10 fashion labels and collections that we love at BLUEPRINT 2014 tradeshow

The annual BLUEPRINT tradeshow is something that my team and I look forward to every year.

Held on 15 to 18 May 2014 at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, this year’s edition of the BLUEPRINT tradeshow was curated to host 350 dedicated visiting press and buyers, showcasing a conglomerate of over 200 local and international womenswear, menswear, childrenswear and accessory brands – all of whom are classified as the best emerging designer brands in the world.

What gets us excited, as always, is the fact that Blueprint represents the time for us to uncover fashion labels that are new to Singapore, and for us to have an early head start with first glances and dips at their latest Autumn/Winter 2014 and Spring/Summer 2015 collections.

So without further ado, here are 10 fashion labels and collections that we have spotted (and love): 

1. Roggykei (Japan)

One of the first labels to catch our eyes at the tradeshow, Roggykei by Osaka-based designers, Keiko Miyakoshi and Hitoshi Korogi boost a stunning array of innovative pieces of menswear and womenswear garments and adornments that go along the line of ‘clothes as accessories, accessories as clothes’, and vice versa. 

What draws us to the label in the first place is their clever usage of vivid colours and prints on a unique choice of fabrications without looking tacky at all. Their approach can be seen as conceptual with the infusion of avant garde cuts and drapes along a well-controlled and refined silhouette, which is well-liked by many musicians including LADY GAGA herself. 

This Autumn/Winter 2014, Roggykei has chosen to collaborate with London-based animation artist, Noriko Okaku for their collection. Themed “Iron Dualism II”, it is a continuation from their earlier Spring/Summer 2014 collection, basing it’s collection story on three characters, namely Tetsuo, Tetsuko and Kotetsu (Iron boy, Iron girl and small iron boy in Japanese). 

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ROGGYKEI is available in Japan and France, namely Xanadu and Midwest Tokyo in Tokyo, Les Nuit and Midwest Osaka in Osaka, WAIT in Paris and many more. Click on the link -> (http://roggykei.com/shop-list/) for the full shop listings.

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2. LALALOVE London (Thailand / London)

From left to right: Love Me Love Not Cropped Sweater and Love Me Love Not Body Suit

An all-time favourite of ours, LALALOVE London is a bi-continentally based fashion label by designer Linda Charoenlab that is famous for its bold and edgy digital-printed designs on eco-friendly fabrics. 

This Autumn/Winter 2014, the label celebrates the notion of love by drawing inspiration from Newton’s law of universal gravitation.

Basing on this scientific analogy of romantic affection, the collection is filled with a stunning abloom of flower prints, namely roses of different, unusual shades, as well as the depiction of flying birds and their falling feathers on a palette of unique materials, such as waterproof neoprene, silk and ultra light knit jersey in loose-fitting, unisex silhouettes.

Sealed with her signature pun-intended gimmicky style, Linda also made sure to include some catchy, fun-loving messages such as OMFG, LOL and LOVE ME, LOVE ME in the forms of embroidered varsity letters – all done in the spirit of the cut-and-paste punk aesthetics. Come on, don’t we all love some light-hearted humour? 

From left to right: Gravity Rose Cropped Sweater, Bird’s Eye View Top and OMG It’s Newton Dress

The collection range for this season includes sweaters in full-length and cropped style, t-shirts, a series of mid-length and maxi skirts, dresses, leggings, jackets, as well as a selection of body suits that are suitable to be worn for the beach. 

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LALALOVE London shop is located at The Emporium Departmental Store in Bangkok as well as online.

The brand is also available in Topshop Oxford Circus in London, The Buckhouse Refinery, Superspace and ModeInAsia in Singapore. For full list of stockists, visit http://lalalovelondon.com/stockists/

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3. Fabitoria (Taiwan)

I must say, Taiwan fashion label Fabitoria by designers Fabiana and Victoria is an instant charmer with their range of quirky digital prints. 

