Ong Shunmugam
Ong Shunmugam is a Singapore-based contemporary womenswear label founded by designer Priscilla Shunmugam. It is designed and made across Asia and offers ready-to-wear ranges and bespoke designs.
| Industry | Fashion |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founder | Priscilla Shunmugam |
| Headquarters | Singapore |
| Products | Womenswear |
| Website | www.ongshunmugam.com |
Known for its innovative take on the cheongsam[1] and integrating traditional textiles and Asian-inspired designs in its collections,[2] Ong Shunmugam has been described as being "a thoughtful reinterpretation of traditional Asian ethnic wear... designed for an intelligent woman".[3]
History
In December 2010, Ong Shunmugam launched with its first ready-to-wear collection Orientalism, and in September 2011, debuted its first cheongsam collection Guardianship.
The label's first permanent shop space, Atelier Ong Shunmugam, officially opened its doors in November 2011 in Raffles Place, Singapore.[4] Prior to this, Ong Shunmugam retailed exclusively through its online store or by appointment only.
In March 2012, the label collaborated with the National Museum of Singapore for the In The Mood For Cheongsam exhibition,[5] where Ong Shunmugam became the first womenswear label to retail at the museum. In addition to a showcase of the Guardianship collection at the exhibition's opening night fundraiser, designer Priscilla Shunmugam and Guardianship cheongsams were also featured in the museum-produced book of the same name.[6]
In August 2012, the label launched its third collection Prints Charming, which received numerous positive press reviews and extensive media coverage in The Business Times Singapore, Elle Magazine Singapore, The Straits Times Urban, Her World Plus[7] and Juice Magazine Singapore.
Ong Shunmugam was one of only two Singapore labels selected by the platform Future Fashion Now to show its Spring/Summer’13 collection at Paris Fashion Week in October 2012.[8] It was also awarded Breakthrough Local Label by Cleo Magazine Singapore at its 2012 Cleo Fashion Awards and designer Priscilla Shunmugam was named Designer of the Year at the 2012 Elle Awards in Singapore.[9]
In December 2013, Ong Shunmugam won the Grand Award at the Design For Asia Awards 2013.[10] It was one of five Singaporean labels selected to have solo shows at the Audi Fashion Festival 2014.[11]
In 2017, the designer dedicated her ninth ready-to-wear collection to Malay women’s clothing, bringing her contemporary twist to traditional outfits like the Baju Kurung and the Kebaya. “This is our way of continuing to take the stand that we have intuitively held: that fashion design should be inclusive, that it can and should be thinking of all women, all skin tones, all faiths,” she said.[12]
Collections
- Orientalism, Dec 2010
- Guardianship, Sep 2011
- Prints Charming, Aug 2012
- Spring/Summer 2013, January 2013
References
- Q, Suzy. "Singapore high fashion moves away from shopping malls". Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- Hong, Xinying. "Ong Shunmugam does mixed-print cheongsam for Spring Summer 2013". Retrieved 25 January 2013.
- Tan, Julianne. "Dreams Woven From Lace & Batik". Archived from the original on 2012-06-22. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
- "Ong Shunmugam opening first flagship". Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- "In the Mood for Cheongsam: Modernity & Singapore Women". National Museum of Singapore. Archived from the original on 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
- "In The Mood For Cheongsam: A Social History". Amazon.
- Bruce, Niki. "Charming prints from Singapore label Ong Shunmugam". Her World Plus.
- Tan, Teck Heng. "Courting the international audience". The Business Times Lifestyle.
- "Celebrities and fashion mavens honoured at ELLE Awards 2012". Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
- "Ong Shunmugam's worthwhile fashion experiment".
- "Local lovin' at Audi Fashion Festival 2014". Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
- Kolesnikov-Jessop, Sonia (April 2017), Ong Shunmugam's Twist on Malay Heritage, Couturenotebook.com