SINGAPORE SHINES AT AUDI STAR CREATION 2013

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1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SINGAPORE SHINES AT AUDI STAR CREATION 2013 Singapore s Haziq Putra wins one of the three top spots and takes the Audi Young Designer Award; the other two top spots go to China s Sun Yi Jin and Vu Ta Linh from Vietnam 13 May 2013, Singapore After a whole day of judging, deliberations and a final runway showdown, it was Singapore s star that shone at Audi Star Creation. Temasek Polytechnic Apparel Design and Merchandising student Haziq Putra s Pursuit to Freedom took one of the competition s top three spots, winning S$10,000, a one- year internship with leading fashion retailer F J Benjamin and the chance to launch his maiden capsule collection at Audi Star Creation The 21- year- old also won the Audi Young Designer Award (AYDA), an additional S$10,000 cash prize. The AYDA is given to the winner whose creation best embodies the Audi design spirit of innovation, technology and progression. Haziq s menswear collection featured hand- dyed batik, from which he created a digital print. He also incorporated two distinct Kelantan icons the Wau Bulan, a giant kite flown by its men, and the ikan pari, or stingray. The collection went down well with the competition s six judges, especially Audi Singapore s Managing Director Jeff Mannering, who said: I thought the collection was very original and I like the fact that you could see his design concept of the stingray flow right through. He was creative but not too over the top with progressive design, much like Audi. At the same time, the collection is very well made and seems to be market- ready. I can even see myself in some of his pieces! Vietnam s Vu Ta Linh, 26, also won the judges over with The Contour, a womenswear collection that used stitching, weaving and embroidery to capture the curves and waves of a Vietnamese heritage icon the Ruong Bac Thang rice terraces in Sapa. Linh graduated from Hanoi London College of Fashion Studies in July What stood out is that the collection came across as cool but also managed to capture the movement of nature. You look at the top layer and think it is beautiful, then discover embroidery

2 beneath that adds another level to it, said Ruth Marshall- Johnson, Custom Research Director at WGSN, adding that the collection really came into its own on the runway. Bagging the third and final spot was 24- year- old Sun Yi Jin from China, whose womenswear collection drew on the Chinese costumes and handcrafting techniques of the 56 ethnic groups, some of which have been lost over time. Explaining her win, judge David Wang, the Vice President of the Textile and Fashion Federation Singapore, said: What impressed us most was the fact that the collection draws so strongly on history yet manages to come across as modern. That is exactly what we were looking for with this year s InspirAsian theme a designer who was able to dig deep into his/her own culture but emerge with something that would fit right in on the streets of New York or Tokyo. What stood out most this year was the strong focus on fabrication and fabric manipulation, said Douglas Benjamin, Chief Operating Officer of F J Benjamin and Co- Creative Director of RAOUL, adding that the ultimate winners were those who were also able to demonstrate design prowess. Each of the three winners will get S$10,000 in cash from Audi Singapore, an internship with leading fashion retailer F J Benjamin and the chance to launch a capsule collection at Audi Star Creation This year s judges also included Colin McDowell, Creative Director of the Audi Fashion Festival 2013, Odile Benjamin, Co- Creative Director of RAOUL, and homegrown designer Alfie Leong, a first- time judge to the competition. He is the founder of a.w.o.l and MU. The winners were picked from a record 355 entries from 16 countries that is more than five times the number received in the competition s inaugural year in The countries represented at this year s finals were China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. This morning s pre- judging session was extremely hands on, given the strong lean of this year s finalists towards fabric manipulation. At many points, the judges got up to touch and feel the collections, asking for the designers accompanying models to try on various pieces. The finalists were also quizzed on how their collections embodied this year s theme, InspirAsian, their commercial viability, and even their choice of price points. Still, the judges were only able to make their final decision after seeing the outfits come alive on the runway, The winning collections will return to the runway at the Tent@Marina Promenade at the Audi Star Creation Capsule Showcase on May 17 at 5pm. At the event, which will be attended by industry players, fashion experts and their peers, winners of Audi Star Creation 2012 will also launch their maiden capsule collections, which they have been developing over the last year. Audi Star Creation, organised by the Textile and Fashion Federation Singapore (TaFf) and supported by SPRING Singapore, is part of the Asia Fashion Exchange (AFX). The competition aims to uncover

3 new local and Asian talents and groom them into tomorrow s fashion stars. The event, now into its fourth year, ultimately hopes to develop the long- term sustainability of the region s fashion industry, by building capability and profiling local talents on an international platform, right here in Singapore. The call for entries for Audi Star Creation 2014 will go out in November. The deadline for submissions is January 31, *Full bios and quotes from the winners are appended. For more information about Star Creation 2013/2014, please visit To arrange for interviews with this year s winners or finalists, please contact Word of Art: Clarissa Quek / clarissa@word- of- art.biz Celine Tan / celine@word- of- art.biz

