Award-winning virtual fashion festival. The Front Row, unveils latest line-up of participating brands & artists
Introducing Singapore’s top virtual influencer, Rae, as the fifth face for the campaign, with the latest line-up of local and international labels and hybrid events. The Front Row 2021 delves deeper into the buzzes of a new digital era, for fashion that looks towards an inclusive and responsible future.
Rae (left in first row) joins The Front Row 2021 as a new personality alongside Singapore supermodel Diya Prabhakar, fast-rising models Lisa Van Duren, Alexis Cooke, and up-and-coming male model Srri Raam
Singapore, 27 July 2021 – The Front Row (TFR), Singapore’s definitive virtual fashion festival, supported by Singapore Tourism Board’s Kickstart Fund, is set to kick off on 27 August 2021 at www.thefrontrow.style/. This year’s free-to-view festival packs the full gamut of fashion shows in one virtual space by spotlighting latest designs from 10 homegrown brands and 8 regional and international labels. Combined with a series of highly anticipated on-ground hybrid* fashion events, this year’s festival features special collaborations with homegrown jewellery brand Marilyn Tan Jewellery, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), the much-talked about Miss Universe Singapore 2021 pageant and iconic online retailer, Robinsons Online, that re-entered Singapore in late June 2021.
A New Virtual Face
The Front Row 2021 aims to bring together Singaporean faces of today and the future’s fashion scene. Joining the campaign, alongside Singapore supermodel Diya Prabhakar, fast-rising models Lisa Van Duren, Alexis Cooke, and up-and-coming male model Srri Raam, as well as the much-anticipated fifth personality - Singapore’s top virtual influencer, Rae (@here.is.rae). With more than 520,000 followers on Instagram and Weibo, Rae embodies the latest development in digital trends and content creation by pushing the boundaries of real and virtual realms, further illustrating the future of fashion and digital transformation at the heart of The Front Row 2021.
The Front Row aims to bring together Singaporean faces of today and the future in the fashion scene. This year's campaign features virtual influencer, Rae (pictured).
For Rae, the future of fashion and digital trends are closer than never before. Created digitally by CGI technology and powered by AI, this has played a big part in defining how Rae shapes her reality in the metaverse.
A New Virtual Face
The Front Row 2021 aims to bring together Singaporean faces of today and the future’s fashion scene. Joining the campaign, alongside Singapore supermodel Diya Prabhakar, fast-rising models Lisa Van Duren, Alexis Cooke, and up-and-coming male model Srri Raam, as well as the much-anticipated fifth personality - Singapore’s top virtual influencer, Rae (@here.is.rae). With more than 520,000 followers on Instagram and Weibo, Rae embodies the latest development in digital trends and content creation by pushing the boundaries of real and virtual realms, further illustrating the future of fashion and digital transformation at the heart of The Front Row 2021.
An Eclectic Selection of Labels with A Common Vision
This year’s festival line-up of fashion labels puts forth a diverse range of inspirations and styles that are dynamic and reflective of the zeitgeist of our era. In line with one of The Front Row 2021’s key themes of conscious consumption, some of the local and international labels embrace a more responsible, inclusive and seasonless ethos, especially those making inroads to the industry.
In addition to homegrown labels, the festival will also showcase the latest collections of eight demi-couture, avant-garde and ready-to-wear overseas fashion labels with origins from Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea and France. These highly-anticipated virtual presentations seek to broaden perspectives on Asian fashion, and shed light on its ease of accessibility and prestige, even in the virtual world of today.
Challenges to Online Opportunities: Robinsons Online Collaboration
Unprecedented times call for new ideas and a break from tradition. To move on and get ahead, niche brands and mega retailers alike have embraced the present by jumping on the bandwagon and going on digital overhauls. Fronting the digital fashion revolution is The Front Row and this year, aside from setting the stage for new homegrown and regional labels, the festival will be collaborating with Singapore retail icon Robinsons Online to spotlight homegrown brands under The Front Row Collective on www.robinsons.com.sg, including exclusive collection collaborations.
Inspirations from Home, for Home
This year’s festival also comprises a noteworthy collaboration between Singaporean eponymous jewellery label Marilyn Tan Jewellery and local artisanal lab-grown diamond start-up, The Better Diamond. The homegrown duo will create a uniquely Singaporean tiara that is melded with Peranakan design influences for the esteemed Miss Universe Singapore 2021 pageant.
The Front Row 2021 and its founder Daniel Boey, will also be setting the creative and fashion direction for the pageant, which will feature selected labels from The Front Row 2021.
Livestreamed on thefrontrow.style on 17 September 2021 at 9pm.
Get ready for some expert styling tips too, as designer Marilyn Tan conducts a style workshop in conjunction with Design Orchard. The workshop will be hosted by Daniel Boey, with special appearance by former top model, Look of the Year Singapore 1990 and Best Model of the World Singapore 1992, Lyn Wang.
Livestreamed on www.thefrontrow.style on 28 August 2021 at 2.30pm.
Charting a New Course for the Future of Fashion
In its bid to bring fashion online and into the future, The Front Row 2021 will be working with Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) on “The Debutants of 2021” - a timely collaboration that comprises a podcast with appearances by the Vice-Dean of NAFA Fashion Department Anthony Tan and NAFA fashion graduates, as they share raw personal insights about fashion education in the pandemic era. The Front Row 2021 will also be broadcasting the graduate fashion shows for 2021 NAFA designers. The collaboration is set to showcase an invigorating display of top design pieces and collections selected from the graduate fashion show through a physical exhibition* on campus.
Livestreamed on www.thefrontrow.style.
“This year, NAFA's involvement goes beyond panel discussions to showcase our recent design graduates' best works and collections. The Front Row has provided NAFA’s aspiring designers with invaluable exposure and inspiration, serving as a creative stimulus for homegrown and international designers during these difficult times. With a growing number of good designers producing fashion pieces backed by strong principles of sustainability, The Front Row 2021’s theme of conscious consumption is a timely message and a step forward into a sustainable post-pandemic future for fashion that NAFA is thrilled to be part of,” shares Mr Anthony Tan, Vice-Dean, NAFA School of Art & Design.
Fashion Gallery Showcases from Across the Globe
This year’s fashion festival boasts an elegant line-up of artists from Singapore and around the world in an exquisite fashion gallery showcase, featuring internationally renowned celebrity photographer Filbert Kung and featured paper sculptor Marianne Guély, who is also known as one of the pioneering women to introduce paper in the world of design and scenography.
In line with The Front Row 2021’s aspiration to nurture and showcase exciting new talents, this year’s The Front Row will showcase the works of up-and-coming local fashion photographer Hans Goh, who is known for his experimental and contemporary works. Hans Goh will be holding his first online exhibition on The Front Row 2021, showcasing editorial shoots that feature a range of swimwear designs and edgy evening styles.
Breaking the Mould: A Conversation About Inclusivity and Diversity in Fashion
The face of the fashion industry is changing, literally. The Front Row 2021 is steering this conversation with its series of chats, featuring the owners of Singapore’s top modelling agencies. AVE Management, MISC Management and NOW Model Management will be delving into the topic of representation in fashion, how the definition of beauty is changing in the fashion industry, and how local modelling agencies are shifting their focus to become more inclusive.
A full update of the programme rundown will be released closer to the launch date. Stay tuned to The Front Row’s social media and online platforms.