Designing Students at Raffles Privato

In the heart of Shanghai, amongst the jazzy storefronts of Xintiandi, lies the precocious designer store known as Raffles Privato. Created as an industry partnership between Raffles Design Institute and the Shui On Group, the aim of the store is to help students gain entrepreneurial experience within a real-life environment.

Small yet inviting, the store itself offers a private setting for the customer and designer. Ready-to-wear pieces and accessories are available for well under RMB 1,000, but more personal services are also available, including custom tailoring and personal shopping.

This impressive student-based project is steadily garnering acclaim as the year progresses. Upon its official opening this past July, Raffles Privato passed a milestone for educational opportunity within Asia’s most international city.

Guided by professors and past alumni, students of Raffles learn how to design, produce, brand and sell their collections to  customers. Rather than the traditional ‘chalk and talk’ method, professors engage with students one-on-one to discuss inspirations, goals, and commercial viability. The store is a platform to showcase locally-grown young talent, with students being encouraged to follow their entrepreneurial dreams.

In hopes of being selected as a designer for the Raffles Privato store, students work relentlessly for six months on their collections. The lecturer in charge makes his first selection based on senior portfolios with ‘high distinction’ marks, and then chooses the final five based on their collection for Raffles Privato. The finalists are then granted a six-month in-store residency that yields two seasons of collections.

Betty Wu, a selected designer for the Raffles Privato Autumn/Winter season, has created an eight-piece collection inspired by the shape of a paper plane. Featuring mostly outerwear, the collection consists of pastel-grey jackets and sweaters made from thick, heavy materials. Long lines define the triangular motif and Wu’s playful fabric manipulation of geometric textures conveys a keen sense of balance to an otherwise monotone wardrobe.

“The project has taught me how to find inspiration as well as how to work with fabrics. I have learned a lot, like how to be less expressive and more concise. I needed to make them practical to wear so that they appeal to my customers,” says Wu.

During the in-store trial period, students are judged on whether or not their collections are commercially viable. If the students’ collections receive negative criticism or do badly, they are first counseled. Should the same problem recur after that, their contract is discontinued. As for those who do well, they have the option to renew their contract after the trial period.

To add to their hands-on experience, the lucky five have the opportunity to present their collections during Shanghai Fashion Week, exposing the young designers and their work to some of the industry’s most influential people.

“[Raffles Privato] opens the doors for global networking and helps designers start a fan base within the city. It is not uncommon to see our students set up little boutiques across the city,” says Jacqueline Faulkner, the PR manager for Raffles Design Institute in Shanghai. Some of the institute’s most illustrious graduates are Helen Lee, the founder of the insh brand who now has two stores around town, and the Engalychev brothers, whose concept store Fusion Fashion sells trendy clothes from the Kyrgyzstani siblings alongside drinks at its in-house café/bar.

For Wu, the promise of a future as a designer is a dream come true. “I’m a kid at heart, so I have a big imagination,” she says. “How lucky I am to use my imagination to dress people! It makes me so happy!”

Unit L231, Xintiandi Style, 245 Madang Lu, near Zizhong Lu. Tel: 3304 1108