She was particularly touched by Leah, a cancer patient in the late stages of her illness.
“Every time we met, I would teach her about fashion – colours, textures, design, makeup. And despite her condition, she participated in some of the shows I hosted,” Yap recalled.
“She walked the runway with confidence. The following year, she even asked if she could emcee the shows and catwalk with her son,” Yap said. “No one could tell she was in the final stage of cancer. She had so much positivity despite battling a critical illness.”
THE START OF A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
Moved by these experiences, Yap decided in 2016 to rebrand SG50 Singapore Fashion Runway to focus on underprivileged groups like cancer patients, as well as chronically ill and special needs youths who were passionate about fashion.
She shuttered Noel Caleb, transforming the brand into Singapore Fashion Runway.
She also launched the Fashion for a Social Cause movement, which showcases models from these underprivileged groups, teaching them fashion-related skills to support SFR’s shows.
“Everyone should be entitled to fashion, in my opinion,” she said. “Seeing their fashion pieces come to life and watching them wear these pieces in their daily lives or on the runway – it makes my mission so much more purposeful.”
But not everyone understood Yap’s shift to become a social enterprise.
“Many people thought the shows used to be so glamorous 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 even thought, ‘If I stand next to a patient with a condition on stage, won’t I be mistaken for one too?’” she added, admitting that many of her initial supporters and models from 2015 left.
But that didn’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.”
