INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES12 | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2013. . . .

StyleSINGAPORE

BY ALEXANDRA KOHUT-COLE

The backdropwas aParisian boulevard,and the catwalk was lined with faketrees in autumnal colors. But the elec-tricity in the air was all Singapore.FIDé Fashion Week 2013, presented

by the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands,displayed the work of 10 Asian and fourFrench designers over an 11-day sched-ule inmid-October.Frank Cintamani, chairman and

founder of the three-year-old event,says he has created Asia’s only com-

plete fashion event, with shows display-ing men’s and women’s ready-to-wearas well as couture.And the week’s atmosphere is very

different from that found at other fash-ion gatherings, Mr. Cintamani stressed.Elsewhere, he said, ‘‘Youdon’t get otherdesigners sitting in the front row, sup-porting one another. You don’t get themgoing to the back room, helping themhem a dress two minutes before theshow starts.’’According to Forbes.com, Singapore

is now the world’s fastest growingwealth hub, and fashion is taking advan-tage. In addition to the FIDé week, thecity-state also is host to the Audi Fash-ion Festival, which marked its fifth yearinMay, andDigital FashionWeek, a live-streamed event in early November thatallows immediate online purchasing.The FIDéweek offered fivemen’s and

four women’s prêt-à-porter shows,among thema one-hour presentation byGuo Pei, one of China’s best-known de-signers.She said her ‘‘1002 Nights’’ collection

was inspired by the tales in ‘‘The Arabi-anNights’’ anda trip to Iran that left herin awe of its culture and history. Onestyle was a short, sculptural purpledress with a green bodice, styled withsharp rings, necklaces and high plat-form shoes — representing, the design-er said, the courage, personality and

fearlessness of youth.Even in rehearsal itwas fascinating to

watch the models pose on the 15-centi-meter, or six-inch, platforms. HuangChao Yan, a Chinese model, said: ‘‘It’shard to balance. They are not a flat sur-face, and they move, so it’s difficult notto knock them together and hard tomake themwalk in a straight line.’’Ms. Pei said the shoes reflected the

shapes used in the Qing dynasty, whichbegan in the mid-17th century. ‘‘Thehigh heel in China is in the middle of the

foot, not like on the heel in the Westernway,’’ she explained.A heavy kimono of rich greens,

purples and goldswas complimented bya geisha-style makeup designed byRomero Jennings, the makeup-artistrydirector at the MAC cosmetics com-pany. It included long red eyelashes thathe fashioned out of a metallic contactpaper found in Korea.Ms. Pei clearly loves her work, noting

that ‘‘couture is very open. It touchespeople’s hearts. It’s an incredible art.’’

The Beijing designer noted that whenshe began her label in the 1980s, ‘‘no oneknew traditional Chinese embroidery.’’Now, she said, she employs 450 artisans,she has trained herself because ‘‘memo-ries and skills have gone.’’Michael Cinco, a Filipino designer in

Dubai, said he was inspired by mata-dors and flamenco dancers, the Alham-bra Palace in Granada and the Alba Fla-menca restaurant in Edinburgh.‘‘Most of my collection is in reds,

shades of reds; layers and layers of lace;blacks and beige,’’ the designer saidfrom behind his trademark hide-the-eyes shades.His outfits includedamata-dor-style jacket with sequin tassels, ablood-red lace cape, and a long beigedress with a high neck and long sleevesthat had lace, tulle and crystal detailing.Mr. Cinco, whose clients include Lady

Gaga and the Colombian actress SofiaVergara, said he loved working withtulle ‘‘because I can put a different kindof provocation with a lot of details on it,and Swarovski crystals give drama, po-etry and emotion to the wearer.’’The Indonesian designer Sebastian

