Who’d have thought  ‘naked’ and ‘famous’ could appear in the same sentence besides for Jamie Oliver and possibly porn stars? Well, New Zealand indie rock band, The Naked and Famous did just that in coming up with their band name (from a song by singer Tricky) and actually found fame.

The New Zealand chart topping #1 artists and indie rock band was in Singapore for The People’s Party held on 14^th and 15^th January this year. They joined other bands like The Jezabels, Metronomy, Bombay Bicycle Club, and a few other bands from Europe and Australasia. Local acts like The Analog Girl and Monster Cat also performed.

Since the release of their first album, Passive Me, Aggressive You, in late 2010, the band has performed in over 180 live shows, as well and earned 6 nominations in the 2011 New Zealand Music Awards, including Best Group and Album of the Year. The album also spawned the hit single, “Young Blood”, which debuted on the New Zealand chart at number 1 in 2010.

Like many indie alternative-rock bands, their musical styles draw heavily from a wide range of genres, from heavy rock, to electro pop and folk. Consisting of lead vocalists Thom Powers and Alisa Xayalith, synth player Aaron Short, bassist David Beadle, and drummer Jesse Wood, The Naked and Famous has taken a leaf out of the book of  fellow homegrown kiwi band The Mint Chicks’ and adopted a very ‘do it yourself’ attitude in terms of having their own control, ideas, and direction for their band.

All eyes on the band

Campbell Hooper & Joel Kefali, music video directors from design house Special Problems, are the brains behind The Naked and Famous’ surreal music videos and tour posters.

The band believes in giving the duo complete freedom in directing and conceptualising their videos.

Speaking with UrbanWire, Alisa Xayalith chuckles, “They say ‘I want you to wear this thin dress and go running in snow, go!’ It’s really exciting working with those guys and they have a great music synergy between the music and the individuals.”

Passive them, definitely

With a number of their songs being featured on several popular television serials like The Secret Circle, Chuck, The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl, avid TV junkies are no strangers to the band’s tunes. The Naked and Famous hopes to be a pop cult band one day and deems the term flattering for them.

“The great thing about TV shows is that they expose you to various music, not necessarily through radio. That’s also a great way for bands to be heard of. But being featured on TV shows is one of the other ways that bands can make money and sustain that kind of living that they have because of the decline of record sales,” Alisa adds hopefully.

“Although New Zealand has record labels, rock bands and the same sort of rock and roll history, it is still very isolated because many of the local artistes do not get as much exposure. So what we’re doing right now is a first and it’s really bizarre,” adds Thom Powers.

When asked if there are any musical concepts the band has planned for their next album, Thom enthusiastically replies, “Yeah, jazz fusion and dubstep!” Aaron jokingly chimes in, “Deathcore!”

Young blood; the fans

Having only released just one album, the band’s growing popularity might come as a surprise, although Thom humbly adds that it’s not uncommon among modern indie bands. The lead vocalist went on to say, “On one hand it’s incredibly surprising and bizarre, but there’s a certain amount of stuff that we can try and work towards. You can only do so much as a band for your music but it’s really up to listeners to justify how well a band does.”

Social networking has also played a huge part in the band’s popularity and ability to connect with their listeners. Facebook and Twitter, for one, are such social networking sites the band uses.

Thom said, “It is much more real than doing interviews with journalists. To us, it is more like an interpretation of someone giving an honest account about something, which makes it more intimate because you can’t really explain the aspect of your entire music culture to people, whereas the one on one for social networking allows us to get people’s personal accounts that is much more real to us and they can say what they want, which we feel is fantastic.”

It seems The Naked and Famous are also flattered by what their fans do for them. Making band t-shirts and compiling snippets of their live performances into videos has touched Alisa greatly. She said, “I just found these fans to be creative, thoughtful and genuine and those are the kind of people that really cherish music.”

Photo credits to canyouhearthis.co.uk and intergalaticjournal.org

Following the theme ‘London Calling’, Bloodbuzz held its first trunk show on Dec 3, a sneak preview of its Christmas collection. London’s played a huge part in how Bloodbuzz came about, with designer Kimberly having just graduated from London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London last year. Darren, who is behind the label’s branding and account spent about a year there visiting Kimberly.

Kimberly Wong

The fashion graduate notes of the impact London’s street style and vibrancy had on her, “In London, you can be anyone you want to be and not feel awkward about being different. Everyone there has his or her own style, but yet there’s still a seamless fitting in into society.”

She added that the weekend markets and ghetto areas turn boutique and edgy on the weekends and that’s what the partners are trying to create for their label.

