One of the images that came out of Digital Fashion Week Singapore in 2013 showed Naomi Campbell alongside host Yvette King. The supermodel was the headline name of the event’s second edition, and her visit drew wide attention in Singapore’s fashion scene.
The picture belongs to a short, busy stretch of days. Campbell spoke to reporters at the launch of the fashion week at the British High Commissioner’s residence on 31 October 2013. The event itself ran from 1 to 4 November 2013.
A supermodel in the spotlight
Campbell’s presence was billed as a first. She was coming to Singapore to make her South East Asia runway debut. Organisers framed it as a milestone for the local industry. In a statement reported by Marie France Asia, they said a bona fide supermodel had never before opened the runways of Singapore’s fashion festival or week.
On the opening day she walked for Singaporean designer Zen Chi. She opened and closed the Spring Summer 2014 show with her signature strut. The shows took place at the National Design Centre, 111 Middle Road. She told reporters it was her third time in Singapore but her first time on the runway here.
Why the format mattered
Digital Fashion Week was built around the internet rather than a front-row audience. It was billed as the world’s first shoppable live-streaming fashion week, working with YouTube, Google+ and Twitter. Viewers could watch the shows and buy the clothes as they appeared. Campbell said she liked that approach, and hoped that all the fashion weeks around the world would become live in this way.
The 2013 edition also had a British angle. The British Council Singapore and the British High Commission partnered with the event, bringing UK names including designer Holly Fulton and Vogue creative director Jaime Perlman as well as Campbell. The programme featured 32 local labels, split between runway shows and a designer showcase. Time Out Singapore also listed Heidi Klum as a headliner and named local designers Thomas Wee and Carrie K among those whose pieces could be bought.
What came after
Digital Fashion Week is now defunct. A 2023 commentary on Campbell’s later runway appearances noted that her Southeast Asian debut was the 2013 Singapore edition, where she walked for Zenchi Ewe’s label.
Campbell’s career has kept growing since then. Her exhibition “NAOMI” at London’s V&A opened in June 2024. It was the first time the museum had devoted a whole show to a fashion model’s career.
No later verified details about Yvette King’s work were available for this article.