Gunawan’s ‘‘Mod Muse’’ show rockedto a riotous soundtrack that includedmusic by the Rolling Stones, the Clashand the Sex Pistols. ‘‘Music works withthe clothes to create and follow whatmodern women are,’’ he said.But, the designer added, ‘‘part of my

dream is seeing when women feel likeprincesses, too’’ — like any womenwould in his beaded and embroideredlong gown of midnight blue raw silk.Yumi Katsura, one of Japan’s most

prolific designers, surprised the audi-ence with a short puff dress — embel-lished with Swarovski crystals runningdown the shoulders, arms and legs —that, with a pull on a ribbon, cascadedinto a long gown.And Lie Sang Bong, considered one of

the most influential couturiers in SouthKorea, described his collection as‘‘flowers blossoming explosively, likefireworks in a city.’’ He featured 1960sswirly print A-line dresses, mostly inblack and white silk, which were set offby themodels’ black nails.Kenzo Takada, founder of the Kenzo

fashion house, observed the Japanese

designers: Junko Koshino’s dramaticcapes, Yoshiki Hishinuma’s hand-painted flora and fauna motifs on silksand chiffons, and Keita Maruyama’s’50s skirts and a green and white dresswith green bows racing down the back.The French Couture evening, a high-

light of the event, featured the Paris de-signers Alexis Mabille and JulienFournié and the French label On AuraVu Tout.Mr. Fournié showed both his autumn

2013 couture line and a capsule collec-tion, JulienFournié forLoveBonito, cre-ated for the online store founded inSingapore by Rachel Lim and ViolaTan.His couture ‘‘First Chimera’’ collec-

tion was inspired by American comicsand superheroines, with what the de-signer called ‘‘amix andmatch betweenwoman, lion andmermaid.’’Mr. Fournié said his obsession, along

with the zippered hem, is ‘‘how to elon-gate the body as the famous artistModigliani’’ did and noted that themuted chocolate palettewas inspired bythe colors of the painter Gustav Klimt.One style: 33minkpelts stitched onto anorganza ribbon by Rebecca Bradley, theLondon furrier, to create amink dress.In contrast, the capsule collection

lured the Love Bonito girl with a riot ofcolor — purples, apple green, fuchsiaand yellow — as well as Mr. Fournié’sfunky zipper hems.At the conclusion, the designer and

his Love Bonito collaborators danceddown the catwalk hand-in-hand as glit-tering confetti rained down — some-thing of a metaphor for the entire fash-ion week.

An exotic blend of East andWest

ONLINE: IN SINGAPOREFor more photographs of FIDé Fashion

Week 2013, visit inyt.com/style.

Fashion takes advantageof Singapore’s wealth inanother style showcase

The Filipino de-signer MichaelCinco, center atleft, chose a mata-dor theme for hiscollection. Right,guests awaitingthe start of a showat the MarinaBay Sands.

The Chinese de-signer Guo Pei, farleft, at FIDé Fash-ion Week in Singa-pore, and an outfitfrom her ‘‘1002Nights’’ collection,which she said wasinspired partly bya trip to Iran thatleft her in aweof its cultureand history.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY EDWIN KOO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013 | S1INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES. . . .

special report

BY SUZYMENKES

The students radiating joy and excite-ment, the proudparents applauding, thespeeches and the awards. It could havebeen any student fashion show any-where across the world.The profiles of these fledgling design-

ers were made clear in the program —born/raised in Beijing; born/raised inSeoul, South Korea; in Toyota City, Ja-pan; in Taipei, Taiwan; Bangkok;Chongqing, China;HoChiMinhCity, Vi-etnam — and so on for 14 of the 19 stu-dents on this year’s graduate runway.Where was this school? The very last

student gave out the message: born/raised San Francisco.The student body at the Academy of