According to Kimberly, the Christmas collection, already their third, is about the celebrative spirit. The 2 red dresses among the other clothing pieces in their collection aim to capture the spirit of celebration and many of the pieces are one-piece flowy dresses that display a fluid movement which resonates well with the ladies because they do not have to worry about the tummy or any love handles showing!

To Bloodbuzz, fluidity represents the hustle and bustle, and the frenetic activities that go on during the Christmas season. At the same time, Bloodbuzz remained consistent when designing its Christmas collection by infusing the brand’s character of being “out of the ordinary and a little dark”, much like the previous 2 collections.

Places travelled to, books read and even movies watched also play a part in the design inspirations for Bloodbuzz. Specific moments in different movies like In The Mood For Love and 2046 may resonate with Kim and Darren sometimes. Darren exclaimed, “It’s just like a eureka moment!”

Darren Tan

Their ideas for next year’s Chinese New Year collection are drawn from the costumes used in Wong Kar-wai’s movies about unrequited lovers and a feeling of ambiguity. Kim and Darren found the wardrobe brilliant and were set on adapting what they saw for the modern day, especially since the movie was set in the past.

Bloodbuzz believes in trend seasonal collections, meaning that the pieces will still be wearable even after the festive season passes. Whereas many other labels believe in seasonal clothing meant for their upcoming Chinese New Year collection aims to follow the same idea as well.

You may be reminded of any womenswear collection but what sets Bloodbuzz apart from other local online labels is that it doesn’t produce in mass, with less than 50 of each unique piece, unlike departmental stores that cater to the mass market. The brand aims to be relatively exclusive yet affordable and unique

To the creators, the first aspect of fashion is about creativity and creativity is about having fun. The second aspect is about having a personal expression because they feel that individual style is key – what you wear represents how you feel. Creativity, fun and individuality are key in creating confidence in a woman and the designers want the wearers of their design to feel confident about themselves.

The name ‘Bloodbuzz’ might not click with everyone immediately but the owners believe that everybody can have their own interpretation of the brand name. Kimberly added, “The fact that the name ‘Bloodbuzz’ is so versatile shows that we pay high emphasis on individualism. Every piece of our clothing tells a different story when different people wear it.” The idea for the label’s name came from one of their favourite songs, ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’ by American indie rock band, The National.

The collections by Bloodbuzz seek to create an eclectic juxtaposition of wearable elegance and edge and have definitely achieved this. The 2 hope to expand into a lifestyle label in future but they believe they still have lots to learn.

Bloodbuzz designs can be found at their official site.

A collaboration between STAPLE in New York and SUP Clothing in Singapore for the Fall/Winter 2011 designs, the limited edition pieces consist of a collection of t-shirts and caps, in very limited quantity.

SUP, an independent clothing company, focuses primarily on apparel. The apparel brought in range in brands like OBEY, 9Five, Flying Coffin, etc. SUP clothing is inspired by skateboarding, punk and hip-hop cultures that centre on everyday life. The brand aims to reach out to everyone through the clothes that they bring in.

Staple Design tees may remind you of any street menswear label. However, the limited edition collection from Staple Design’s collaboration with SUP clothing might just intrigue you.

In an interesting twist, the tee design is actually a fusion of the Merlion, an icon of Singapore, and the Empire State Building, New York City’s world famous attraction and landmark. If you look at the design from afar, you’ll probably see only the Merlion, but scrutinise the details, and you’ll realise that the Empire State Building forms the mane of our famous lion-fish symbol. That’s not all there is to it. Even the concept behind the logo for this collaboration is just as amusing as the shirt design – it incorporates both words: Sup and Stpl (Staple Design’s logo) together in a unique fashion.

The Fall/Winter 2011 trunk show on Nov 18, Singapore’s first introduction to this global street wear line, was a sneak preview of the New York-based clothing line. The ‘Auto Shop Collection’ is the theme for Staple Design’s Fall/Winter 2011 collection and was also meant to get people excited and anticipate the official launch set to take place around mid 2012 or later.

Having forged multiple alliances with some of the biggest brands in both the street and sporting industry such as Converse and Nike, Staple Design, by Jeff Staple, prowls the streets with a new stash. Consisting of an appealing mix of neatly designed utilitarian outfits, the collection is coupled with their already signature STAPLE style – their basic graphic t-shirts.

Since its founding in New York in 1997, Staple Design unveiled the entire STAPLE Fall/Winter 2011 Collection, for the first time in Singapore. Lucky for us in here, we get first dibs on its classic all-American workshop themed collection.

