By Raffles Runway
“I don’t design clothes, I design dreams.” – Ralph Lauren
Anyone can pick up a sewing guidebook, buy a bolt of fabric, and start creating. So why join Raffles Runway?
Well, because Runway is a collection (ha ha) of like-minded people brought together by our passion for fashion design. So, if you want to meet someone as excited about fashion design as you are, if you like to design and create, and believe that fashion has the potential to be something beyond just glamour, we warmly welcome you to join us!
We spend our days practicing the fashion design process – from chasing inspiration in our everyday lives to translating them into wearable pieces. Currently, CCA sessions are held every Wednesday from 2:30-5:00 pm, spent either with our mentors or by bouncing ideas off each other. However, you may also find yourself wandering through thrift shops and fabric stores or dedicating time outside of CCA to work on your garments, not out of obligation, but simply because you relish in the creative process.
Every year, for one night, Runway presents RProject, where designers showcase the collection that they have worked on for the past year. The seniors will have the honour of deciding the overarching theme and concept for the show. Often, you’ll find yourself not only being the fashion designer, but also the makeup artist, or even the lighting designer. Last year’s successful RProject, MODE, had every design feature an element of gold, bringing across the idea of unity between collections. No matter how different each designer’s concepts are, each collection is not a stand-alone. Every look we create builds upon the next to demonstrate the various skills and techniques we learn in Runway, and helps connect our audience to our pieces. There’s a certain grace to how each creation is formed, each one uniquely shaped by their designers. Yet, this is not just an individual experience, but a collective one. All members have a say in how they want the show to be.
Runway offers a stage, not just for us, but also for our original, creative and unique ideas. There’s just a difference between seeing your sketches on paper and having them in three dimensions, the light and shadows playing on the fabric as the model walks down the runway. Garments aren’t made to be simply pencil on paper, but are meant to be physical representations of the stories we have and want to tell. Designing requires deliberateness, a purpose, and a message behind every cut, stitch and fold.
Of course, we can’t function without our models, who bring our outfits to life. If you are interested in modelling, do keep an eye out for our J1’2019 Model Intake happening around March.
Dream. Design. Create.