Art University, founded in 1929, is repre-sentative of students in art and designcolleges across the Western world.Whether it is Parsons in New York orCentral Saint Martins in London, stu-dents of Asian origin fill the classes,either because they are supersmart orbecause their parents are prepared topay hefty fees.If neither is true, students across Asia

now can register for virtual classes onthe Internet.So the great fashion question for Asia

in the 21st century is this: Can smartyoung designers from Beijing to Singa-pore make the Far East a source of cre-ativity, rather than a consumer of highfashion?‘‘We are proud to be educating the

next generation of artists and creators,many of whom will be involved in thebusiness and design of luxury goods,’’says Elisa Stephens, the university’spresident, who calls San Francisco ‘‘themost innovative city on the Pacific Rim.’’The academy welcomes Asian stu-

dents. Out of its total enrollment of16,153 students, including thoseconnected digitally, 4,138, almost 25 per-

cent, are from Asia. Out of 4,000-plusyoung talents, at least 50 might be ex-pected to become movers and shakersin the world of Asian design, drawing inSoutheast Asian countries like Indone-sia, Malaysia, Singapore or Thailand.But it hasn’t happened yet — despite

the fact that many Asian countries arenow holding fashion weeks to showcaselocal talent. So far, Asian-born design-ers have pierced the market mainly intheUnitedStates. The success stories—Phillip LimandAlexanderWang, for ex-ample— are the American-born design-erswho are building brands in countries

Seeking Asia’s breakthrough

SAM KANG LI/BLOOMBERG NEWS

BREAKTHROUGH, PAGE S5

IN CHINAWestern brands have been finding newhomes in the country’s second- andthird-tier cities. INSIDE

IN JAKARTAIndonesia and other Southeast Asiancountries are the new engines of luxurygrowth in the region. INSIDE

EDWIN KOO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

EDWIN KOO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013 | S7INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES. . . .

special report

LONDON

BY SUZYMENKES

‘‘Appreciating crocodile-skin bags isreally like diamonds. There are the fourC’s — cut, color, clarity and carat, be-cause the skins becomemore expensiveas they get larger,’’ says the designerEthan Koh, surrounded by some of themost vivid specimens of his exotic-skinhandbags.Alligator bags come in shocking pink,

sunshine yellow, fiery red, deep blueand other hues inspired by the tropicalfruits, African violets and signatureorchids of his native Singapore.And there are the animal motifs on

the decorative clasps, drawn fromAsiancultures: a frog for good luck andprosperity, a hedgehog for freedom andthe sensuality of a snake.Such full-on glamour intended for a

rarified clientele seems a lot for a 26-year-old designer to have taken on. Es-pecially asMr. Koh, who studied at Cen-tral St. Martins, only began his Ethan Kcompany three years ago with 3,000pounds, or about $4,800, borrowed fromhis father.ButMr. Koh has a story to tell. Raised

in Singapore, part of the fourth genera-tion of a family of artisans and broughtup a stone’s throw from the family tan-nery, the young designer has enoughexperience to make bespoke bags for aprincess.And one just happened to inquire

about Mr. Koh’s own bag outside theConnaught hotel in London one day,eventually joining his affluent coterie ofcustomers.His bags, which sell at stores likeHar-

rods andHarvey Nichols in Dubai, startat £2,200 for a clutch, while special or-ders are £25,000 ormore.Mr. Koh’s love of vivid color can be

traced back to his childhood. Singaporeis at the heart of his designs, just as hisknowledge of skins has been passeddown from his great-grandfather, whocame to Singapore, which was then aBritish colony, from China.‘‘I was surrounded by somany tropic-

al plants, and as a kid I was always fedwith a plate of dragon and star fruits,’’Mr. Koh explains as he puts out some ofthe exotic fruit to compete with the col-orful purses.‘‘I would say all my bags are inspired

by Asian spices,’’ he said. ‘‘Sometimes Itake the spice or fruit to the family’s tan-nery, where my brother does some de-velopment with me. It really touchesour hearts.’’Mr. Koh’s heart is in his birth country

— even though he lives in tony Mayfairandworkswith Italian craftspeople, andthe family business, Heng Long, hasbeen bought by the global luxury giantLVMHMoët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.‘‘I am absolutely proud of the waymy

city has become,’’ he says. ‘‘It used to bea tropical rain forest. Then it became afishing village and Singapore was anentry port of trade.We have a great mixof the Chinese, the Malaysian, the Indi-ans and even the Eurasians.’’‘‘While I am extremely proud of my

city for modernization and globaliza-

Inspired by home

Ethan Koh, the designer behind theEthan K exotic skins company, wasraised in Singapore.While he now livesin London, he returns often— and hassome things to say about his home-town.

