Strutting its way down the runways of fashion shows and spotted headlining notable fashion brands like Balenciaga and Richard Quinn, the catsuit is back – bigger and bolder than ever! Form-fitting and instantly stylish, catsuits are the perfect choice for anyone who wants to make a dramatic entrance. 

The catsuit is one of the boldest trends to emerge this year. Once trending back in the 80s, catsuits have recently appeared on various celebrities such as Dua Lipa and Lizzo. Catsuits now come in a variety of designs – from floral ones to bright bold colours – there are even catsuits that come with built-in heels for maximum elegance.  

When it comes to fashion styling, catsuits are perfect for any aesthetic and style.  Striking a balance between strength and femininity, the body-hugging silhouette evokes a sense of power and sensuality without being overly revealing. Think ultra-trendy with great panache. 

How brands manage to hop on to the catsuit trend is through market research. Aside from just trend forecasting, brands must also ensure that they incorporate the latest trends into their visual identity, blending seamlessly across digital experiences and in-store merchandise. 

Trend Research Excursion 

Just like how brands keep up with the trends, at 51±ŹÁÏ School of Fashion and Design (SFD), our fashion students are also kept up-to-date with the latest in the fashion industry. This time, our SFD Associate Lecturer, Ms Sarala VK conducted an out-of-classroom activity learning session with the fashion students from the International Foundation Diploma (IFD) in Fashion Design and Marketing cohort.  

Fashion and The City 

The students had the opportunity to get a glimpse of a few sets in Mediacorp as well as take a trip down to Orchard. At Mediacorp, one of the sets the students visited was Vasantham’s  “Yaar En Stylist” fashion competition. Our fashion students were able to observe the contestants’ design process, as well as how they created their final prototype for the competition. 

After exploring Mediacorp, the students headed over to Orchard Road to see how brands handle their retail aspects as well as brand development. Over at Design Orchard, they learned about concession retailing and how brands weave together their brand stories, packaging, layout, and visual display. Aside from Design Orchard, Ms Sarala VK brought the fashion students along Orchard Road to apply the fashion theory that they have learned in class to real life. The students went around various iconic stores such as Gentle Monster and Christian Louboutin to learn about the several types of brick-and-mortar stores such as mono brand, franchisee and more. 

Out-of-classroom activities such as excursions help to create a holistic learning experience that equips students with better knowledge, observation skills and awareness of the fashion community.  

School of Fashion and Design 

Looking to kick-start a fashion business or simply just eager to break out in the fashion industry? Look no further! Here at 51±ŹÁÏ School of Fashion and Design (SFD), we offer design courses from diploma to degree. We welcome both local and international students and are open to accepting a variety of students – from students seeking full-time fashion programmes as well as mature students looking for part-time design courses. SFD equips students with the necessary skill set and experience to get them started on their passion for fashion. Browse our full list of fashion courses here.  

Written by Natasha Sharudin

Edited by Betache Precious Mae

References:  

Our School of Fashion and Design (SFD) students are back with another collaboration – this time, 51±ŹÁÏ has recently partnered with the local brand . had recently launched their brand-new genderless collection – consisting of printed fabrications. Inspired by the collection, the brand challenged the students to create their own printed fabrics and apply it in their own collection according to their chosen theme.   

With that, our hardworking SFD students were tasked to create their very own special capsule collections that encapsulate the customer profile and direction of . Students had their A-game on, pushing through several rounds of vigorous consultation and exchange of ideas. A big hurdle that students had to face was during production, where they had to ensure that their creation fits all, regardless of gender or size.  

Students put their best foot forward, presenting their best work which included choosing their ideas to produce their final illustrated collections and many more. They were given opportunities to get creative with their designs, such as transformative construction, fabric manipulation and creating silhouettes that appealed to everyone.  

At the end, students showcased their completed final garment to Mr Terry Yeo for his judgement on presentation. The collections were presented both online and offline.  

The Brand 

Founded by Mr Terry Yeo in 2009, represented the sanity of one’s dreams and in making it possible. Having been in the fashion industry for more than 20 years, Mr Yeo wanted to create a new fashion statement that experiments with the unconventional. reflects the exploration of his imaginative mind that enjoys being challenged in unimaginable ways.  

