T-shirts are the most common type of clothing among Singaporeans especially among the youth. A wide variety of colours, designs and sizes are available and they're sold at a majority of clothing stores in Singapore. That is why a festival dedicated to T-shirts called the Singapore T-Shirt Festival 2014 was created in the first place. I took a look around and let me share with you my experience here!
What is the Singapore T-shirt Festival?
As previously mentioned, the Singapore T-Shirt Festival 2014 is a festival dedicated to the popular clothing choice. It was last held from the 19 July to 20 July 2014 at the Singapore Design Centre located right across the iconic towering National Library building and within the proximity of the Bras Basah Bugis arts precinct.
According to the organisers, T-shirts are a great medium for self-expression (which is why you see a lot of very cool designs) and its influence on street culture. Also, to me, T-shirts are very comfortable and convenient and with a wide variety of T-shirt printing services out there, you can even custom print your own cool designs (provided that you can design though). Speaking of T-shirt printing service, the event was organised by Legendary Social Tees, a local T-shirt digital printing company.
T-Shirts: The Original Social Media Exhibition
Once I stepped into the small but spacious building, I was greeted with an exhibition titled "T-Shirts: The Original Social Media". Basically, with the help of local T-shirt designers, they designed various white T-shirts and used them as a medium for social networking. As social networking is all about sharing, vibrant media content and spreading the word, T-shirts are a great way to achieve those goals as well.
Lots of interesting T-shirt designs were on display. Many visitors took the opportunity to whip out their smartphones and snap as many photos as possible thanks to the T-shirts' eye-catching designs. All the designs were made in Singapore and designed by local talented designers and were on sale for $50 each. Quite a hefty price tag but by purchasing them, you're supporting local talent which is something that we need to support more of.
Local Design Marketplace
At the centre of the whole event was the Local Design Marketplace. There were several local designers selling their handmade crafts and their own-designed items to the visitors of the event. If you're a person who enjoys doing creative work, the Local Design Marketplace is a great place to get inspired.
Many visitors were walking around looking at the beautiful works and were chatting with them so the marketplace was also a great networking opportunity especially for creatives. Some vendors were selling some handmade cupcakes and desserts which was indeed an interesting find. Although I didn't try them, they looked very artsy and appealing just like the other handmade crafts that were on sale.
Talks/Discussions/Workshops
Right beside the Local Design Marketplace, there were some design talks being held. Local artists went up on stage to talk about various topics about design. I'm not that creative of a person (although I like to see and do creative work) although I did stay for a while to listen.
These talks are definitely useful for local designers who wants to take their work even further and get some fresh ideas. There was even a talk by Elim Chew, the famous founder of 77th Street, a local streetwear retail store. Silkscreen printing workshops were also held as well as it's quite a popular and cool method to produce your own T-shirt design.
Some Facts About the National Design Centre
Although the Singapore T-Shirt Festival 2014 was long over (almost 11 months ago), the venue of where the festival was held, called the National Design Centre, constantly has new programmes and events related to creativity and design every few months or so.
Want more info? Just visit the venue's website right over here at http://www.designsingapore.org/Home.aspx. There are even grants which you can apply for to further fund your creative work and take them to the next level.
Thoughts on the Singapore T-Shirt Festival
Overall, the Singapore T-Shirt Festival was definitely a very creative and insightful event. The Festival showcases art and creativity onto the pieces of clothing that we ourselves wear almost everyday. I'm not too sure if there will be a 2015 edition of the same event happening in July (let's hope it happens) but if not, there are still plenty of creative events coming soon at the National Design Centre. Also, do support local talent!
More Information
Website: http://www.designsingapore.org/who_we_are/news/design_news/14-06-27/Tee_for_all_Singapore_T-shirt_Festival_1-29_July.aspx