Q.What is your favorite part of town?A.When I’m back in Singaporemy timeis usually packed out inmeetings so Idon’t get to explore it as much as I didwhen I was growing up there.I love to visit the Botanic Gardens.

It’s a place where I can explore thebeautiful flowers, fruits and spiceswhich have inspired the colors I havetannedmy precious creations in. Alsomy new collection, TheWizard of theSecret Garden, is based onmywalksthrough the beautiful gardens in Singa-pore.

Q. Favorite restaurant?A.With Singapore being a food lovers’paradise, it’s difficult to choose fromthe variety of great places to eat.

I really love eating at The Fat Cow, aJapanese-inspired steakhouse, becauseI always leave feeling really happy. Ialso love taking friends to the LongBeach Seafood Restaurant for AlaskanSingapore chilli crab, a ‘‘must eat’’ inSingapore. Also, to Yantra for haute In-dian cuisine.

Q.What’s a great music place?A. Lantern at The Fullerton BayHotelhas some amazing D.J.’s coupled withgreat drinks and an really incredible

view of the Singapore skyline. I alwaystake friends visiting Singapore there.Also, to Bar Stories on Arab Street.

Q.Where do you go to chill out?A.Without a doubt it’s the Capella Re-sort. It feels like you’re in a secretgarden drenched in colonial heritage.At the same time, it has spectacularviews of the ocean and a constant feel-ing of calm, especially as Singapore isso fast paced.I often go to there to relax and sketch

whilst drinking green tea, and I oftenhave some of my best ideas whilst tak-ing in the beautiful sunsets there. Also,the Raffles Hotel, which portrays thecolonial heritage of Singapore and itsromantic past.

Q.What about for shopping?A.My favorite place to shop in Singa-

pore isMalmaison by TheHour Glass,which has a really cool vibe. It’s defin-itely a place to explore with its niche se-lection of designers who display theirproducts in a way to really capture yourimagination. (Ethan Kmen’s collectionis exclusively stocked there, along withPatek Philippe, HarryWinston and oth-er luxury labels.)

Ethan Koh:My Singapore

COURTESY OF ETHAN K

Ethan Koh withsome of the hand-bags he has cre-ated from exoticskins. The Singa-porean designerbegan his com-pany, Ethan K,three years agowith money heborrowed fromhis father.

‘‘While I am extremely proudof my city for modernizationand globalization, a certainpart of our culture has been alittle bit lost.’’

tion, a certain part of our culture hasbeen a little bit lost,’’ he continues. ‘‘Isee my task as not just to design beauti-ful crocodile bags to satisfywomen’s de-sires, but also to share with my friendsand family our genuine culture. Wehave to be proud of whowe are, our her-itage andwhat we stand for.’’

SINGAPORE BOTANIC GARDENS

EDWIN KOO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

EDWIN KOO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Swan LakeGazebo in theBotanic Gardens.

Singapore’s ArabStreet by night.

Inside Malmaisonby The Hour Glass.

HOW HWEE YOUNG/EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY

Chilli crab, whichEthan Koh says isa ‘‘must eat’’ inSingapore.

MIL

ANO

PARIS

NEW

YORK

TORONTO

SHANGHAI

info@almax-italy.com | almax-italy.com | lfs-trimco.com

INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMESS8 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013. . . .

special report

TAIPEI

BY CATHERINE SHU

AsSoutheastAsia emerges as an impor-tant growth market for luxury, compa-nies are facing the challenge of selling toa customer base that is constantlyconnected to the Internet through mo-bile devices.And compared with customers in oth-

er regions, those in Southeast Asia areespecially attached to their smart-phones.According to a September report by

the global information and measure-ment company Nielsen, 87 percent ofSingaporeans and 80 percent of Malay-sians own amobile device, amuch high-er rate than the 65 percent tallied in theUnited States.While mobile penetration rates in the

rest of the region are lower (49 percentin Thailand and 23 percent in Indonesia,for example), they are rapidly increas-ing.Claudia D’Arpizio, a partner based in