With Post-Modernism and Surrealism as the central ideas of their brand, the designer duo approached the season with a little indulgence in spring and the sparkling booms of life, fixating their prints towards the botanical side of things. The collection sports a series of sleek clothing silhouettes, with bespoke craftsmanship as well as a range of clever takes on the cuts and style of the clothing.

Some of these interesting details include double-slits along the front of a serious looking pencil skirt, a single scalloped hemline along a cropped top, a concave neckline and a cut-out effect along the waistline of a fitted halter dress (above), to name a few.  

Most importantly, we love how feminine and elegant these clothes are made out to be, making them the perfect wear for a dinner date.

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Fabitoria is available at their studio/showroom in Taipei, Taiwan (No. 232, Section 4, Ren’ai Rd, Daan District Taipei City, Taiwan 106), as well as online at Etsy. 

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4. MORPHE (India)

Showcasing looks from MORPHE at BLUEPRINT Opening Fashion Show

Hailing from New Delhi, India, the brand by designer Shenali Sema draws inspiration from art for her latest collection.

We love the idea of how the designer managed to infuse graphical elements from American painter Mark Rothko as well as a take on The Wave by Katsushika Hokusai, by incorporating them as hand drawn artworks within intricate embroidery and printed patterns.

These stunning handiworks are then produced on a series of translucent silk organza structured tops and skirts, which are lined with soft rayon shantung. Talk about comfort and aesthetics, MORPHE made sure that it has everything all in one!

Definitely one label to watch out for!

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MORPHE is available online at NotJustALabel.

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5. ZEQUUN (South Korea)

Back at the BLUEPRINT trade show for the second time, ZEQUUN, a Seoul fashion label by designer Hwang Jae Kun, who is also the winner of Korea All-Stars Project Runway Season 3, releases a new womenswear line for this season.

Formerly classified as a Homme brand, ZEQUUN now consists of both menswear and womenswear lines of tailored apparels, catering to the metropolitan men and women in our society who are unafraid to express their contemporary fashion styles.

With structurally-crafted silhouettes and the usage of bold materials, the latest collection from the brand exudes a seemingly avant garde approach in design, with a choice of geometrically-textured fabrics and leather that give off a metallic sheen, whilst paying strict attention to the beautiful angular cuts and detailing of the clothes.

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ZEQUUN is currently stocked at Florentine in Hong Kong (13/F.,Nam Hing Fong, 39 Yiu Wa Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong), as well as K & MAK in Beirut, Lebanon. 

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6. Modement (Hong Kong)

Have you ever thought of wearing your boyfriend’s clothes out for a walk? Or for the boys, wearing your girlfriend’s clothes? Well guess what, that impossibility has just turned into a mission possible.

Born out of the idea of creating an androgynous image for both male and female in 2010, MODEMENT is a Hong Kong fashion label by award-winning designer Aries Sin that blur the lines between the genders, with her range of unisex clothing.

Utilising minimal cutting and a myriad of exquisite fabrics, including leather, cotton, wool and mesh netting, the clothes may come across as simplistic at first glance, but boost a spectrum of spellbinding finishing and panelling, including unique glow-in-the-dark seam tubing and taping, as well as two-way pieces that can be worn both inside out.

Crafted in slightly loose fits, the range of clothing is definitely appealing to both genders with a slight splash of colours on a rather firm monochromatic colour palette – not too loud, and not too safe either.

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MODEMENT’s showroom is located in Hong Kong at Flat 130B, 1/F Innocentre, 72 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong.

The brand is also available via their online store 

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7. Fannie Schiavoni (UK)

Intriguing and highly conceptual, Fannie Schiavoni is a three-time British Fashion Council New Gen award-winning London-based fashion designer, who produces innovative pieces of garments and jewelleries that are well-liked by high-profile artists such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry.

Standing out with her usage of unconventional materials such as PVC alongside her signature joint method with chain metal, her Autumn/Winter 2014 collection also comprises of a artistic display of embroidery stitching with yarn across the bodice, in the fashion of concave and convex arcs that overlaps in a seamless fashion.