Street style? Check. Street credibility? Check. The new collection has definitely managed to create highly functional street wear . Many loyal Staple Design fans may be taken aback by the lack of colour  but it embodies the direction that Staple Design has been venturing towards in the past few years.

Sabrina Li, a representative of Staple Design told UrbanWire about how the collaboration started. “We went to New York and were looking at a few trade shows. Jeff Staple was at one of the trade shows so we talked about his philosophy and the work that goes on behind his brand. My company really liked his concept so we approached him and proposed to bring Staple Design into the fray of Singapore’s street culture, in its purest form.”

What keeps Jeff Staple’s designs fresh is how he religiously sticks to different themes, eschewing trends when it comes to designing a collection. For example, this upcoming collection deals with certain eras, vintage with a flair of the futuristic, along the lines of the DeLorean (time travelling car from the movie Back To The Future).

The Fall/Winter collection has 2 lines – the basic T-shirts and caps and the cut and sew line, which veers more to menswear, both defined by the colours and the cut. The cut and sew line is a little more subdued and uses materials like cotton and linen and incorporates various patterns like polka-dots, while the T-shirts are classic styles that are dictated by the theme rather than the season. For example, Staple Design doesn’t believe in employing the “usual” spring/summer hues of orange, red or yellow, but rather, colours that best project the concept.

Photo credits to Sup, Peek-ture & Noel Teo.

Ever wanted to own a piece of an original artwork that caught your eye? Truth is, it’s possible to bring home an entry-level work, like a screen print or etching, at an affordable price.

Held in the 22,000 sq m F1 Pit Building at the corner of Singapore’s Central Business District, the Affordable Art Fair (AAF), in its 2nd year running, drew a crowd of 13,500 visitors over 3 days from Nov 18-20.

As the name suggests, the AAF aims to bring contemporary art within the reach of the general public. With artwork for sale from $100 to $10,000 and 75 per cent of them costing below $7,500, it’s a great starting point for anyone looking to start an art collection. This year, 78 art galleries participated in the annual event, a 30 per cent increase from last year.

There were a variety of artworks at the fair like sculptures, acrylic paintings, photos painted on ceramics, collages and also typography works.

Apart from Singapore, the fairs also take place in Amsterdam, Brussels, Los Angeles, Milan, Melbourne, and New York, with Singapore playing host to the 1st edition in Asia. According to their official website, AAF has, for the 2nd year in a row, been nominated one of the United Kingdom’s coolest brands by an independent council and more than 2,500 members of the British public. It’s certainly garnered a lot of support since its Oct 1999 launch in London’s Battersea Park.

 Incessant chatter from enthusiastic art aficionados of mostly adults, filled the air as exhibitors went about explaining the various artworks that lined the walls and tables in the exhibition area.

There were even students who were at the fair doing assignments and examining the various artworks, some of which were by world-renowned celebrity artists such as Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami, and up-and-coming Singapore stars like Justin Lee.

The Singapore edition of the Affordable Art Fair attracted about 13,500 visitors, which far exceeded the expected 12,000 visitors and total sales was $3.05 million.  This was a more than 40 percent increase in visitors and over a 70 percent surge in sales over last year’s inaugural event.

The art scene in Singapore is developing slowly but surely, with events like the Singapore Arts Festival, Art Stage, and the Singapore Art Show. More and more art galleries such as Art Facet and Astrid Dahl are popping up, and with a little government funding, the art scene in Singapore could go far. Art schools like LASALLE College of the Arts, School of the Arts (SOTA) and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (SAFA) are establishments that reflect government support.

Despite this, Singaporeans might come across as conservative when it comes to appreciating, or even approaching, art. Gary Sng, director of Collectors Contemporary, said that Singaporeans are “too narrow-minded”.

“I think it’s the way we grew up,” he told The UrbanWire. “Maybe it’s that semi-totalitarian kind of upbringing we had that has taught us to be this way. I think even the government is playing a part by telling Singaporeans that it’s time to change a little bit and be a bit more open minded. And I think we will, eventually.”

Gary Sng, director of Collectors Contemporary

 And according to Motti Abramovitz, owner of art gallery Bruno Art Group, the AAF’s part of the change that’s gradually transforming the arts scene here.

“The AAF’s a lighthearted event,” he said. “People don’t feel intimidated when they come here and view the artwork, unlike the atmosphere at exclusive art galleries that cater to the more privileged. We see a lot of young people and children and it’s a good way to introduce art to them. Baby steps.”

