In the Vitrine

Five years and 99 episodes later, Dani and Nadya reflect upon the journey of In the Vitrine. They reminisce while scrolling through the Instagram posts that document each recording, recalling the scripting of early chats, and observing a few themes that have re-emerged. They think about the value of talking with each other regularly, especially through the pandemic, and how their time in the vitrine has supported, in one way or another, their research interests in fashion.

Dani and Nadya ask ChatGPT for "help" to record this episode, and ruminate on the advantages and potential pitfalls of using artificial intelligence in thinking through, talking about and working in fashion. They discuss the use of data to artificially—but effectively—drive virality. They also consider the continued, even heightened value of human intelligence to navigate artificial intelligence.

Dani and Nadya talk about their recent exercise routines, and what they have worn over the years to move their bodies. From shorts to leggings, and from cotton to polyester, they look at the various options available to facilitate — and encourage — movement. They also look at athleisure offerings from smaller, niche businesses in Singapore, such as GLOWco (@glowco.shop), with the tagline "modesty in action" and Ika Dancewear (@ikadancewear),  and compare them to similar product categories from bigger, more established sportswear companies.

Daniela and Nadya reunite in the vitrine, and realise it has been a full two months since the previous episode. Here, they speak about Daniela taking part in PRESSPLAY with the National Library Board and Nadya working during Singapore Art Week. They ponder future identities, and Daniela introduces the idea that the future is already here; the futurists tell us that we only have to look for signals of what will be ways of the future. What is traditional can also be contemporary, even futuristic, and what is avant-garde can eventually become the norm. Time is relative! Wishing everyone a good Year of the Dragon.

Daniela and Nadya chat about all the things they have been to and seen in the past couple of weeks, which turned out to be quite a lot! They include Next in Vogue in Singapore (@voguesingapore), 'Gaba Kebaya' by @kebaya.societe, ACM (@acm_sg) Conversations: Fashion as Business, the PHx Fashion Conference (@phxfashiongroup) in Manila, and the 'Madame Song: A Life in Art and Fashion' at M+ (@mplusmuseum) in Hong Kong. As they talked, they considered the importance of telling one's stories to pave the ways for others to do the same.

Dani and Nadya reunite to talk about a few regional fashion brands that they enjoy. They reflect on how their love for fashion, especially for niche brands, brings them to cool places/neighbourhoods when they travel. They also discuss the differences between shopping online and in physical stores. Dani wears @ngaiofficial and Nadya wears @whimsigirldsgn.

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It's been two months since our last episode! We talk about how we wrapped up the summer, and started the new semester, including exhibitions we visited! We chat about ‘Andrew Gn: Fashioning Singapore and the World' at the Asian Civilisations Museum (@acm_sg) to ‘Her Kebaya' at the Peranakan Museum (@peranakanmuseum), and ‘along the lines of—‘ by Berny Tan (@bernytlm), curated by Kirti Upadhyaya (@keyr_tea) at HEARTH by Art Outreach (@artoutreachsingapore). We also preview The Digital Multilogue on Fashion Education (@fashionmultilogues), in particular a walking tour of Kampong Glam to explore fashion beyond malls and skyscrapers by Daniela (@a_dna_lie), Weiqi Yap (@weiqi.yap) and Pixie Tan (@pixieinspace).

Dani talks about developing concepts for the costumes for A Closed System, an animated short film by Ken Kwek. She shares the process, from research to concept board, and her thoughts on the role that costumes can play in driving the plot forward. Nadya reflects on participating in the first Singapore Independent Media Fair, where FAM Marketplace was launched.

Dani talks about visiting The Original, an exhibition at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT in Tokyo. Together with Nadya, they talk about the subtle nuances among terms that describe being “influenced” by the original, based on thought-provoking wall text at the show, from referencing to paying homage, and from reproducing to copying.

Dani and Nadya chat about two fashion shows they recently attended in Singapore. The first is Tirados 01 - ANINO by Josh Tirados (@__tirados) supported by @An_Asylum at Figment (@figment.live) Club House. The second is Transition, the first in-person fashion show featuring the work of graduating students from the School of Fashion (@1mcnallyfashion) BA(Hons) Fashion Design & Textiles programme, which took place on the sky bridge at LASALLE College of the Arts (@lasallesingapore). They talk about the unique performative experience that is the fashion show, and what it can mean for participants behind the scenes, on the catwalk, and in the audience.