Milan, Italy, with the management con-sultancy Bain & Company, says that theluxury market in Southeast Asia is ex-pected to grow 11 percent this year — to6 billion euros, or $8.13 billion, in sales—compared with an overall 4 percentgrowth expected in China.Singapore is still the most significant

market in the region, but Malaysia andIndonesia are becoming increasinglyimportant. Thailand and Vietnam alsoshow potential, she said.

Consumer preferences are develop-ing in the same pattern as in otheremerging luxury markets, Ms. D’Arpiz-io said. While Chinese consumers arebecoming more sophisticated and turn-ing away from conspicuous logos in fa-vor of unusual design and craftsman-ship, Southeast Asian shoppers still‘‘seek out more visible, recognizableluxury,’’ she said.The ubiquity of smartphones,

however, means there are new opportu-nities as well as obstacles for luxurycompanies as they woo consumers inSoutheast Asia and beyond.According to Bain’s research, online

transactions now account for 5 percentof all luxury sales around theworld, andmobile is driving a third of that traffic.While mobile-driven sales are still a

very small part of the total ¤217 billionglobal luxury market, retailers recog-nize that they are growing and are up-dating Internet strategies.‘‘Most advertisers started their digi-

tal journey with desktop digital devicesand traditional websites,’’ said RaviThakran, group president of LVMHMoët Hennessy Louis Vuitton for SouthAsia, Southeast Asia and the MiddleEast. ‘‘Mobile is definitely a key tool inSoutheast Asia markets. All of us havestarted to increase our pace in develop-ing mobile sites or relevant apps toreach our consumers.’’Last year, Kering, formerly called

PPR, whose brand portfolio includesGucci, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga,began to see mobile marketing as a ne-cessity instead of a ‘‘nice to have’’ ad-dition to traditional Internet market-ing, said Federico Barbieri, thecompany’s senior vice president of e-marketing.Kering introduced sites optimized for

users with smartphones and tablets. Italso created new analytics dashboards,so each of its more than 20 brands couldtrack online traffic by the type of device.The data will help brands build web-

sites and apps that are easy to browseon different models of smartphones andtablets, Mr. Barbieri said.He noted that the challenges facing

Kering’s mobile developers included in-tegrating high-quality product imagesthat wouldn’t slow navigation or down-load speeds.‘‘The website architecture, naviga-

tion and functionality must be designedwith a totally different approach,’’ Mr.Barbieri explained. ‘‘It’s easier to adaptamobile site to desktop than vice versa,for instance, even if I believe that going

forward we will need a tailor-made ap-proach by device.’’Mr. Thakran says LVMHhas used on-

line videos optimized for mobile view-ing in its Asian advertising campaigns.And the company’s beauty brands,which include Sephora, BeneFit andMake Up For Ever, also have sponsoredweather and photo sharing apps.‘‘Our customers will look for informa-

tion anytime and anywhere, which willhave ahuge influence on their consump-tion behavior,’’ he said. ‘‘However, in or-der to drive success in our overall com-munications, creating the best contentfor consumers is key. No media channelcan work on its own.’’‘‘With the improvement of technol-

ogy, wewill also seemobile as not only amedia device but a great customer-rela-

tionship management tool for adver-tisers,’’ Mr. Thakran added. ‘‘Itprovides a closer and more intimateplatform to send a dedicatedmessage toour consumers.’’In addition, he said, the way con-

sumers respond to such messages mayhelp brands to better understand cus-tomer dynamics and consumers’ de-cision-making processes.Luxury brand executives say that,

along with tailoring online marketingcampaigns to smartphones and tablets,they need to learn how to use themobiledevices to improve service and to formconnections with individual consumersthat are personalized but don’t feel in-trusive.‘‘Luxury companies have to offer

