onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan
onceoverlightly sgfw 2016 naeem khan

Oh, where do I even begin with Naeem Khan? Besides being the calmest designer I’ve seen backstage, he is very approachable and will not hesitate to spare a a few minutes to speak with you.

“Spring 2017 is dedicated to my mentor, Halston, whom I worked for in the ’70s,” stated Naeem Khan in his notes, and his pieces oozed so much feminity! My absolute favourite is the croceheted red, white and blue maxi dress. Also, hands down, the beaded wedding gown with a layered tulle skirt is the standout piece at the showcase.

“We have 150 to 200 dresses per collection, of which I only show 48 to 50 pieces. There are many pieces that don’t end up on the runway but are available for retail. These are all made by hand and it takes 300 to 600 people to complete a collection.”

“You’re dealing with international maneuvering of so many different things to create the clothes. For example, we use lace developed in France, prints made in Italy, cashmere woven in China, embroideries done in India… all while designing in New York. The logistics is very difficult, but we’ve been doing this for so long that I can convey what I want down to the stitch. In India, people talk stitches in terms of nature. They’ll say, “I want an ant of a distance between each sequin.” There’s also a certain type of bead that is called the eye of the bird. All these terminology I’ve learnt have made it easy for me pick up the phone to say I’ve sent over an email with all the design details. It’s tremendously amazing,” Naeem Khan states to Buro 24/7.

His showcase, featuring Spring 2017 and Bridal Fall 2017, is probably the most extensive I’ve photographed, and my arms were almost falling off halfway through his show (having photographed Ong Shunmugam’s showcase immediately before)

View the rest of the photos in my Flickr album!