Dani and Nadya chat about what they have been working on and inspired by. There was Women in Design: A Global Conversation and Showcase at Middlesex University, and the inaugural Women in Design Week in March, which ITV launched in the previous episode. Dani talked about attending a talk by Carla Fernández as part of Printing Fashion Festival organised by M.A. Fashion Studies of Parsons Paris. Dani also recounts experiments on natural dye for workshops she's going to facilitate with students for Fashion Revolution Week. And Nadya reflected on a special conversation between Tory Burch and LASALLE alumna Oon Shu An at LASALLE last week.

Happy International Women's Day! Dani and Nadya talk about Women in Design Week 2023 – Voices for a Creative Future, presented by Faculty of Design, LASALLE College of the Arts, from 13 to 17 March 2023. Find out about the talks, workshops and other activities that are taking place, where female creatives will share and discuss their creative journeys and pursuits. Click the link in our Instagram profile (@inthevitrine) to sign up, or visit widweeksg.com.

The Peranakan Museum reopened after four years, and Nadya and Dani were in attendance to take in the beautiful displays and festivities. In this episode, they talk about the artefacts that caught their eye, especially on the third floor, which is dedicated to fashion and decorative textiles. They also discuss the curatorial choices that captured their imagination.

Nadya and Dani welcomed 2023 by plunging headlong into the whirlwind that was Singapore Art Week 2023. In this episode, they focus on ‘The Salesgirl who Became Boss', a video installation and window display by Dani for ‘Pictures in the Mind' with DECK, and Nadya's participation in the UBS ‘Silent Insights' series at ART SG. Wishing everyone a

For the final ITV episode of 2022, Dani and Nadya first talk about their weekends. Dani was at the Kuala Lumpur Art Book Fair with Magazine for Young Girls, and Nadya was at the ANCER (Asia Pacific Network for Cultural Education and Research) conference at LASALLE College of the Arts, then the talk with Doug Aitken, co-organised by MACK and STPI. They wrap up their chat by discussing what 2022 has brought for each of them, and the value of In The Vitrine.

Bodybuilding conjures up images of well-defined muscles slick with oil. We talk first about why it's been on our mind, from Dani seeing models in a Shushu/Tong photo story to Nadya watching Killer Sally on Netflix. Nadya reflects on exercise culture in the 1980s and thinking about how hard bodies can be echoed in the artificial forms of mannequins.

Dani has worked with Josiah Chua on CAPSULE 2009, an exhibition of garments and other materials from Singaporean designers and brands in the 2000s, who launched their labels at or around the time of the fashion incubator Parco Next Next. Nadya reflects on the key takeaways from the accompanying talk between Dani and Josiah, moderated by Weiqi Yap at Fashion on Display, and how the project as a whole advances the conversation on Singapore's fashion identity. CAPSULE 2009 runs for a final weekend, on 22 and 23 October 2022, from 1pm to 7pm.

Watch Nadya try to articulate her observations from people-watching at Art Jakarta and Frieze Seoul! And Daniela talks about incorporating somatic practices into the design process with her students. Hear about both the visual and the haptic in our first episode since the new academic year begun.

Dani and Nadya reveal a new photo taken at Sajeev Photo Studio to commemorate 80 episodes of In the Vitrine! They then talk about three exhibitions they visited together: 'The World is Flat After All' at Supper House, as well as '#SGFASHIONNOW' and 'Batik Kita' at the Asian Civilisations Museum. What did they discover at these shows, and how did they make them think about fashion and curation? Watch to find out!

Nadya and Dani talk about two exhibitions they visited recently which they had looked forward to, and made them think. Nadya went to ‘Queer: Stories from the NGV Collection' at the National Gallery Victoria in Melbourne, where she learnt a lot from looking at the exhibits in multiple mediums, including dress, and reading the rich accompanying texts. And Dani unpacks her experience of ‘Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear' at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, bringing us through the choice of mannequins, the role of Asian menswear and even a section dedicated to drag. They conclude by thinking about the pros and cons of big-scale exhibitions, and the power of curation to tell stories.

