Fashion professionals urge collaboration with fashion industry

SINGAPORE - industry practitioners are advocating for a more integrated fashion community on top of the government's initiatives to profile Singaporean designers. They hope to encourage more Singaporeans to take up the trade, as the number of fashion design graduates declines. The number of graduates across local fashion diploma and degree programs dropped from 2021 to 2022, according to the Singapore Fashion Council.

The number of graduates in the textile and fashion industry training centre has dropped by a fifth. Gin Lee, Singapore's designer, said that obstacles remain, especially when it comes to making things locally. Singapore is a small country. We don't have a lot of choices, he said. Where do I go to when I want to produce? I want to buy fabric, what are my buttons and what are some suggestions on how to choose the fabric to buy? Ms Lee, 69, said: What's the best thing to do, Mr. Lee said. So then, eventually, we still have to go overseas for things. Sometimes that presents an issue for brands that are starting out or designers that are starting out, because it's not within the ecosystem, within Singapore. Small batches are frequently necessary for designers to experiment with new motifs and patterns. If you have a bit of an ecosystem in Singapore, it's easier for you to sample, it's easier for you to do a small batch production, but there's no such system, said Ms. Lee, who said these hurdles could turn people away from design as a career. If you want someone to create your pattern, you may face a bit of a hurdle because you can not go around easily finding out, getting your things made or stuff like that. Designers hope that other industries can see the potential in local fashion.

The Singapore Fashion Council is intent on using digital channels to connect designers with a wider range of regional manufacturers and retailers. It is also trying to give fashion students more chances to work with big brands. It's a longer journey, says Sharon Lim, a vice president of the Singapore Fashion Council. We've actually been engaging the schools to say, big multinationals are also coming in here, she said. Beyond the SMEs small- and medium-sized enterprises, you also have the other pool and they're coming in and saying, We need more talent. We actually are lining this up.