She was especially touched by Leah, a cancer person in the late stages of her illness.
“Every time we met, I would tell her about fashion – colors, textures, design, beauty. And despite her situation, she participated in some of the shows I hosted, ” Yap recalled.
“She walked the airport with trust. The subsequent year, she also asked if she could rapper the shows and fashion with her brother, ” Yap said. “No another could tell she was in the last stage of cancer. She had so much optimism despite battling a critical condition. ”
THE START OF A Cultural ENTERPRISE
Moved by these encounters, Yap decided in 2016 to rename SG50 Singapore Fashion Runway to focus on poor groups like cancers patients, as well as severely ill and particular needs youths who were enthusiastic about clothing.
She shuttered Noel Caleb, transforming the company into Singapore Fashion Runway.
She also launched the Fashion for a Social Cause motion, which showcases designs from these poor groups, teaching them fashion-related knowledge to help SFR’s shows.
“Everyone may be entitled to clothing, in my opinion, ” she said. “Seeing their clothing items come to life and watching them wear these items in their daily life or on the tarmac – it makes my vision so much more deliberate. ”
But not everyone understood Yap’s transition to become a social organization.
“Many folks thought the displays used to be so beautiful in 2015,” she said. “ But in 2016 when we started including more people with conditions ( such as Down syndrome and autism ) on stage, it was not easy to explain what inclusive fashion shows were.
“Some people actually thought, ‘If I stand next to a person with a problem on level, won’t I be mistaken for one also? ’” she added, admitting that many of her initial supporters and models from 2015 left.
But that did n’t shake Yap’s resolve – it only made her more certain of Singapore Fashion Runway’s mission.
“We remained focused on the underprivileged groups I wanted to help. And along the way, I found many youths, families, caregivers, partners, and organisations who believed in us and stayed with us till today, ” she said.
Yap focused on teaching her beneficiaries fashion skills like sewing, pattern making and apparel design, while still using Singapore as an inspiration for their designs.
“We use the youths ‘ love for Singapore as an anchor for our designs; whether it is a particular food, flora, fauna or place in Singapore that sparks their interest, we lay that story out into the merchandise. ”