Within a collaboration with the luxury Jeweller – Flower Diamond, students of the MDIS School of Fashion and Design (Singapore) had participated in a show to champion the message of complementing fashion with wearable arts of jewelry. For this collaboration, the fine pieces of jewelry from Flower Diamond’s recent collection, “Blossom” were specially chosen to allow the students to curate their fashion designs which featured recycled plastics as the center stage material.

The collaboration with Flower Diamond (begun since march 2020) has indeed been an eye-opening and engaging one for our students and it allowed them to experience real-life experiences on how fashion can complement fine jewelry, and how they can even be inspired by the smallest details of a piece of jewelry. In the process, students also learned to pay close attention to details, as well as using delicate handiwork such as embroidery and beading in their creation of the garments to complement the jewelry pieces.

“This project develops and perfects the concept and practice of fashion education for the future generation. Crossover partnership is very well cultivated students in innovative, cross-industry and intercultural competence. In 2019, MDIS partnered the Jewellery Design and Management International School (JDMIS) to grow and build awareness of the jewellery industry in Singapore and abroad. Combining the decade long-jewellery expertise of JDMIS with MDIS’ operational excellence, MDIS looks forward to expand its ranges of programmes under the School of Fashion and Design”, stated by a MDIS representative.

The Arts (Hons) Fashion and Textile Design (a specialised programme at MDIS School of Fashion and Design) awarded by the University of Portsmouth has long been known for its brand collaboration to equip fashion design students with strong industry knowledge and technical expertise. This degree enables our students to establish a career as a successful designer for the fashion and textile industry. This course recognises a student’s strength and supports them in becoming a confident and knowledgeable professional in their chosen field. As students of the MDIS School of Fashion & Design, students are encouraged to explore their individuality as a designer and to experiment and innovate with their use of textiles and creativity. Students will develop their craft, whilst using the latest technologies and respecting the values of sustainable and ethical design principles. In this degree course, students also have the opportunity to apply their creative skills to designing sustainable fashion and learn the latest trends, cultures, techniques, and technologies in the fashion and textile industry. Students get to learn design methods including drawing techniques, fashion illustration, pattern-cutting, silkscreen, and digital printing, as well as embroidery and constructed textiles too.

Emerged as the winner for the designing of a couture gown to complement the collection of “Blossom” Flower Diamond’s jewelry, Bridgitta Angeline (a versatile 19-year-old, Indonesian student) was inspired by the birds to decide her design theme of “The Unreal Feathers”. To complement the collection of “Blossom” Flower Diamond’s jewelry, she designed an enchanting  couture gown featured a hand-embroidered and beaded bird.

Bridgitta is currently pursuing her study in Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Fashion and Textile Design at MDIS shared that the favorite part of her course is being able to focus on what she is passionate about and to apply what she had learned in class and presented in her designs, garments, or work. “I am also able to express myself as much as she can and uses her creativity to create designs that inspired her”, said Bridgitta.

The MDIS School of Fashion & Design also collaborates with near 50 industry partners to provide students with the opportunities to undergo industry projects, the building of their professional network with guest speakers from the fashion industry, etc. Students also get a chance to participate in fashion-related community projects and one of these projects includes the collaboration with Singapore’s premier hair salon, Shunji Matsuo on their annual Makeover Magic Fashion Show, which is organised in support of the Singapore Breast Cancer Foundation. The fashion design students were required to design garments for breast cancer survivors. Another memorable collaboration is with the Royal Commonwealth Society of Singapore for an Avant-Garde fashion show with the theme of Sustainability.  The show featured recycled plastics and fabrics as the main material in students’ designs.

Featuring the 4 participating students and their designs (from left to right: Xiao Tong, Bridgitta, Belicia, and Riyaney).

About MDIS

Founded in 1956, the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) is Singapore’s oldest not-for-profit professional institute for lifelong learning. MDIS has two main subsidiaries: Management Development Institute of Singapore Pte Ltd which oversees its Singapore academic operations, and MDIS International Pte Ltd which focuses on the MDIS globalisation strategy.

MDIS offers internationally-accredited courses in Business and Management, Engineering, Fashion and Design, Health and Nursing, Information Technology, Languages and Education, Life Sciences, Media and Communications, Psychology, Tourism and Hospitality Management, and Safety and Environmental Management. These programmes are offered in collaboration with renowned universities in the United Kingdom.

MDIS is EduTrust certified, attesting to its exemplary education and business excellence standards. The institute was first awarded the certification in 2010 – subsequently renewed for four years in 2014 and 2018. MDIS was also one of the first Private Education Institutions (PEIs) to be registered under the Enhanced Registration Framework.

The institute achieved a double win at the Singapore Prestige Brand Award (SPBA); it was one of four winners as well as the overall winner of the SPBA – Heritage Brands 2018. In 2017, MDIS was ranked 4th for the Enterprise 50 Award for its contributions in spurring Singapore’s economy.

Continuing with its long-standing tradition of giving back to society, the MDIS Education Trust Fund (inaugurated in 1999) supports deserving students facing financial difficulties in pursuing their education in Singapore. To date, MDIS has awarded more than 8,000 scholarships and bursaries totaling over S$6 million. The institute also actively supports several charities and provides community assistance, in reaching out to the young, elderly, and disabled.

Equally vested in corporate-level training, MDIS’ corporate training arm, the Management Development, and Consultancy was set up in 1995 to cater to the training needs of the workforce. In 2014, MDIS acquired the Service Quality Centre to diversify its offerings in training solutions – in its endeavour to be a premium provider of training solutions in the region.

Apart from the main Singapore campus, MDIS has international campuses in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as well as in Johor, Malaysia. MDIS also has representative offices in China, India, and Indonesia, as well as agents throughout Southeast Asia.