Photo credits to Noel Teo 

They may not be your usual crème de la crème or the coveted brands you so often hear of like Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior or Gareth Pugh. The aforementioned 8 labels are none other than the brainchild of our very own homegrown designers. Their collections captivated the audience at the 3rd annual Parco next NEXT Phenomena Festive Showcase on Nov 11 and the theme for the showcase was ‘Borderless Fashion’.

In an interview with Parco next NEXT, vice-president of the Textile and Fashion Federation (Singapore), David Wang said, “In line with the fluidity of truly borderless fashion, we decided to bend the rules a little this year for our runway show. We’ve played around with contrasts between east and west, luxe and street, and threw in some fun twists in our styling and accessories to usher her in the year-end period of merrymaking.”

PARCO next NEXT is a fashion design incubator project, which aims to develop up and coming local designers. The project has its own retail space at PARCO Marina Bay and features a range of curated designs by Singapore’s very own fashion talents.

These were the 8 participating designers for the showcase:

A.K.A Wayward by Mun Foong

Last year’s best new designer, Mun Foong presented her recently launched Wayward womenswear collection in addition to her current collection of menswear. Graduate in style with her classic preppy designs in earthly hues and contrasting tipped collars. That certainly brought old school back onto the runway! It was a boy-meets-girl affair on the runway when both the ladies and gents strutted their style in complementary looks.

Twenty2Seven by Zee Tan

Bold designs, geometrical shapes and stripes were the order of the night for Twenty2Seven’s collection. Majority of the designs came in monochrome shades but it was not at all dull. With the use of wide-brimmed floppy hats for certain looks, the simple geometric designs clearly made their stand in a bold yet classy manner on the runway. Inspired by looks from the 1960’s, it was as if Twiggy and Edie Sedgwick were doing their thing all over again.

OwnMuse by Oon Shu Juang and Johanna Lau

This womenswear collection by the designer duo is all about elegance. The exquisite detailing such as beading and pleating made the look slightly rebellious. The designs come in two contrasting shades featuring modish colour blocking. The peach and cream shades brought out the feminine and flirty vibe. On the other hand, the metallic black and heather grey ones just scream edgy. If vintage is your style, the high-waist skirts and elaborate cropped tops is your ticket back to the 1950’s.

JAUNTY BOYS by Alex Yeo and Xie Shangqian

JAUNTY BOYS, a more youthful and cheekier version of their menswear label Coupe-cousu, is inspired by pop-art. The collection comprises of mainly t-shirts and shirts, with its colour-blocking being quirky. The stripes and dots add a dose of fun to the designs. Who says shirts are only for formal events? They were made for the beach too and JAUNTY BOYS will show you how it’s done!

eve by Eve Tan

As the saying goes, “opposites attract”. Looking for something delicate yet exudes a strong sense of character? Sticks & Stones strikes perfect harmony, without a doubt. Incorporating angular panels along the soft drapery in colours like cream, black and burgundy, the label is set to bring out a woman’s spirited personality.

SOPHIELLE by Kanwal Jit Kaur

A dictator of her own style and identity laced with a bit of madness, Kanwal’s designs for SOPHIELLE are all about futuristic and experimental prints for the atypical lady. Some of her outfits might even remind you of Japanese designer, Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please bilbao bag which strikes you as an avant-garde masterpiece. Forget about bumping into someone on the street decked out in the same outfit! There’s only a limited number of each design made, so your individualism is assured. Who knows, this could very well be a sneak peek into the future, or at least their sense of style.

un-covered by Joanna Loh

Unlike the mainstream womenswear collections, un-covered (also known as ‘UNCVRD’) stays true to its ideals: teasing with versatility of her unconventional Origami-inspired shapes, augmented with exaggerated lines and ravishing confidence. Traverse the sidewalks bursting with experimental elements that appear to create 2D and 3D effects. Rest assured that a double take is in order.

Ready.Made by Sabrina Gunawan

Headpieces embellished with beads, along with intricate beadings and ropes that accessorise the asymmetrical navy blue sleeveless top made heads turn. The maxi-skirt paired with it gives off a bohemian vibe, which describes the concept behind Sabrina Gunawan’s festive collection. Her designs infuse vintage with modern elements that are accompanied by colour play, dotted with unique lace prints based largely on flowers and soft shapes; befitting the dainty taste of a Bohemian princess.