4 Asia Fashion Exchange (AFX) Asia Fashion Exchange (AFX) aims to position Singapore as Asia s leading fashion hub, and is made up of four pillar events. These are BLUEPRINT, a trade show that positions itself as the fashion trade gateway to Asia which creates business opportunities between international buyers and promising design players; Asia Fashion Summit, a premier business conference that generates thought leadership contents and insights on fashion topics for industry professionals; Audi Fashion Festival Singapore, a showcase of world- class collections by top and emerging designers and labels, both international and Asian; and Audi Star Creation, a regional fashion design competition to spot budding talent. AFX is a joint private and public sector initiative involving the Textile and Fashion Federation of Singapore (TaFf), Mercury Marketing and Communications and government agencies, International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, SPRING Singapore (SPRING) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB). For more information, please visit About Textile and Fashion Federation (Singapore) The Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFf) was formed through a collation of the textile and garment associations in Singapore s textile and garment industry has since then transformed from a manufacturing base to be a regional fashion, marketing and sourcing hub. TaFf takes an active role in nurturing the next generation of talents, facilitating marketing and exportation of textiles and apparels to the world, and promoting the betterment of business practices through the adoption of advanced technology. TaFf encourages participation in research, development, innovation and other enhancement activity or social projects that add value to the industry. For more information, please visit About Audi Singapore Audi Singapore has enjoyed a long and enduring partnership with the world of fashion and design, having collaborated with luminaries like Karl Lagerfeld and Miuccia Prada. It is also a great supporter of fashion festivals around the world including the Joburg Fashion Week, Berlin Fashion Week, the Singapore Fashion Festival and the Audi Fashion Festival. Just like the world's top fashion brands, Audi cars are synonymous with exquisite design and quality craftsmanship which, together with innovative technology, make them the natural choice for those who want a premium automobile that also delivers high functionality and efficiency. For more information, please visit About F J Benjamin (Singapore) Pte Ltd F J Benjamin (Singapore) is an industry leader in brand building and management and in developing retail and distribution networks for international luxury and lifestyle brands across Asia. F J Benjamin has offices in eight cities: Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta, Sydney and New York. The company represents over 20 brands and operates over 170 retail stores. For more information, please visit About SPRING Singapore SPRING Singapore is an agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry responsible for helping Singapore enterprises grow and building trust in Singapore products and services. As the enterprise development agency, SPRING works with partners to help enterprises in financing, capability and management development, technology and innovation, and access to markets. As the national standards and accreditation body, SPRING develops and promotes an internationally- recognised standards and quality assurance infrastructure. SPRING also oversees the safety of general consumer goods in Singapore. For more information, please visit

5 Appendix 1 AUDI STAR CREATION 2013: WINNERS AT A GLANCE Sun Yi Jin, 24, China Collection: Return Return, a women s wear collection prompts a return to the glorious past of Chinese traditional fashion. Over the years, many Chinese traditional costumes and handcrafting techniques belonging to its 56 ethnic groups have been lost, for various reasons, including cost. Yi Jin hopes to bring some of these back, including some of the techniques deployed by China s ethnic minorities. She draws on the shapes of old, traditional outfits and the historic colours of China. Her long- time passion for painting prompted her to create her own fabric using both traditional crafting skills and technology, and a pattern inspired by the facial features of the Chinese. The dominant colours she will use are black, gray and white. Yi Jin, who majored in fashion design at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, is now pursuing her Masters with the University of the Arts London (UK). She is a competition veteran, and in 2011, received a Bronze award in the China International Women's Fashion Designers Contest and a Recognition award in the Triumph Inspiration Award 2011 (China). In 2010, she won third prize in the T.B2 Innovation Scholarship Fashion Design Competition. This has all been very exciting. There was a lot of pressure and I feel very lucky to have won. Following the pre- judging I felt that the judges really understood where I was coming from in terms of the textile I created, and winning makes me sure of it. - Sun Yi Jin Haziq Putra, 21, Singapore Collection: Pursuit To Freedom Haziq s menswear collection is inspired by a particularly introspective trip he took to Kelantan, Malaysia. During the trip, he was drawn by the Kelantanese spirit of determination and their simple way of living, unfettered by city life, qualities he hoped would come through in his collection. His manually dyed batik, from which he created a digital print, incorporates two distinct Kelantan icons the Wau Bulan, a giant kite flown by its men, and the ikan pari, or stingray. The fishing village in which he stayed and the greenery and padi fields that surrounded it inspires his colour choice. He also plays with textures to reflect the roughness of the stingray. Despite his parents hopes that he would study aviation, Haziq opted to study Apparel Design and Merchandising at Temasek Polytechnic and is now in his final year. This is an awesome feeling. All the other competitors were really very good. What I am most looking forward to is the internship and everything that I can learn at FJ Benjamin. As for the $20,000 prize money the first thing I want to do is buy my mother a really nice Mother s Day present because I spent all of Sunday doing the fitting and final preparations Haziq Putra Vu Ta Linh, 26, Vietnam Collection: The Contour Linh s women s wear collection (Fall/Winter) is inspired by a Vietnamese heritage icon the Ruong Bac Thang rice terraces in Sapa, Vietnam, and draws on its distinct curves and waves. He captures its elegance through contrasts in colours, lines and materials. He also utilises techniques, such as quilting, stitching, weaving, embroidery and patchwork. Linh has a colourful fashion background. At his parents insistence, he reluctantly joined the Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema in He soon fell in love with traditional Vietnamese costumes that he learnt to make, and the history behind

6 them. The fabrics, colours, shapes and detailing captivated him and, today, find their places in the collections he has created. Linh s pieces have caught the eye of the fashion industry. In 2009, he took the second place spot in Hanoi s Aquafina Pure Fashion competition and went on to compete in the same competition in Ho Chi Minh later that year. Inspired by some of the designers he met, Linh decided to enrol in the Hanoi London College of Fashion Studies and graduated in July I am really delighted, I really did not know if I would win. I really just wanted to come here and show the judges something about my culture and country, and I am glad that they liked it. I hope my country is proud of me. Vu Ta Linh