Tell us more about the decision to showcase these archival pieces – what was the impetus, and why now in particular?

Josiah: “I wanted to protect and preserve the memories I had as a young fashion creative. So I started collecting brands that I admired (during that period of the late 2000s) and also designs from my classmates when they started their brands with Parco next Next (a fashion incubator project started in 2010 designed to support young Singapore designers) at Millenia Walk.

Daniela and I caught up over a casual conversation one day – we were excited and decided to create an archival sheet to document the pieces that I have. But later on, we decided that we should do an exhibition; a mish mash of fashion collection based on our memories as students.”

Daniela: “We’ve been thinking about this showcase for a while. I was super excited to find out about Josiah’s archive and see pieces from it in person for the first time almost two years ago for an interview I did with him for (the independent website) Fashion & Market. Looking at the pieces up close and reminiscing with him, brought me back to our time as fashion students when seeing independent labels in multi-label stores of the time like Front Row or Blackmarket was very aspirational.

Apart from being Josiah’s classmate and friend, I was also part of Parco next Next with Mash-Up, the label I co-founded in 2012 with my friends and co-designers Shaf Amis’aabudin and Nathanael Ng. The incubator gave us a community and a space to grow our fashion business, and even though most designers from Parco are not practicing in the same capacity today, we existed and are part of a genealogy of independent fashion labels.

Looking back is a way for me to make sense of that period of fashion history with enough distance, a decade later. Since I am now a fashion educator and researcher, I am excited to share with my students and future generations about the creative labour of fashion design. I think right now is the perfect time to think about experimentation and community, as I see this (new) energy in fashion collectives and the work of my students and alumni. Fashion designers today are venturing on their own, starting their own studios and harnessing social media. Even the location, Fashion on Display (an independent gallery space founded by fashion writer Weiqi Yap), is perfect because of its independent spirit and experimental nature.”

The late 2000s seemed like an exceptionally rich period for Singapore designers – why was this the case?

Daniela: “Back then, there were different structural events and programs that were implemented to encourage the rise of independent labels. In the 1990s for example, there was funding in place to develop our arts and design education, but the results of this would only be felt in the 2000s. For example, some fashion designers from this period like Ashley Isham had to move overseas to find success.

By the 2000s, there were already early fashion graduates such as Sven Tan and Alfie Leong who took part in competitions, and had the opportunity to design for brands like alldressedup (one of the most critically acclaimed homegrown labels of the period). In 2001, the Singapore Tourism Industry launched Singapore Fashion Festival, so there was a centralised event bringing attention to fashion.

There was also a proliferation of multi-label stores and small boutiques to support independent distribution in neighbourhoods such as Jalan Pisang, Ann Siang and even at Stamford House. In the mid 2000s, Jonathan Seow from Woods & Woods founded Studio Prive to support and mentor designers under the +9 Collective, and this was partly supported by Design Singapore.

I believe that it was experiments like these that paved the way for institutional incubators like Parco next Next (an initiative with the Japanese retail giant meant to mentor emerging Singapore designers) which launched in 2010. I think socially, there was more room to experiment and to make mistakes because the stakes were smaller and rents were not as astronomical.

Most people still shopped and browsed in physical stores but by the mid 2010s, the introduction of e-commerce giants like Zalora and high street giants like H&M meant that brick and mortar began to suffer.  I think fashion designers today face different challenges such as high rental costs and competition from e-commerce at all levels of the fashion market segment, but they’re also (more) sophisticated in their communication and sourcing of materials can be done virtually as well.”

Josiah: “At that point of time, there wasn’t as much e-commerce presence as compared to now. Blog shops also came a bit later. Prior to that we were referencing a lot of style and fashion looks through magazines or websites. At that point multi-label stores (were influential); the buyers were curators of style and we had quite exciting buys. And if these local designers could be stocked in these cool boutiques, it felt like we students could be too eventually and so, it was inspirational.”

What were some unique characteristics that distinguished the designs of 2009?

Daniela: “Structurally, fashion labels relied a lot on distribution points like multi-label brick and mortar stores like Blackmarket, Asylum and Front Row. There was no social media and e-commerce was not prevalent until at least 2012, so most of the press came from magazines and newspapers. Design-wise, there is this feeling that a lot of care and attention was paid to small details that could be best appreciated in close proximity; such as special buttons, trimmings and fabric mixes. Designers like Baylene and Woods & Woods mixed masculine suitings with delicate detailing and fabrics.

The fashion imagery of this time is also very poetic and photographers like Ivanho Harlim are credited in many of the spreads. Some of these garments would have retailed for at least $300; not every designer was forced to compete with high-street price points. There was also a lot of panelling as a way to create structural interest and mixed fabrics within one garment, as evidenced in pieces by iamwhoiam, Pauline Ning and Mae Pang. For Mash-Up, our niche was in bold prints in casual fabrics like mesh and jersey, and streetwear inspired silhouettes like joggers and razorback dresses that were perfect for partying at clubs like The Butter Factory.”

Josiah: “Back then in 2007-2009, I was studying while styling concurrently. I noticed a lot of interesting trims, fabrications and cool finishings on garments. I would also pick out independent local designers whose layers that were experimental and sporty/street in the spread that I style for.

Everyone sort of picked up something in the air that time; it was about interesting panelling details, cool mix of contrasting materials – could be a silk organza paired with cotton drill or a tartan cotton weaved material with suiting material. It was highly experimental yet conceptual in approach. It’s kind of like a portrayal of sensitivity to an artistic narrative (depending on the theme each designer explores).”

What do you both hope to achieve with this exhibition?

Josiah: “It is a humble exhibition but we feel that documentation and archiving is crucial in understanding the evolution and progress of Singaporean’s fashion scene. The predecessors before us, our batch mates’ creations and what fashion was like in that period – each piece, leave traces to be studied and interpreted.”

Daniela: “For me, it is to inspire and excite fashion students and continue conversations around our local industry. CAPSULE2009 is a documentation of this period of time and to showcase that fashion is an expression of our collective creativity.”

CAPSULE2009 is on now till Oct 23 at Fashion On Display, #04-04D Heng Loong Building, 61 Bukit Batok Crescent. To find out more, follow the Instagram account @sgfashionarchive