Dani talks about her Creative Residency with the National Library in Singapore. Together with Stephanie Jane Burt for A Stubborn Bloom, they explored teenhood and its various tropes in Singapore in the 1990s through their own experiences, complemented by materials at the library. They will soon be releasing a video titled 'Elizabeth's Diary', their creative response to the research, serving up Y2K looks and responding to what they found in the archives.

Dani and Nadya discuss Fashion on Display (@fashionondisplay), a new, pioneering “independent fashion curation studio and experimental gallery dedicated to exhibiting dress” in Singapore, created by Weiqi Yap (@coqillage). They talk about their anticipation of the intimate space, and taking in its first exhibition ‘Dressing for the Dream Space', which displays outfits of four museum-goers and other artefacts from their visits. A show not to be missed, and a venue Dani and Nadya will be frequenting in its year of operation!

Dani and Nadya discuss Fashion on Display, a new, pioneering “independent fashion curation studio and Nadya discusses “Unravelling Threads: Tracing and Transforming Violence and Trauma through Fashion”, a two-day online conference organised by Dr Rebecca Arnold and Dr Lucy Moyse Ferreira in a collaboration between The Courtauld Institute of Art and London College of Fashion. She discusses with Dani ideas from the conference, from the healing properties of fashion to the potential of fashion – and time – to be violent.

Dani talks about her first encounters with Fashion Revolution (@fash_rev), and volunteering with the global initiative in this year's edition, which is themed 'Money Fashion Power'. Fashion Revolution Week Singapore (@fash_rev_sg), taking place from 18 to 24 April has a line-up of events online and in person. Nadya and Dani talk about a panel discussion titled “Who Owns Culture?” organised by Anisa Johnny (@anisajohnny), which featured panelists such as our colleague Martin Bonney (@martinjohnbonney), Ifeoma Ubby (@OliveAnkara), Hillary Wan (@mystory_and_i), as well as Aqilah Zailan (@aqilah.zailan) of Studio Gypsied (@studio.gypsied), who has written about her work on FAM (@fashionandmarket_). Join Dani this weekend at Mender's Studio and What's the Stitch? A Garment Analysis Workshop at Open Studios at Cineleisure (@cineleisure.co).

Dani speaks about a recent symposium she attended organised by Dr Monica Titton entitled ‘Tailoring Suits, Shaping Bodies', and missing Grace Wales Bonner given the time difference. On the occasion of the opening of ‘Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear' at V&A Museum, Dani and Nadya wonder about their interactions with menswear in academia and for their own wardrobes. Recalling their fascination with writings such as Paul Jobling's ‘Advertising Menswear' and Masafumi Monden's ‘Japanese Fashion Cultures: Dress and Gender in Contemporary Japan', and the early influence of blogs such as The Sartorialist. To round up, they consider the increasingly gender fluid trajectory that menswear is taking in recent years.

Episode 73 | The Non Season and Reminiscing Orchard Road This episode is focused on The Non Season, taking place from 17 February to 10 April. Organised by Hyphen BB, it features fashion, art and lifestyle activations on Orchard Road, to explore how Singapore may operate outside conventional seasons. Dani is holding a visible mending clinic, while Nadya is moderating a talk about alternative structures in fashion and art. They also reminisce the role that the iconic shopping strip played in their teenagehood, from hanging out at Heeren to people-watch to shopping the latest trends at Far East Plaza.

Nadya reflects on her presentation ‘Framing the Body: Yip Cheong Fun and Singapore Photography in the 1960s and 1970s' as part of the ‘Addressing Images' series at the Research Forum at Courtauld Institute of Art, where she looked at the body's role within the images, which have not yet been analysed in detail, and the embodied experience of looking at them. Daniela talks about the photographs that stood out to her, and Nadya speaks further about how notes from the audience, including from Rebecca Arnold's (@documentingfashion) in the latest episode from Rebecca & Beatrice's weekly fashion podcast (@bandeapartpodcast), have given her new ideas about the photographers and their work.

We reflect upon interdisciplinary projects where fashion intersects with art through our Singapore Art Week experience as both visitors and participants. From among the 130 projects, Dani zooms in on Brian Gothong Tan's 'The Swimming Pool Library' project with T:>Works and Fyerool Darma's ' L♤ND$¢♤PΞ$' at Yeo Workshop. She also talks about her work with Mash-Up collaborating with Butterknife Folk at Funan SG. Nadya speaks about the A&M Salon talk she moderated at SAW Dialogues that discussed the intersection of art with food and design, including fashion.

