Ong Shunmugam - The Cheongsam collection 2017

Illustration inspired by the Ong Shunmugam Cheongsam 2017 collection

If you're interested in fashion and you happen to move to a new Country, you're likely to check out the local designers as soon as you land (actually I did already weeks before, while I was still packing my apartment in Belgium... I've always been a good student).

The brand Ong Shunmugam (by wonderwoman Priscilla Shunmugam) is the first I found out in my pre-move Google searches targeted at discovering Singapore fashion.
I was immediately smitten by one very peculiar thing of her collections: the ability of melting traditional Asian elements and fabrics into very modern silhouettes and shapes.
This was already very evident in her previous collections (I was inspired by one of them for this illustration), but with the 2017 collection, named "Cheongsam" after the traditional Chinese womenswear, she really brought this mix of tradition and modernity to another level.
The pastel colors and the fun details such as the flowerpower earrings and the custom-made Vans sneakers added a completely different modern and fresh glow to the collection and the runway presentation.

I was lucky to be able to attend the show and visit the backstage (that's my favorite part! Gotta love backstage sketching and chatting with the models and make-up artists) during Singapore Fashion Week last October and I completely fell in love with the atmosphere Priscilla wanted to convey with this collection.
These clothes have that kind of versatility that allows you to wear them to a Chinese New Year party as well as to a meeting at work, and I would totally splurge on them if I wasn't broke because I really can see them as a staple for a woman who lives in a country like Singapore, always on a very inspiring edge between Asian heritage and Western influences.

Enough said, I leave you with a few more pics from the runway and the backstage, taken by wonderful photographer and long time blog-friend Aggie (check out her website, her photos are so beautiful!)

In the backstage - Photo by Agnes Leong

On the runway - Photo by Agnes Leong

On the runway - Photo by Agnes Leong

Silhouettes from the @ongshunmugam runway show ✏️ quick sketches to bring back home and make proper illustrations of this beautiful collection! #aldraws #SGFW @singaporefashionweek

A photo posted by Alessia Landi (@aldraws_) on Oct 29, 2016 at 5:59am PDT

And very quick impressions from the runway, as seen on my Instagram

Hope you liked this collection as much as I did, stay tuned for more Singaporean fashion discoveries!

xxx Al