these consumers a seamless experienceacross all devices and channels, fromthe way the shopping experience feelsto the ability to pick up and return mer-chandise, regardless of how it was pur-chased,’’ Ms. D’Arpizio said.For F.J. Benjamin, a Singapore-based

company thatmanages the retail opera-tions of several luxury brands in South-east Asia, including Céline and thewatch company Girard-Perregaux, tab-lets already have become valuable in-storemarketing tools.Sales associates use them to visit

brand websites and online catalogs, aswell as keep track of individual shop-pers’ favorite styles or products.‘‘It’s a simple, elegant way of getting

brand information into the customers’hands at the time the customer is decid-ing on his or her purchase,’’ said BenBenjamin, general manager of F.J. Ben-jamin’s luxury division.‘‘It’s also a great way to link the

product to the global fashion market,’’he added. ‘‘For example, we had aGivenchy customer who loved the factthat a well-known fashionista was pho-tographed by paparazzi in a Givenchyblazer during Paris FashionWeek. It’s atool that allows us to bring the productalive.’’During fashion weeks, he said, store

employees reach customers by email ormessaging apps like WhatsApp orBlackBerry Messenger to ask whichitems they are interested in, as well astheir sizes and favorite colors. That in-formation is relayed to F.J. Benjamin’sbuyers in Paris and Milan, and once thenew items arrive in the stores, sales as-sociates send product photos to theircustomers.Though mobile devices allow stores

to offer a high level of customized ser-vice, they also mean that retail teamshave to strike a careful balance so theydon’t annoy V.I.P. customers with toomany emails or instant messages, retailexecutives say.F. J. Benjamin leaves it up to sales

teams at each location to createstrategies that are ‘‘very personalizedand tailored to individual customers orindividual groups of customers,’’ Mr.Benjamin said.But the fact that shoppers now have

instant access to information makes iteven more important for staff membersto be knowledgeable about everyproduct. In F.J. Benjamin’s stores, forexample, associates are expected tokeep up with social media, their brands’own sites, blogs, sites like Style.comandreviews of individual products even be-fore they arrive at the store.‘‘If consumers go mobile, your com-

pany must do the same. Otherwise theconsumer will end up knowing moreabout your brand than your sales asso-ciates,’’ Mr. Barbieri said.Ms. D’Arpizio says that the increas-

ing use ofmobile Internet also raises the

PHOTOGRAPHS BY EDWIN KOO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Opulence on very small screensbar for luxury brands, requiring themas never before to ensure that each oftheir retail locations carries the rightamount of the right products or risk los-ing customers to competing stores andbrands.‘‘They have to get the execution

right,’’ she said. ‘‘If they can’t followthrough with a good shopping experi-ence, the advertising and brandingdoesn’t matter.’’

The ubiquity of smartphones means opportunitiesas well as obstacles for luxury companies.

Consumers in Asiaare particularly at-tached to mobiledevices, creatingboth opportunitiesand obstacles forluxury companies.Retailers are rec-ognizing mobile’sgrowing impor-tance and are in-creasingly updat-ing their strategies.

Some luxury firmssee mobile not onlyas a media devicebut also as a cus-tomer-relationshipmanagement toolfor advertisers. ‘‘Itprovides a closerand more intimateplatform to send adedicated messageto our consumers,’’one executive said.

INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMESS6 | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2013. . . .

special report

EYE, FROM PAGE S1age and strategy director of Cartier andthe executive in charge of its heritage,the ‘‘Odyssey’’ was a way to get the at-tention of a new generation.‘‘As far as new media is concerned,’’