Dani speaks about setting up a mending station at Super Freak Boutique, and the conversations she had with the owners of clothes that were brought to her. Nadya muses about the connections that the act of mending can engender, and Dani talks about the existence of mending cafés elsewhere, where one can teach or learn the skills to prolong the life of a garment. Bonus! Dani shows a beautiful example of visible mending onscreen.

chatter, and wonder about how the democratisation of fashion has affected the business of heritage luxury brands. They also discuss art student Zou Yaqi's ability to gain access to freebies in Beijing using a counterfeit Hermès bag, and Telfar's working model to redefine the consumption of a luxury bag.

Dani speaks about presenting 'Home Economics with A Stubborn Bloom' in the sixth edition of Objectifs' 'Women in Film and Photography' programme, which looks at the theme of inheritance. This brings us to talk about garment care, including mending as an act of affection to give garments a new lease on life, and how it contributes to the story and enjoyment of them.

Dani and Nadya catch up on what they have been doing in the past couple of weeks: a talk that Dani gave with A Stubborn Bloom about home economics at the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, looking at artist Ian Tee's reworking of textiles to make his works as a part of the initiative ‘Walk Walk Don't Run' by Grey Projects and an exhibition titled ‘The Tailors and the Mannequins: Chen Cheng Mei and You Khin' at a new project space ‘Dalam Southeast Asia' at the National Gallery Singapore. They find fashion discourses popping up in spaces that do not cater strictly to fashion, and dream about how that might change in the near future.

The Digital Multilogue on Fashion Education took place from 1 to 2 October, and we speak about Daniela's presentation, ‘Situating Fashion Studies in Southeast Asia: Practical Methods' in the ‘Towards Inclusion' panel. We then contemplate the new Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTL) that Singapore has opened up with 11 other countries (and more to come!) and what post-pandemic packing and travel will look and feel like. And we remember our favourite travel outfits we cannot wait to bring in our carry-on luggage once again.

We speak about our recent nostalgic TV watching with Daniela going through ‘The Office' (2005-2013) and Nadya ‘Body of Proof' (2011-2013). Could we see them as the new period dramas, given the decline of office wear as we know it given shifting circumstances with the ongoing pandemic? We segue into ‘Spin' (1999-2000), a Singapore television show centring on the group of teenagers that we both watched when we were young teens ourselves, and how it contributed to an understanding of ourselves and others.

In this episode, Dani and Nadya speak about how Singapore magazines Female, Her World and Men's Folio celebrate the nation's birthday by highlighting efforts in the local fashion industry. Dani highlights the front cover fashion choices and stories in Female that look back at the early 2000s. They also discuss the publications' heartening inclusion of the work and viewpoints of fashion educators and fresh graduates.

Episode 63: Athletic Fashion at the Tokyo Olympics In this episode, we talk about the Tokyo Olympics 2020 where uniforms not only convey national identities but also build brand identities, such as Team Liberia's wardrobe beautifully designed by Telfar. We consider the equal importance of aesthetics and function in designing uniforms for athletes at this international event, and ruminate on the unconventional, such as diver Tom Daley's knit-a-thon.

Episode 62: Dress and the Body in Three Recent Exhibitions We talk about two works relating to dress and the body by Hamkah Latib and Chok Si Xuan in the group exhibition 'only losers left alive (songs for lovers for the end of the world)' at Yeo Workshop. Nadya considers gaps in writing on Singapore photography in the 1960s that could be filled by looking at the body, in her presentation for the show 'Yip Cheong Fun: Common Interest' at Art Agenda @ 63 Spottiswoode. Similarly, Daniela reflects upon potential connections between dress and the body with Singapore history through the public lecture by Dr Loh Kah Seng on women working in factories in the same decade, in accompaniment to the showcase 'Modern Women of the Republic: Fashion and Change in China and Singapore' at Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.

In this episode, we explore @WearWhatOnSet, dedicated to documenting the outfits of production crews in Singapore. While selected for functionality, these "uniforms" also incorporate pops of individuality, which are echoed in the tongue-in-cheek captions for each post. We also talk about two of our favourite workwear brands: Chota House Collective and Labour and Wait.