Gracing the runway alongside these 8 local labels were promising Japanese brands, Nocturne #22 by Michiko Suzuki and ARIKI by Ryota Ariki. They are 2 of the 6 Japanese labels featured in the 334-square-foot pop-up store, MAKE ONE’S MARK, specially handpicked by Yuji Yamamoto, son of famed Japanese designer Yoji Yamamoto, the brains behind fashion label Y-3.

The Spring/Summer 2012 “Detachable Femininity” collection from Nocturne #22 highlights asymmetrical outfits in elegant black and white with dashes of blue, red, white and yellow stripes that pays tribute to architectural design.

A mixture of punk and goth influences coupled with guitars parts, amplifier cable jacks and guitar picks embellishments reinforce the get-up of a rock star. Just like Suzuki’s collection, Ariki’s colour palette for his collection is primarily monochromatic with a tinge of bright blue and red.

MAKE ONE’S MARK will be located at PARCO Marina Bay, Millenia Walk level 2, P2-28 from now till Dec 26.

With all the financial woes of the European Union grabbing headlines, it’s no surprise to see Haute Couture, the pinnacle of the most expensive and high quality bespoke fashion, making aggressive inroads to Asia, through Singapore.

Not that any of us are complaining. We’re more than happy to gawk, even if we can’t shell out the money for a typical creation of the 8 French couturiers who flew here to show their collections for first time. Maxime Simoens, Atelier Gustavolins, Eymeric Francois, Christophe Josse, Dominique Sirop, Alexis Mabille, Anne Valerie Hash and Stephane Rolland were the toast of the inaugural Women’s Fashion Week 2011 at the Marina Bay Sands from Oct 26 to 31, coming 6 months after the first Men’s Fashion Week here.

Likening the exclusivity of Haute Couture (pronounced ‘oht koo-toor’) to celebratory bubbly, Director of Operations for Haute Couture week, a highlight of the fashion week, Benedict Goh told UrbanWire, “It’s a very protected entity and it can never be replicated. For instance, if you’re a sparkling wine out of France, you can’t even call yourself champagne, you’re just sparkling wine.”

Benedict Goh, Director of Operations for the inaugural Women’s Fashion Week 2011, Singapore

In fact, strictly speaking, Champagne is produced only using grapes from a particular region within France. The same rarified tier is occupied in the fashion world by the one-of-a-kind creations by leading fashion houses, labelled Haute Couture.

Alexis Mabille, Couturier

French couturier Alexis Mabille, who showed off his Autumn collection, tells UrbanWire: “Couture is about having a relationship between the client and the designer.” Frank Cintamani, Chairman of Women’s Fashion Week, added, “It is a necessity in the industry, for the fashion industry to survive.”

Frank Cintamani, Chairman of Women’s Fashion Week

An Haute Couture piece is a guarantee that the clothes made specifically for you is also a unique design. Not just any designer can call himself a ‘couturier’ because it’s a distinction that has to be earned under strict guidelines. One of which includes creating his own masterpieces within his own workshop (atelier) with a staff of at least 15 people. But that itself doesn’t cut it. The designer also has to present a collection consisting of both day wear and evening wear for each season. Needless to say, a lot of hard work goes into fulfilling these criteria and with it, the right to create one of a kind, exquisite and very exclusive items for moneyed clientele. Couture pieces can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, which is enough to buy you an apartment or a sports car.

For most of us, most ready-to-wear (or prêt-à-porter in French) collections are based on couture lines, only priced more affordably to cater to the masses. So even if you’re dressed in Giordano, Uniqlo or some other more everyman label, chances are they drew inspiration from Haute Couture somewhere up the line, even if you didn’t realise it.

An exhibition that showcased designs from Herve Leger to Max Mara and even Robinsons was free for the public to view. It was set up within The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands for those who couldn’t attend the shows during Haute Couture week. Lasting till the end of October, it served as a platform for the general public to find out more.

And so, education of the public about the designs you can’t find in your usual retail outlets or over the Internet was what this spotlight is all about. Benedict Goh stressed that, “We want the public to know that Haute Couture exists”, a fact lost on most because few can afford it, and it “is presented to only very few”.

Photos courtesy of Gabriel Goh.

It is also in-keeping with Singapore’s growing identity as a fashion capital. You might be surprised to know, especially given our sloppy image of a nation of slip flop wearers, that Global Language Monitor (GLM) has placed Singapore as the 8th fashion capital in the world and one spot above trendy Tokyo. That is something most people might find difficult to swallow. It’s unbelievable that we have surpassed the mother of fashion in Asia.

Singapore’s Haute Couture Week is the first of such showcases outside of Paris but that is definitely not the end of it because plans have already been made to hold more fashion weeks next year!