Fridays are so packed with events lately and just last week, I attended the premier Parco next NEXT Fashion Designer of the Year 2009 contest showcase, part of the Incubator programme which aims to nurture and support new talents. The word Incubator might or might not be familiar to you, in some cities it has already been a successful retail operation, think Japan, Melbourne, Toronto and New York is planning theirs (tauted as Mayor Bloomberg’s Project Runway).

Prior to this I have already spoken to some of the Incubates in a media party at Harry’s. It was great to know them in person, I was already a fan of Mae Pang and Nicole (of Skins n Bones) before the show on Friday.

Mae Pang

Sundays by Larry Lam

La Belle by Michelle Wong, winner of the night

The Top 3 winners, from left, 1st: La Belle by Michelle Wong, 2nd: Yumumu by  Lu Yilin, 3rd: pauline.ning by Pauline lim

Thinking back about the entire presentation as a whole, Michelle’s collection has more than a few winning points. From a consumer’s view, her pieces are absolutely accessible and appeal to masses, and dare I say, all ages, no? The pieces are very smart, well-balanced between commercial and artistic vision, seems pretty simple on the surface but it does have a distinctive point of view. They major in the no fuss formula, in the absence of ruffles, pleats, prints etc, it is one solid collection of nude and pastel looks. If the Parco committee wants to stress the designers to become business minded, that is a pretty good example.

Some others that caught my eyes: Mae Pang — quirky and eccentric, Nicole — investment-worthy multi-functional pieces, Larry Lam — genius styling and of course Max Tan, already wowed the audience at the Black Market Manifesto two Fridays ago.

Keep an eye out for the designers come Spring 2010, the opening of Parco.