Mr. Rainero said, ‘‘especially digital, themessage you wish to convey — and inthe case of Cartier, the essence of themaison — has to be understood almostinstantly. If not, you lose the purpose.‘‘It is a challenge to keep the attention

of the viewer. One has to stir not onlycuriosity at each step of the video, butalso the desire to learn more. Authenti-city and excellence are fundamental totransmit the emotion of a creation froma jewelry house into video: the authenti-city of the content and the excellence ofthe execution. Only one of these two no-tions is not enough.’’Mr. Rainero added: ‘‘Whatever the

medium, it is important to take into con-sideration the type of execution that hasto be relevant to the very nature of thecontent and of themedium.’’Cartier has made other videos that

provoke emotion, though none have hadthe phenomenal results of ‘‘Odyssey.’’And it proves that something as hyper-modern as an online brandvideo can tapinto universal and traditional emotions.Stephen Webster, the British jeweler

with a global business and a grip onHol-

lywood, underlines the importance ofpassion and feeling in all his work.‘‘It is very difficult to imagine amate-

rial object that provokes an emotionquite like jewelry,’’ Mr. Webster saidthis month before leaving on his latesttravel adventure to Los Angeles. ‘‘Andwhen designing a piece one cannot helpbut give it a bit of personal thought,emotion and experience.’’ The jewelertends to base the excitement and entice-ment of his work on traditional, nondi-gital, communication.In Beverly Hills, California, Mr. Web-

ster recently played host at a series ofevents that brought together fine jew-elry, art and food at his Rodeo Driveboutique.To start the three consecutive even-

ings with his contemporary art friendsTracy Emin and Mat Collishaw, Mr.Webster, alongside Mark Hix, a Britishchef and restaurateur, held ‘‘The LastSupper Party’’ — a reception to cele-brate the opening of ‘‘The Last Meal onDeath Row,’’ a photo series by Mr. Col-lishaw.Mr. Webster does not plan to mirror

the dramatic, arty event in his designs.Yet on a website such as FarFetch.com,a residue of the same live show of emo-tion can be found in the designer’s ‘‘For-get Me Knot’’ barbed rings, ‘‘JewelsVerne’’ shark-jaw bangle or a Poison

Apple ring.Can emotion about jewelry be

aroused by an even more unlikelysource: Knowledge of where its compo-nents come from?Livia Firth thinks so. The founder of

Eco-Age — who put her heart into theinvention of the ‘‘green carpet,’’ encour-aging stars to parade in clothes madefrom fabrics and techniques that do notharm the planet — has teamed up withChopard to bring a similar spirit to jew-elry.Caroline Scheufele, the artistic direc-

tor and co-president of Chopard, hasmade a partnership with the AllianceforResponsibleMining, an organizationthat aims to help miners sell throughfair trade while not harming the earth.Working with the alliance in South

America, Chopard is determined tomake wearing jewelry feel as good as itlooks. (Something like food lovers whowant to know where the chicken laid itsegg.)Another commitment to good practice

has come from Gemfields, the London-based mining and marketing company:It promises that the gemstones it minesin Zambia have been produced ethically.These differentways of bringing emo-

tion into jewelry prove that there ismore to a stone — however large andmagnificent— than just its sparkle.

STEFANO TROVATI/SG AGENCY

Keeping an eye on emotion

Caroline Sch-eufele, near left,the artistic direc-tor and co-presi-dent of Chopard,with Livia Firth,the founder of Eco-Age. They havealigned themselveswith miners whoproduce respon-sibly sourced jew-els in a sustainablefashion.

SINGAPORE

BY ALEXANDRA KOHUT-COLE

Its organizers called the inauguration ofthe Asian Couture Federation a mile-stonemoment for Asian fashion.‘‘A lot of talented designers are at cou-

ture level,’’ explained Frank Cintamani,the new organization’s founder andpresident. But until the federation wasorganized, there was ‘‘no single body torepresent their interests.’’The nonprofit body is modeled on the

Chambre Syndicale de laHaute Couture

in Paris and the Council of Fashion De-signers ofAmerica (CDFA) inNewYork— both organizations that nurture, pro-mote and support local design talent to aglobal market.The foundation’s debut took place in

mid-October during the third annualFashion Week, presented by theShoppes at Marina Bay Sands and or-ganized by FIDé Fashion Weeks,headed byMr. Cintamani.The announcement was followed by a

gala evening that included a four-coursemenu designed and prepared by theJapanese chef Hide Yamamoto.

