Ong Shunmugam

Singapore designer Priscilla Shumugam, showcased at the Future Fashion Now X PARCO Japan show, is already widely reputed for her label being an exquisite melting pot of traditional Asian prints from the Indonesian batik, Indian Sari, and Chinese silk.

Orbiting out from her habitual Cheong Sams and Saris from the Spring/Summer line, Ong Shunmugam‘s Autumn/Winter 2013 collection boldly took a brave step towards something more experimental in nature. Reinventing customary costumes like the Japanese Kimono paired with European silhouettes, the collection, ‘Whenever I Fall at Your Feet’, was a refreshing spin on the East-meets-West sartorial affair.

Drawing inspiration from historic buildings in the Singapore landscape like the Central Fire Station, many of the edgy silhouettes emphasized strong lines, with features like squared shoulders, delicate ruffling and the ubiquitous peplum being a unifying factor.

The pieces were bold in colour too, with electric cobalt blues and shocking pinks injecting modernity into the traditional and usually duller batik and songbook brocade prints, instantly transforming each ensemble into contemporary, ready-to-wear outfits for the modern day woman.

Catch a close-up of Shunmugam’s exquisite collection at the National Musuem of Singapore from 11–18 July.

 

Jun Okamoto

Emulating the simplicity and purity of the Japanese spirit, Japanese designer Jun Okamoto sent out a train of buoyant models donning nothing but tranquil, effortless walks down the Future Fashion Now X PARCO Japan runway.

Whimsically titled “A Sweet Breakfast For Her Who Dislikes Coffee”, the show, resonating with the quirky theme of the collection, featured digitally-printed skies dotted with stars, coffee beans motifs, and occasional drapes that cascaded down on billowy dresses and feather-light blouses.

An extremely wearable Autumn/Winter collection, the pieces themselves spoke of an insouciant casualness and, more importantly, a level of accessibility for the brand’s wide unisex market.

Undeniably a show of delicate poetics, Okamoto set the stage right, framing his European-influenced cuts with his notable clean Japanese aesthetic, gently transporting us to a pleasant degree of calmness– something akin to catching a rainbow at the end of the storm.