In terms of the jewelleries from her Autumn/Winter 2014 Unisex collection, she induces a slightly medieval feel to the collection by drawing references from religious motifs on oxidised steel rings, as well as accenting certain body harnesses with lush Swarovski crystals, giving it a modernistic vibe amidst the intricate carvings. 

Definitely a label to look to if you are looking for statement pieces to add to your repertoire. 

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Fannie Schiavoni is available online via her webstore, as well as in Lane Crawford and IT in Hong Kong, Club 21 in Singapore, Isetan Shinjuku in Japan, Barneys and Opening Ceremony in USA. 

Click for full shop listings in USA and ASIA. 

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8. Matter Matters (Hong Kong)

When it comes to bags and their finishings, matter does matters to a really large extent.

It is every woman’s dream to find a perfect bag – one that has a great milage in our wardrobe and possesses a durable and sturdy endurement towards the exceptional amount of things we put into them as we go along with our everyday lives. But most of the time, we are being letdown by bags that score in the aesthetic department yet disappoint in the areas of quality and workmanship – only to watch them fall apart and bid us adios. 

As if to answer our woes, Matter Matters, a bag label by young Hong Kong designer Flora Leung, who is trained in London College of Fashion, brings about a brighter prospects to our search by priding itself in the delivering high-quality leather bags that are made to last. 

With a straightforward design approach and an eclectic fusion of elements from the art periods namely, Art Deco, Post-Modernism, Bauhaus and Cubism, Matter Matters’ bags possess a clean-cut, vivid colour-blocking contrast amidst a geometrical style, that adds a pop to any outfit with the unique fusion of plastic chain links as part of the adjustable straps and square-shaped clasps for the range of clutches.

The label also has a line of sleek wristwatches, as well as leather cardholders and wallets with uniquely-angled card slots, ranging from the style of diagonal stripes to contrasting colour-blocking effect, that could go along with these impeccable bags. 

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The Matter Matters Gallery Concept Store is located at K11 SELECT | SHOP 101 K11, No.18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong and online via their webstore.

The brand is also available in France, China, Taiwan, as well as London, at NotJustALabel. For full shop listings, visit http://www.matterreallymatters.com/retail.php.

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9. Úna Burke (London, United Kingdom)

Oh boy are we madly in love with the avant garde and conceptual designs of award-winnning London-based designer Úna Burke.

Produced with only the most exquisite British and Italian Vegetable Tanned leathers using traditional leather-working techniques in her atelier, the brand boosts an exciting selection of belts, hand bags, jewellery and body pieces that are approached with the notion of creating wearable art.

Sculptural in forms, and elegant in finishing, the pieces from the label are made specially for the discerning group of individuals who appreciate quality and creativity. 

Our personal favourite has got to be the stunning blue leather body harness that encircles the body in a complementing fashion. It is no wonder why the brand has such a strong celebrity following including the likes of Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Daphne Guinness!

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Úna Burke collection is available across Europe, Asia, USA and Middle East (full shop listings). It is also available online via NotJustALabel and Savoir Couture.

The brand is available locally in Singapore at the following locations: 

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10.  Sweet Villains (Taiwan)

Oh Sweet Villians! We’re not going to lie – we were first hooked to this label plainly because of it’s catchy brand name. I mean, like how sweet can villians be in the first place? Probably never, right?

Upon discovering further, we realised that this Taiwan-based label is actually dedicated to the making of contemporary and British fashion styled handmade shoes for men and women, all with the concept of bringing a new look to classic shoes silhouettes.

Here are just some of the shoes that we have picked out from their edgy range of pattern-printed leather shoes, namely the laced-up blucher shoes and a pair of tasselled loafers, which would nonetheless be essential in sprucing up even the dullest outfits.

So if you think about it, it certainly does takes a villian to make a hero. Especially with such fabulous kicks!

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Sweet Villians is available online at Pinkoi. For more information, visit Sweet Villians’ Facebook Page.