov 1.

Hailed as “the world’s first shoppable live-streaming fashion week”, DFW is a joint partnership between DFW Creative with YouTube, Google+ and Twitter to bring the latest fashion to consumers in real time via various social media platforms.

1 key difference that distinguishes DFW from other fashion shows is the ability for viewers to make purchases instantly off the live runway via links posted on DFW’s updates on its official social media outlets.

Viewers worldwide can catch live fashion week action online, including backstage access and full runway shows held at the National Design Centre, as well as interact with the DFW team via all major social networking platforms instantly.

Campbell appeared thanks to support from the British Council and British High Commission Singapore, while local celebrities such as George Young and former MediaCorp actress-host Sharon Au also mingled with celebrity models Devyn Abdullah from the American reality television modelling competition series, The Face, as well as Jessica Amornkuldilok, the inaugural winner of Asia’s Next Top Model.

Together with media representatives from all over the world, notably British Vogue, the who’s who of Singapore’s fashion industry, awaited with bated breath for the start of the opening show and their first glimpse of Campbell and her legendary walk.

All hell broke loose when the doors opened for the Zen Chi show around 9pm. Celebs, media and invited guests alike surged forward to secure one of the few coveted seats in this much-hyped event.

Voices hushed as the lights dimmed, signalling the commencement of the program, but as soon as Campbell took to the runway to open the show in a black ruched number, the audience burst into uncontrollable frenzy.

Editors, celebrities, together with the audience, raised their cell phones in unison to snap pictures of the famed fashion icon, no doubt to commemorate an “I was there” moment in digital format.

Famous for his “no 2 dresses are exactly the same” customization, Zen Chi’s Spring Summer Collection 2014 was a creatively juxtaposed line; luxurious yet understated, the presentation comprised of mainly ruched, feminine frocks in dulled colours. The drapery technique used to make Zen Chi’s unique masterpieces was exquisite. Delicately elegant and yet edgy at the same time, it was reminiscent of Alber Elbaz’s work at Lanvin.

Abdullah reflected UrbanWire’s sentiments when she, after the show, told us, “It felt more like a fall-winter collection than a spring-summer one with the sombre color palette,” she added, “There were pops of colour among the collection that stood out to me though.”

All eyes continued to be glued to the runway as we anxiously anticipated Campbell’s next appearance, which only happened at the end of the show.

Increased spotlight intensity, coupled with camera flashes that went off continuously, nearly blinded the audience, who were also dazzled by Campbell closing the show in a yellow cocktail dress that complemented her Amazonian Victoria’s Secret-worthy figure.

The second and last show of the night featured the minimalistic aesthetics of Frederic Sai.

An ethereal all-white ensemble opened Sai’s show and from then on, we were treated to an onslaught of clean-cut structured pieces, with the designer complementing whites and blacks with shades of yellow and green in the details or graphics.

Geometrical shapes ruled, together with strikingly vibrant floral prints, both of which were strongly expressed in both menswear and womenswear. Sai’s meticulous choice of quality fabrics were also apparent in the way they showcased the texture, colour and movement of the clothing.

The designer also made sure both quality and meaning were present in his line, featuring patched works in rectangular boxes that ran through the collection. The artworks in these boxes were based on the story of Sai himself stepping out of his comfort zone to pursue a career in fashion.

Throughout the show, male models also donned shoes from the exclusive Frederic Sai x Pedro for DFW collection as they strutted down the runway.

Despite being seemingly abstract, Sai managed to successfully achieve his aim, to establish the label as a storytelling menswear line, with a collection that’s both wearable and accessible.

Photos courtesy of DFW Creative PR