With warm hues of orange, yellow and purple and the staple colours of black and white, local fashion label Raoul launched its Fall/Winter 08 collection at the Tent@Orchard on Apr 2 during the Singapore Fashion Festival.

Who Says Local Fashion Can’t Go Far?

Arguably the fastest-expanding fashion brand in the region, Raoul has grown by leaps and bounds since it was started by FJ Benjamin (Singapore) CEO Douglas Benjamin in 2002, when he began to design “men’s shirts that were of good quality, that would last and wouldn’t cost a fortune”, he said in a straitstimes.com video interview.

Now run by him and his wife, Odile, the label has just opened its 8th and biggest store in Singapore at Raffles City Shopping Centre , on top of 39 other stores in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and even Bahrain and Dubai.

Benjamin, who is also the brand’s Creative Director, has also announced plans to expand to New York but has yet to disclose a date by which Raoul will set up shop there.

Raoul attributes its success to its simple strategy of reaching out to discerning and prudent fashionista by delivering “understandable fashion at a good price and reasonable value for money”, says the brand’s founder in the same interview.

This success is also helped by the care the designer husband-and-wife team give to all new products by wearing the apparel themselves to ensure that “they function and are comfortable”.

Raoul On The Runway

As with all previous collections, Raoul once again showcased its range of ready-to-wear fashion and versatile designs.

Coming in with mostly loose-fits for both tops and bottoms, the Fall/Winter 08 collection featured warm tones the colours of autumn, like yellow, orange and purple in its casual and chic pieces with pleats for the ladies and snazzy prints for the men.

UrbanWire loved the way in which more sophisticated fabrics like satin and velvet were used with simple cuts and little detail for both the men’s and women’s lines. The result was a classy yet chic look that was a breath of fresh air from the conventional, boring cotton pieces with geometric prints.

Though the satin got a little too puffy and shapeless for certain ladies’ designs, it clung to the lithe figures of the models most of the time, accentuating the curves and adding a delightful sheen to the collection.

The men’s collection, which features some snazzy lapels on velvet blazers and airy satin shirts, also does well for the average Singaporean man, encouraging him to wear clothes in slightly more adventurous colours and materials than the usual black, white, blue and grey cotton, without being so overly-flamboyant that he’s tempted to rebel and retreat to his old T-shirts and jeans.

The more formal ensembles were mostly in classic black and white with sleek patterns and clean designs. While they weren’t all starchy and stiff, the new collection was a lot more muted and safe than previous seasons. Given the high-waisted bottoms for the ladies and rather tacky patent leather heels, UrbanWire was left wondering if many Singaporean women would be able to carry of that particular look with pizzazz.

Raoul’s leather products didn’t really impress in the men’s collection either. The shoes were common, and the belts looked really out of place with queer buckles like a golden ‘R’, which few people would identify with Raoul.

Over-Raoul

Overall, UrbanWire was pretty impressed with the casual pieces of Raoul’s Fall/Winter 08 collection but was rather disappointed with the formal pieces.

There’s no doubt Raoul has a good thing going in its penetration of the global market. With a stronger and more unique branding, Raoul can definitely go far internationally and be one of the strongest representatives of Singaporean fashion.