“We like to explore far out of the box ideas and bring them to life. We make the impossible dream clothes possible to wear.” — Mr Terry Yeo 

likes to take on unique projects that are not mainstream to many. For instance, the studio participated in projects like the “Melissa AW15 Launch” where the studio made dresses on paper for their show and “Samsung Fashion Stepout 2013” in which they showcased 27 ways to cut a tee.  

is an esteemed member and fashion ambassador of the ASEAN Fashion Designer Showcase representing Singapore.  

The Designer 

Known for experimenting with various materials from leather, plastic, crochet and paper, Mr Terry Yeo is the Willy Wonka of the Singapore fashion industry. Born on 19 September 1979, Terry established his name in the industry with his wickedly original ideas and designs.  

He had the chance to work with big names in the industry like Metro, Giordano, Beverly Hill Polo Club and Hush Puppies. Aside from fashion, he has also been actively involved in design projects with Motorola, SingTel, Paragon and The New Paper. Terry also has an eye for competitions, winning several prestigious accolades, including being the 1st Runner Up in the Young Singapore Fashion Designers Contest, a national competition.  

Written by Indraputra Hasssan

Edited by Betache Precious Mae

SHEIN X Designer 

SHEIN is a popular international online fast-fashion retailer that ships to more than 200 countries worldwide. The brand has been well-loved among Generation Z and young millennials as the brand often goes viral on social media. During her final semester, Ms Felicis sparked off her fashion journey by participating in the SHEIN X Designer Incubator programme. This collaboration enables aspiring designers the opportunity to witness their ideas come to life. 

Behind The Scenes 

Ms Felicis first developed her Spring/Summer 2022 â€œTranquility Summer Stripes (Soul Space)” collection based on inspiration from multiple perspectives – the imaginative scenery of grazing along the beach horizon and clear blue sky, sitting at the wooden striped bench and enjoying a pink punch of refreshing drink. Her 8-piece collection also pays homage to her signature style of surrealism and unbridled self-expression, with a focus on couture, drape and avant garde wear. 

SS 2022 SHEIN X Felicis Mood board 

SS 2022 SHEIN X Felicis: Keyhole Neck Colorblock Tee (photo credit: SHEIN) 

Throughout the collaboration, Ms Felicis was able to experience the various challenges of being a fashion designer. She faced multiple hurdles from the restriction of fabric choices and sample amendments, to illustrating the pattern construction demo using paper cutouts via video for the sample maker to produce. Partnering with a globalised brand also brought in another challenge of bridging a language barrier as SHEIN’s production team is in China. Despite all of the challenges, Ms Felicis’ confidence as a designer was not dampened as she knew that she was up for the task, having learnt the fundamentals in fashion during her course at the 51±ŹÁÏ School of Fashion and Design.  

Interested in honing your skills in fashion with a school that has strong industry network with global and local brands? Check out our list of courses here (link: /school-of-fashion-and-design). 

Written by Julian Cheong

Edited by Betache Precious Mae

Figure 2.1: Autumn/Winter 1983 “Wrapped”

Kawakubo’s resistance to definition extends even to the component parts of each garment. In the ‘Wrapped Collection’ garments were wrapped and draped, with ‘flaps and appendages that could be tied
in a variety of ways so that each garment permitted a multiplicity of wearings’ (Shimizu, 1995). It can be seen in the garment in the above (Figure 2.1) that the dress could be tightened or loosen through a few knots with the option of adjusting the neckline open to the wearer. The garment which seems like it was largely made with as few seams as possible and with no traditional closure (buttons, zips or hook & eyes) allows the wearer to use creative means to adjust the end look of the product.

Figure 2.3: Comme des Garçons S/S 1998

The later ‘Elastic Collection’ (Shimizu, 2005) contained a number of elasticated holes. It was up to the wearer to decide which hole to use for which limb, and where to position the spare holes, which would reveal another layer beneath. Figure 2.3 shows a simple interpretation of said concept which consists of a rectangular piece of elastic fabric with 2 holes stitched onto the centre back seam of a basic dress. These 2 holes are left to the user and how she decides to use said garment. Kawakubo has successfully negotiated with the basic principles of design while adequately involving her own methodology. Avoiding the need to follow a 1-to-1 interpretation, she has seems to have created a new form of work but in reality is working around the basic principles of design.

