FASHION SHARES

A Tee-Shirt Exhibition to raise HIV/ AIDS Awareness.

To be held at VivoCity from 12 to 21 October 2007, Fashion Shares is a tee-shirt exhibition to raise the awareness of and to dispel the stigma and discrimination against HIV/AIDS. This is a joint effort between the Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFf) and the Health Promotion Board (HPB).

The disease has seen rapid growth in the last three years with over 300 Singaporeans newly infected in 2006 alone. This brings the total number of Singaporeans with HIV/AIDS to over 3,000. Since the first reported case here, the number of people with HIV/AIDS has been increasing relentlessly. Yet despite the relatively high level of knowledge Singaporeans have about HIV/AIDS, this strength has not effected any change in behaviour or a willingness to understand people with HIV/AIDS. Widespread stigma and discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS continues as many still hold on to unfounded misconceptions and untruths, contributing to the lack of pace at which people are willing to be responsible and to protect themselves.

The main objective of Fashion Shares is to break down the mental barrier of fallacies and confusion to evoke a sense of awareness and understanding towards HIV/AIDS in public. Events and programmes which were conducted in the past were targeted at specific groups and kept out of the public eye. By initiating greater public involvement and getting people to talk about HIV/AIDS and sex among themselves, we will be better empowered to protect ourselves against HIV/AIDS.

It is in this light that over 60 celebrities, personalities and designers have been invited to design their tee shirts. These include the likes of international fashion designers Atsuro Tayama and Benny Ong, as well as Mediacorp artistes Adrian Pang and Ivy Lee etc. They have been given a free hand to print, paint, embellish or construct their designs based on the given theme. These pieces of wearable art will be unveiled as a fashion show at the opening party on 13 October 2007.