Asian Civilisations Museum celebrates local fashion designers' stunning dresses

Asian Civilisations Museum's new show celebrates Singapore fashion with stunning dresses crafted by designers such as Andrew Gn, Priscilla Shunmugam and Goh Lai Chan.

The show titled #SGFashionNow is presented in collaboration with Lasalle College of the Arts' School of Fashion and the Textile And Fashion Federation (TaFF).

Among the traffic-stopping pieces is an Ong Shunmugam custom dress worn by author and socialite Paige Parker to the Cannes Film Festival, which she felt accurately reflected the colours and character of Singapore.

Another dress worn by actress Constance Lau to the red carpet premiere of Crazy Rich Asians in San Francisco is the work of local label Time Taken To Make A Dress.

Rather than showcasing one singular "Singapore" look or style, the exhibition tries to present a broad range of approaches in craft and ideas adopted by local designers when imagining what fashionistas would wear to reflect their personal identity and the current times and aesthetics.

Kennie Ting, Director of ACM and the Peranakan Museum, says: "I hope the exhibition encourages new ways of thinking about the question, 'What is Singapore fashion?' from the perspective of Singapore's essence as a multicultural, cosmopolitan port city.

For more information, visit www.acm.org.sg.

This article first appeared in Business Times.