It has long been the international fashion impression that Asia was not a design destination unto itself, but rather a garment manufacturing source. Thus, Asians with design talent and the desire to start their own lines had to go to Europe or America to establish their names. Lately, however, certain Asian designers, particularly Singaporeans, have started to rebel against the stereotype, sowing the seeds of expansion in their own region.
"We have a small market, and even if there was a following, you are still small and you will still have to look outside this home market," says Wykidd Song, one half of the design duo Song+Kelly 21, who in 2000 sold a majority stake to Christina Ong's Club 21. "But what we should cultivate is pride and respect for designers."
Song established his company in 1994 with a British partner, graphic designer Ann Kelly, and became the "flag-carrying international label" of Singapore, selling to Barney's, Whistles, Harrods and Selfridges. However, Song+Kelly's success was short-lived, not due to a shortage of orders, but from lack of proper financing. The new partnership has brought in not only fresh funds but a new strategy.
"We have two boutiques in Singapore, and it is a way of building a strong base of suppliers, manufacturers and establishing on-time delivery before we go out again," says Song, who sells through Club 21's London showrooms and has had inquiries from Hong Kong and mainland China, but is concentrating on opening shops within department stores in Bangkok and Seoul.
Jonathan Seow, designer of Woods & Woods, says that Singapore's nascent designers may face difficulty in "less mature", though geographically closer, markets such as China and Hong Kong, where fashion is driven by brands, while on the other hand, they may experience difficulties in Europe, since living in Asia doesn't provide an understanding of autumn and winter.
Seow, who shows in Paris, is one of Singapore's forward-thinking young designers who export mainly to Australia and Japan, as well as the UK, Sweden, Italy and Greece. Monica Low, who stocks the line at Inhabit in Singapore, says: "His tailoring is exquisite but much more appreciated abroad."
Generally, though, designers who make a base for themselves in Asia are not as highly regarded as their western counterparts. In an attempt to gain greater exposure for Asian designers, Singaporean show producer Daniel Boey put together his version of Zhandra Rhodes' project "My Favourite Dress" by mounting a fashion show at the trendy club Zouk, using clothes from local designers, London designers Lezley George, Julien Macdonald and Elvis Jesus, and retailers such as Kenzo, Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, Moschino and Blumarine.
"I asked everyone to give me their favourite outfit and none of the London designers gave me iconic stuff and none of the shops did, either. I didn't label each outfit, but just acknowledged everyone in a general list. No one could tell which were done by international designers. People were coming up to me asking for the clothes by the local guys, and it was amazing because when they saw pictures, they couldn't tell who did what," Boey says.
All Singaporean designers agree that selling in the west merely signals a "seal of approval", but does not necessarily translate into dollars. Selling to western department stores has more to do with marketing and image-building than anything else.
Thus, while Resham Melwani's line of jewelled T-shirts is seen on celebrities such as Eve, Scary Spice, Tamara Beckwith and Dannii Minogue, as well as sold at Coco Ribbon in South Kensington, the bulk of her sales are in Singapore, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Mumbai and New Delhi. Melwani claims to sell in London simply because she was educated at Central Saint Martin's and because "Europe is an international place to showcase one's designs". However, Asia is where she concentrates her efforts because "Asia is a jeans culture", the perfect marketplace for her tops and embellished pouches.
"You will be able to command a certain price [at home], and then be carried by Barney's or Selfridges saying, 'You might be small but you have potential,' but their orders will still be small," says Song of pre-Club 21 days. This is why designers at concept store Blueprint, such as Adrian Huang of
Mizu, Nic Wong of Nic and Desmond Yang of Abyzz, concentrate on sales to Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia.
"Singapore is a hub in Asia and we get a lot of exposure here. They look up to us in Jakarta," says Yang, who is famous for his figure-hugging knits using zipper details. "In Australia, they are open to new styles, names and things that are unique without questioning price," says Huang. As jewellery designer Amelyn Ong says: "Australians would never question a plastic necklace for S$100 (US$60). Here they would balk."
Boey says another reason for staying local is funding. "It's cheaper to show in Australia and in Asian fashion weeks. Many designers do not have the necessary financial support to show in Europe, but I am hoping this will change."
Song summarises the conflicting attitude of many Singaporean returning residents: "It's a frustrating position to be in. Singapore is very young in arts, culture and design. [People] come home and get disillusioned and they think, 'This place is not good enough for me. It's a village. I want to go back to Europe where everything is fantastic.' But for me, I'm here. If there's a gap, then I'll try to fill it. We have no natural resources, no viable industry. We only have people and people are about talent, so if you don't sell that, there's nothing to sell. In that sense it is an exciting place to be. There are not many labels that take a product from the east and brand it in the west. That's what we want to do as well."
