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Aiwei Foo.

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When Fashion Meets Art | IEX Asian Heritage

When I think of fashion, I think of it as an art form. I don't know if my brother being an artist had anything to do with that thought but I've been constantly inspired by art whilst growing up. Beside fashion being an art form, it's also culturally driven and that is what gives fashion a truly unique perspective and depth. You could study the different styles worn across the ages and actually understand the society that lived in that time and how they shaped and moulded the style as the times progressed.  The launch of the IEX Asian Heritage exhibition at the Asian Civilization Museum celebrated the notion that art transcends all industries and with that you'll be able to witness a wholesome unity of fashion, culture and heritage into art. Ideas Empire sought out to create a collection of items by collaborating with various local artists in hopes of revitalizing the art scene in a consumable manner. Basically, all of the pieces from the exhibition are available for purchase at the museum, online and at various stockists. 

I particularly enjoyed the section on wearable art where fashion designers incorporated cultural inspirations from Southeast Asia's past into designs fit for the modern society. 

Crafted out of acrylic, the Inspire Ring (SGD$38) above was designed by Andrew Cheong from Hatch. The versatility of the ring drew me in - the top is detachable from the main ring and could be swopped with other colours if one were to purchase more than one ring. Also, with each ring purchased, a thin silver chain is given so that you could string it through the top half of the ring and wear it as a necklace. Talk about functionality and two for the price of one!

With versatility in mind, the above SOS Necklace (SGD$150) designed by Diana Tang is no less. You could easily remove the individual 'ropes' from the main necklace and twist around your wrists as the currently on trend friendship bands.  Other designers were Pauline Ning whose collection was a reflection of the fragility of a Chinese Porcelain bowl and the toughness of the gilt metal that covered it, Hide & Seek's Keith Png & Juffri Jefferi who did a series of caps, t-shirts and scarves were also inspired by the Chinese Porcelain bowl, Carrie K. who did a collection of jewelry inspired from the design aesthetics of traditional jewelry and also Aiwei Foo who did a body harness that holds no specific method of wearing it. 

Finally, after taking a look at the selection of fashionable art. The section on food prints featured master ceramist, Steven Low and a group of talented illustrators and designers including Steven Lawler (Mojoko), Michael Ng (Mindflyer), &Larry and B.A.L.L.S. 

Completely fell in love with the idea of this piece where they took the east and west dichotomy of eating eggs. The above is how the easterners would eat half boiled eggs in a saucer and below is the westerners manner of having a hard boiled egg. It's a fairly simple concept but entirely relevant in today's age of globalization.  This would be a nifty piece of crockery to have in your house, ideal for those with Asian and Western friends. 

The IEX Asian Heritage exhibition will be running till 2 September 2012 at the Asian Civilization Museum. For more information you could visit the site at www.iex.sg and their Facebook page.  

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