Children’s Fashion Show
 |
 |
|
|
On Saturday, 13th September 2008, a non-profit event called ‘Fashion MINDS 2008- Shineon Through Time’ was held at Wisma Atria Shopping Mall. For an hour, the heart of the mall looked like something out of New York Fashion Week with a stage that doubled up as a platform for songs and a runway.
No Gabriel Aubrys or Karen Mulders here but instead two very adorable groups of children filled the stage, walking from the runway straight into the hearts of many that turned up to watch the event. From MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore) and Shineon! School on Stage, the children came and were decked out in apparels from Uptown Kids, where the clothes are imported from Korea. The children sashayed their way on the catwalk, clearly enjoying every bit of attention given by the parents and curious passers by. The first of such in Singapore (and possibly in Asia), this collaboration by the two centres, was a hit among participants and everyone else who was there.
TheAsianParent caught up with one of the organisers, Catherine Koh, director of Shineon! School on Stage after the show and she gave us the low down on the days leading to the event, challenges faced and whether such an event would be carried out again.
TheAsianParent (TAP) : Hi Catherine, congrats on the success of the event.
Catherine Koh (C.K) : Thank you! It was a good turnout.
TAP : How did this whole thing come about?
C.K : It begin with something I saw on YouTube. Then, I was having lunch with a friend one day and telling her how nice it would be to do collaboration with a school like MINDS and then I realised that she was part of MINDS and we worked it out and everything started moving so fast that my idea became a possibility within a short period of time.
 |
|
|
|
|
TAP : What are the challenges you faced with the children?
C.K : Kids will be kids, be it from MINDS or Shineon. Apparel fittings were done effortlessly but there would be an occasional tear or upbeat when someone didn’t like or liked something about his/her clothes. But generally, the children were well behaved during fittings. My Shineon children know me well and this is something that we coach them in and they enjoy learning so it was part of a day’s enjoyment for them. The children from MINDS were very professional and happy with the chosen clothes and some even agreed to 2 changes! On the whole, I would say it was a learning experience for everyone involved.
TAP : What makes this event so unusual?
C.K : It’s the first of its kind in Singapore and probably in Asia. The children from MINDS were pulled away from the usual fundraising events that they usually are part of and this was done not for and kind gain or charity but for the whole idea of enjoyment for participants and audience.
 |
|
|
|
|
TAP : Is this the start of something that people can look forward to?
C.K : Definitely. We have received good feedback and the team has just enjoyed putting this up. There will be more of this to come. The kids had fun and so did the parents. It is a form of raising awareness by itself. Also, nothing can ever be compared to the fulfillment you feel when you see the children up there mingling and having fun!
 |
|
|
|
|
Like what you read? Facebook it!
(No Ratings Yet)
Facebook
Twitter
I was there at the event. It was really well done. Congrats!