In a bid to unearth Asian entrepreneurial excellence, Vogue Singapore, in partnership with the Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFF) have come together on the Vogue Singapore x TaFF Innovation Prize. And, the inaugural winner will soon be revealed.
After a two-day bootcamp and four-week mentorship with the likes of designer, Han Chong; vice president of Farfetch, Alexis Bonhomme; and head of innovation of Estee Lauder, Liz Bacelar, the contestants embarked on the last stage of the application process.
During a pitch and selection exercise, each participant presented their business plan and prototype to an international jury of industry leaders, including creative editorial director of Vogue, Mark Guiducci; chief commercial officer of Matches Fashion, Elizabeth Von Der Goltz; and director of fashion and beauty at Google Cloud, Maria McClay.
Judged based on their use of innovation, product, design and execution, sustainability, business model and marketing plan, what began as a group of 20 innovative businesses has now been whittled down to the final 3 contenders.
The winner of the Vogue Singapore x TaFF Innovation Prize will be unveiled at Vogue Singapore’s one-year celebration this October. They will receive a $15,000 prize as well as media coverage in Vogue Singapore, invaluable feedback from global industry leaders, plus introductions to potential investors. The runner-up will receive a $5,000 prize in partnership with Enterprise Singapore.
Read on for an introduction to each of the three finalists and find out more about their trailblazing brands.
Werable
For Claudia Poh, style and function are not mutually exclusive concepts. The Parsons School of Design graduate founded Werable, a transformative business that seeks innovative new ways to construct clothes so that regardless of your mobility or dexterity, getting dressed can continue to be an exciting and empowering experience.
The label offers wrap shirts, dresses and modular sleeves that can be worn in multiple combinations and are consciously designed to be effortless—in more ways than one. Using magnetic closures instead of buttons, fabrics with added stretch and adjustable straps, universal design principles are subverted and give rise to new methods of approaching inclusive fashion.
MYCL
There has been a paradigm shift in how we approach consumption in the fashion industry. Environmentally conscious buyers are on the rise and, with that, an increased demand for sustainable materials. Enter MYCL, an enterprise headed by Adi Reza Nugroho, which produces low-impact bio-leather to combat the misgivings of natural leather. In the pursuit of solutions found in nature, Adi has created a next generation material that mimics the texture and durability of leather using mushroom mylea.
Grown from agricultural waste, not only does opting for mylea reduce energy consumption, environmental destruction and water usage, it ultimately advocates for a circular fashion economy that begins with a material revolution.
Revery.AI
No more deliberating whether or not to add to cart, or faffing about with exchanges and returns. With Revery.AI, Kedan Li, Jeffrey Zhang, Min Jin Chong and product lead Orion Dai Yuhui are looking to revamp the current unintuitive online shopping experience by creating a virtual dressing room experience.
Using advanced AI technology capable of generating fully customisable virtual mannequins, users will be able to see what their desired items look like on an avatar that resembles their own body. You can even make stylistic adjustments: tops can be tucked in or out, different items can be paired and displayed as one look, and accessories such as handbags and jewellery can be added, so you can feel confident about your online purchases.
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