Fresh on the heels of New York Fashion Week, Singapore’s very own fashion festival, The Front Row is making a return for its third iteration. Guided by the theme, #FashTag x Raffles City Singapore, expect three floors of the mall to be transformed into an interactive phygital gallery that brings together industry heavyweights and the public. The event aims to promote cross-border collaborations between fashion creatives and advocate for responsible consumerism.
Behind The Front Row is none other than founder and creative director, Daniel Boey. Heralded as the “Godfather of Singapore fashion”, Boey started hosting the festival virtually since 2020, where visitors could attend runway shows, panels and podcasts in an immersive 3D environment. To him, this year’s edition is a breakthrough—it marks the first time The Front Row is bringing digital fashion activities into a physical space, post-pandemic.
“We are partnering with exciting and unexpected local, regional, and international creatives consisting of designers, photographers and content curators, as well as the brightest students from Singapore’s fashion schools to showcase NFTs and the metaverse, which are rapidly shaping the future of design and fashion” says the fashion veteran.
Highlights of the festival include a phygital showcase of eco-friendly Southeast Asian fashion labels: Indonesia’s Sean Sheila, Thailand’s Tube Gallery, Filipino couturier Michael Cinco as well as Malaysian upstarts Outdwell and A-Jane. Also on display are works by graduates from Raffles Design Institute, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and LASALLE College of the Arts that explore upcycling , cruelty-free materials and technology. For those interested in the digital sphere of fashion, look forward to virtual runaway shows and films made by local producers like Max Tan, Nuboaix and Shirt Number White during lockdown.
On the weekend of 17 and 18 September, there will be workshops conducted by three creative professionals: Irene Kusuma, The Kang and Becky + Rosie, who have made recycling and sustainability the cornerstone of their businesses. Attendees get to try their hand at turning old clothes and plastic bags into stylish, functional items and learn tips from these experts.
And topping off the festivities? The Front Row will be organising cabine runway presentation on 16,17,18 and 23 September that revolve around themes of responsible shopping, circular economy and inclusivity. Expect to see a variety of homegrown designer labels and a diverse fashion cast. Think Singapore’s top models like Pat Kraal, Diya Prabhakar, Kaigin Yong and Srri Ramm—even street-casted shoppers.
Keep an eye out for Daniel Boey as he will be scouting the mall for potential models and inviting them to walk beside professionals for the cabine shows. Post-show, Boey and guest speakers will discuss the future of fashion and issues such as ageism, racism and size bias in the industry.
With such an impressive line-up and thoughtful curation, The Front Row is not to be missed this month for fashion enthusiasts.
The Front Row runs from 16-25 September 2022 at Raffles City shopping centre. For more information, head over to their Instagram and website.
