“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

— Coco Chanel

In 2005, a small group of like-minded students with a love for fashion came together to form Raffles Runway. A CCA like no other, Runway is home to all students passionate about fashion and design. Runway provides a time and space for its 30-odd members to try their hand at fashion design – students design, sew and embellish their own work, using materials that range from the conventional (cotton, chiffon, satin) to the slightly less conventional (duct tape, fairy lights, paper ribbons). Each student’s innovations are showcased at Raffles Runway’s annual fashion show, RProject. Every RProject is organised, curated and planned by our very own student designers, assisted by student volunteer models.

RProject takes place during mid-late May each year. As the biggest event on the CCA’s calendar, preparation for RProject starts months in advance (2015’s RProject is already in the works and it’s looking to be a very special show – be excited!) As a student-driven project, every year’s RProject is an exciting journey of exploration and discovery. The direction that the fashion show takes, and what it chooses to express, is completely up to its members’ discretion. Some memorable themes from previous years include 2008’s political commentary The Mayday Parade, the dramatic Memento Mori of 2012, and this year’s Alice-inspired Down the Rabbit Hole.

Don’t let the glitz & glamour of a fashion show fool you – those one, two hours of glittering dresses, flashing lights, adrenaline and backstage-changing-frenzy are only the tip of the iceberg. There are many things to be done in preparation for the show and members must be prepared to take on a myriad of roles & pick up skills in double-quick time. Oftentimes, a Runway member is a photographer, make-up artist, stylist, editor, and Runway Room housekeeper all rolled into one – but that just keeps things interesting!

If you join Raffles Runway, you can expect CCA sharings where we critique and commend each others’ designs, sewing classes from external instructors, consultations with a seamstress, and meetings to discuss the upcoming RProject. As RProject nears, you might find members hard at work sewing their garments together and helping each other through the difficult bits (or at least attempting to).

Runway currently holds its sessions from 4 to 6:30 each Tuesday afternoon (although this might be subject to change). Members are expected to commit fully to the CCA, and the first half of the year is particularly busy for us as RProject approaches. Full attendance during every session of April & May is required as we prepare for RProject and need all hands on deck.

So if you spend too much time on Style.com, love flipping through Vogue, plan your head-to-toe outfit while brushing your teeth, or are just itching to make a dress and see someone wear it down the runway – then Raffles Runway is the place for you. We’d love to see you & your sketches at trials!

P.S. No, being able to sew is not a prerequisite. It is definitely a plus though – and now is as good a time as ever to start!

CLDCS, the Chinese Language Drama and Cultural Society, is a Performing Arts CCA which includes three sections, Drama, Songwriting and Calligraphy.

Many people know us from our annual concert in early May. We perform and showcase what we have done for the whole year, performing dramas and songs originated by ourselves and exhibiting our calligraphy. Our aim is to promote Chinese culture to everyone in every way we can. Hence, we value individual talents. If you are people who have lots of creative ideas, our CCA is the place for you.

We are just a group of people who are passionate in the Chinese culture and we express our passion through acting, singing and writing. No worries if you do not speak Chinese fluently. Our external instructors usually use English or mix English with Chinese when they conduct lessons, promoting better understanding. Even our members discuss and communicate in English as well. Don’t let the lack of fluency in Chinese stop you from joining our CCA.

Since we have three sections, you can choose according to your interests. We will take in those who are passionate about music and acting, who are excited to transform the club and take the lead, and those who want to shine under the spotlight and share their passion with other people. No worries if you are not interested in all three sections. We welcome students who have the interest in stage managing, light effects and sound effects as our annual concert is all fully planned by our members only. We need different talents to make our performance a successful one.

In the Drama section, we play games to train our acting skills, write scripts according to our interests and train one another to become better actors and actresses. One script requires almost one year to complete. We act it out, and then do amendments. And the process repeats. This ensures that our script improves better overtime. We try our best to ensure that our audiences can relate to our drama to the greatest extent and have the emotional connection, in order to convey our message. Every drama has a message to convey and we express our thoughts through these dramas. And we have to thank our external instructor, Mr.Chou, an experienced and friendly teacher as well as an actor, who taught us all these things.

In the Songwriting sections, we have two external instructors to teach our members how to compose a song, create a melody and write the lyrics. No music background is required as long as you have the passion to perform. Songs are also amended again and again to ensure the quality. We will also record and sell a CD with all our music pieces to raise funds for charities. Sounds exciting to own an album?

In the Calligraphy section, members go for training without the help of external instructors. It does not matter that much that there is no external instructors because calligraphy is an Art that requires more practices than theory. You will benefit from the training as you learn discipline as well.

What we want our members to have is the passion to learn and to promote the Chinese culture. If you have it, we will take you in. No past experience is required.

Our weekly training sessions will be on Tuesdays for Songwriting and Calligraphy and Wednesdays for Drama after school. You can choose to sign up for one section or more. There will be more trainings near our annual concert to make sure that our members are well-prepared and ensure the quality of our performance.

In the club, we help each other to learn and grow together. Apart from many leadership opportunities, you can also look forward to a fulfilling year of new friendship, pursuing your passion and showcasing your talents.

We hope you will join us!