3. Carol Christian Poell

Born in 1966 in Linz, Austria, Carol Christian Poell first enrolled in a school for commerce before completing several courses on fashion in Austria and completing a Masters from Domus Academy in Milan. Not much is known about Poell, no official photographs taken, but he has held his secretive persona up to this day. He started his company in 1995 and has, up to date, produced collections up till 2010 before he stopped taking part in the fashion calendar. The 2010 collection has been reproduced for less than 10 shops around the world. A unique phenomenon on the expansive terrain of international fashion, he is often asked if he feels like an artist or designer to which the answer is always “researcher” or “industrial designer” (Cosgrave, 2006). For Poell, fashion education was strict, where he majored in men’s tailoring to learn the nuances of making to measure with precision. However, it was only after graduation when he was set free, where he found greatest passion in his work, “I have every day to feel like I’m working on a scientific experiment” he proclaims.

Comme des Garçons S/S 2017

Taking industrial design as a basis for research, Roozenburg and Eekels laid out a set of instructions (or phases) called the basic design cycle. It starts from analysis to a final definite design. Since both industrial and fashion design embody a similar working process in educational systems, we will take the assumption that the phases laid out for industrial design as the intended model will work hand-in-hand with fashion design.

1. Basic Cycle of Design

Figure 1: The Basic Cycle of Design

Roozenburg and Eekels proclaimed that the basic design cycle is the most fundamental model of designing, because this cycle as suggested in the Figure 1 (Roozenburg & Eekkels, 1995) above can be found in all fields of creation and is applicable to all design problems whatever the nature.

1.1 Analysis

The chart is broken down into 5 phases with analysis being the first. It states the purpose for a piece of design begins with understanding the very function of the product. The function can be technical, psychological or even economical. The product can also be designed either for pure technical value, similar to products from The North Face, or for conceptual/psychological responses like Rei Kawakubo’s Comme des Garçons. What is important, however, is that the choice must be firmed up early. Otherwise the designer will not have a clear direction of what has to be designed. This will cause delays to the timeline.

1.2 Synthesis

The next phase is the generation of a tentative design proposal. The word, synthesis, by itself, means a combination of independent and abstract ideas. As a whole, synthesis is the least tangible of all other phases. It cannot be compartmentalised into a particular area in the cycle and happens throughout but it is in essence, the moment of externalization of an idea in a form, be it verbal, sketching or modelling. However clear the synthesis is and how it may or may not invoke creativity in other phases will be discussed later.

1.3 Simulation

This is a deductive phase, the forming of an image with the intended properties of the designed product via modelling or toiles (a test version of a garment made in a cheap material). A variety of research and production methods are available to a designer in theory. Trend research (forecast reports from various sources depicting what will or will not be in trend a year from current time) is another aspect that can be input into this phase.

1.4 Evaluation

The evaluation of the quality of the product happens in this phase. To do so, the expected properties are compared with the desired ones set in the early analysis phase. As there will always be a difference between the two due to material and fit limitations, it has to be judged and balanced by the designer on whether the differences are acceptable. If the product is functioning to an adequate emotional response or technical property, then the evaluation phase is successful.

1.5 Decision

Finally the cycle is complete with the decision phase – is the design successful or should improvements continue further. If it is deemed unsuccessful, the cycle repeats itself to generate a better design proposal. Usually the first provisional design will not be exactly what was envisioned earlier but with the phases repeating, an acceptable result can be achieved.

Stay tuned next month for the continuation of this.

An endless array of re-hashing and re-appropriating of what fashion was into what fashion is now until the next season when it becomes passé. Beyond what we see on the runway, the essence is in the intricate processes from ideation to production. It is in the ideation that designers find the greatest evolution in vision.

The creative process is unique and intertwined in linguistics. Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein invoked the idea of ‘linguistic determinism’, affirming that language limits and determines our perception of objects.

Taking what the theory of linguistic determinism suggests, that ‘the presence of linguistic categories creates cognitive categories’, it is difficult to picture garments that do not take shape or attributes of a pre-existing definition or assumptions.In simpler terms, people have a harder time recognising colours and shapes that do not have specific names. Take for example many of ReiKawakubo’s designs for Commes des Garcons.

Categories and terms for every day garments such as ‘dress’, ‘shirt’ or ‘jacket’ amongst many, invoke preconceived ideas and assumptions about its form and function. Most fashion designers are trained in fashion schools. Fashion schools are taught using similar methodology by which terms and categories are used as a basis to simulate the creative process. Such defined terms are also required as a standard for grading. Therefore, linguistics, in terms and categories, have an imposing factor in the creative process.

The most common way to induce creativity in the world of fashion art and design is systematic. In the next article, we will talk about industrial design and how it relates to the fashion design process. Stay tuned!