Episode 60: In this two-part episode, we welcome guest speaker Kae Hana, fashion educator at MDIS Singapore. She shares with us the organic materials she and her students have been experimenting with to make "fabric", including nettle and banana peel. Tune in to view delicious, mesmerising examples of kombucha scoby leather and (almost) edible bioplastics.

Episode 60: In this two-part episode, we welcome guest speaker Kae Hana, fashion educator at MDIS Singapore. She shares with us the organic materials she and her students have been experimenting with to make "fabric", including nettle and banana peel. Tune in to view delicious, mesmerising examples of kombucha scoby leather and (almost) edible bioplastics.

Episode 59 | The School of Fashion 2021 In this episode, we introduce the digital presentation of the LASALLE College of the Arts School of Fashion Class of 2021. This year, the graduation show continues to explore a blend of physical and digital modes of presentation. The projects explore themes around sustainability, gender and cultural heritage. The full show is available on lasallesof.com, designed by @cpluscandco. Congratulations to all graduates!

Episode 58 | Introducing Fashion & Market (FAM) In this episode, we introduce Nadya's new portal Fashion & Market (FAM), the sibling site to @artandmarket. We speak about pieces we are excited about unveiling and what to look forward to on the platform. Hop over to @fashionandmarket_ for material and visual stories, dialogues, analysis, news and reviews about fashion from South-East Asia. For the next episode onwards, In the Vitrine will be part of the @fashionandmarket_ website!

Episode 57: Worn Stories and The Migrant Workers Community Museum In celebration of Fashion Revolution Week @fash_rev_sg, and inspired by 'Worn Stories' on Netflix, we talk about our intimate relationship with well worn clothes in our wardrobe. We segue into a discussion about the exhibition, 'The Migrant Workers Community Museum' held last month at @the_substation and meander into the informal paths that objects can take that imbues them with meaning from person to person

Episode 56: Traditional "Costumes" in Contemporary Southeast Asian Fashion Expanding from a talk that Nadya gave for the UNSW ASEAN Society Cultural Immersion programme recently, we think about how contemporary fashion labels such as Kaarem (Vietnam), Sejauh Mata Memandang (Indonesia), Ghostboy Club (Malaysia) and Randolf Clothing (Philippines) reimagine traditional silhouettes such as the ao dai, kebaya and the cheongsam, and fabrics such as batik for the consumer today.

We discuss the visual appeal of Simone Rocha's work and our conflicting desires to own something from the H&M collection while acknowledging the potentially detrimental effects of fast fashion. And we think back to our participation at the Singapore Art Book Fair through @artandmarket and @a_stubborn_bloom.

Episode 54: We're back! We speak about pandemic dressing taking "a dark turn", and how we are "hate-wearing" some items in spite of ourselves. Nadya talks about an accidental burn that is challenging the way she dresses, and Dani introduces the thought-provoking post-divorce closet of Sara Berman.

Episode 53: The annual exhibition showcasing work from Year 2 students in the BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Textiles and BA (Hons) Fashion Media and Industries programmes in the School of Fashion at LASALLE College of the Arts goes digital with 'Phantasm'. Guest Rohaizatul Azhar, who oversaw the project together with fellow lecturer Furqan Saini, guides us through the immersive experience, and highlights particularly moving projects.

Episode 52: Take a trip down memory lane with us through the work of photographer James Van Der Zee working in Harlem in the 1920s, the rich @myanmarphotoarchive, and 'Rediscovering Forgotten Masters of Thai Photography', a project by Manit Sriwanichpoom. We also discuss the important matchmaking work of Sanjeev Photo Studio in Singapore and the provocative images of contemporary artist Hassan Hajjaj.

Episode 51: In our second vodcast-podcast offering, talk about the history of Halloween, and how it gives us an outlet to dress unlike ourselves. We also discuss the possible boo-boos that could occur when we reduce the characters we play to stereotypes that may be offensive, even if unintentionally so. In addition, we look at how horror inspires even as it repulses, and the fashion designers who have used it to put out intriguing collections and presentations.

Episode 50: Or the one where we do a vodcast! We talk about our visit to the new(-ish) permanent Fashion and Textiles Gallery at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, and what we learnt from our tour with curator Jackie Yoong. From the evolving motifs on the imperial robe to the changing cut of the qipao to the contrast between shoes worn by Han and Manchu women, we give you our highlights on what we loved.