Stéphane Rolland, the Parisian couturi-er who participated in the fashionweek,presented a haute couture showcasethat featured the well-known flamencodancer Rafael Amargo.The new organization, which includes

a committee of 11 governors from Asiaand 10 Asian designer members, ap-pointed Kenzo Takada, founder of thefashion house Kenzo, as its honorarypresident. Mr. Takada was in Singaporefor the event.‘‘He understands the need for Asia to

now stake a claim in this industry be-cause he was definitely one of the earli-er pioneers of Asian fashion,’’ Mr.Cintamani said.Among the governors are Kim Sung-

Joo, chairman of Sungjoo Group andowner of the MCM fashion label;Satoshi Onuma, the former president ofBunka Fashion College, Japan’s leadingfashion school; Zio Song of the SouthKorean men’s wear brand Songzio; andKullawit Laosuksri, editor-in-chief ofVogue Thailand.One of the requirements for designers

who wish to become foundation mem-bers is that they live in Asia— an effort,Mr. Cintamani said, to debunk the think-ing that to be credible a designer has to

reside in London, Milan, New York orParis rather than Bangkok; Beijing;Seoul, South Korea; or Tokyo.‘‘I think that perception has to

change,’’ he continued. ‘‘You can createa viable business being anAsian design-er while still being domiciled in Asia.’’Many prominent designers in the

United States, including AlexanderWang, Derek Lam and Jason Wu, areAsian. ‘‘When are we going to stop ex-porting all of these designers becausewe don’t have a platform that is deemedcredible enough for them to participatein?’’ Mr. Cintamani said.The new federation, which has been

endorsed by PrimeMinister Shinzo Abeof Japan and by Queen Sirikit of Thai-land, intends to work closely with Asianschools to create workshops, competi-tions and mentorship programs be-tween emerging designers and seniordesigners. It already has teamed withthe Atelier Chardon Savard in Paris,Parsons School of Design in New Yorkand the CFDA.Guo Pei, one of Beijing’s best-known

designers and a foundation member,said she believes it will be ‘‘a gateway tothe world’’ for Chinese designers.And Michael Cinco, a Filipino design-

er, says he is confident that the founda-tion will help designers in the Philip-pines, who are not now aided by thegovernment. ‘‘It’s now forme tomake aplatform for the Filipino designers to berecognized — not just in Asia, but allover the world,’’ he said.The Paris-based designer Julien

Fournié, who showed his work duringthe FIDé FashionWeek, said it is impor-tant to think ahead to a new generationof couture.‘‘It’s research and development. And

if you lose that, you lose a way of think-ing for ready-to-wear, craftsmanship, alot of things,’’ Mr. Fournié said.During the foundation ceremonies

Mr. Cintamani was made a chevalier ofL’ordre des Arts et des Lettres by Ben-jamin Dubertret, the French ambassa-dor to Singapore.As he accepted the honor, Mr.

Cintamani said it felt wrong to be rewar-ded for ‘‘something that I enjoy doing somuch.’’

A new day for Asia

EDWIN KOO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

FashionWeek guests at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, where the new Asian Couture Federation was inaugurated during the style eventin mid-October. The federation, modeled on French and American organizations, is intended to promote Asian designers worldwide.

‘‘I think that perceptionhas to change. You can createa viable business being anAsian designer while stillbeing domiciled in Asia.’’

IMG Fashion congratulates Suzy Menkes onher 25th anniversary with the InternationalHerald Tribune and contributions as afashion industry leader.

IMG Fashion is the world’s leading producer,marketer and partner to the internationalfashion community.

Its various properties, consisting of industryfashion weeks, governing associationpartnerships, designer discovery platformsand consumer focused festivals, open thegateway to Style, Innovation and Trends.

With a focus on spotlighting these stylishdestinations and its local talent, IMG Fashionaims to inspire, showcase and unite fashion’skey creators, communicators and consumers.

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