It’s never too late to start realising your dreams. Like Ms Felicis Lim, she found her calling in fashion and design despite not having a degree or relevant work experience in the fashion industry. As daunting as it was, she took up a degree in Fashion with MDIS — the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Fashion and Textile Design while juggling motherhood and her career as well. All her hard work and effort paid off when she graduated with a First Class honours, and having a collaboration done with SHEIN. 

SHEIN X Designer 

SHEIN is a popular international online fast-fashion retailer that ships to more than 200 countries worldwide. The brand has been well-loved among Generation Z and young millennials as the brand often goes viral on social media. During her final semester, Ms Felicis sparked off her fashion journey by participating in the SHEIN X Designer Incubator programme. This collaboration enables aspiring designers the opportunity to witness their ideas come to life. 

Behind The Scenes 

Ms Felicis first developed her Spring/Summer 2022 “Tranquility Summer Stripes (Soul Space)” collection based on inspiration from multiple perspectives – the imaginative scenery of grazing along the beach horizon and clear blue sky, sitting at the wooden striped bench and enjoying a pink punch of refreshing drink. Her 8-piece collection also pays homage to her signature style of surrealism and unbridled self-expression, with a focus on couture, drape and avant garde wear. 

SS 2022 SHEIN X Felicis Mood board 

SS 2022 SHEIN X Felicis: Keyhole Neck Colorblock Tee (photo credit: SHEIN) 

Throughout the collaboration, Ms Felicis was able to experience the various challenges of being a fashion designer. She faced multiple hurdles from the restriction of fabric choices and sample amendments, to illustrating the pattern construction demo using paper cutouts via video for the sample maker to produce. Partnering with a globalised brand also brought in another challenge of bridging a language barrier as SHEIN’s production team is in China. Despite all of the challenges, Ms Felicis’ confidence as a designer was not dampened as she knew that she was up for the task, having learnt the fundamentals in fashion during her course at the MDIS School of Fashion and Design.  

Interested in honing your skills in fashion with a school that has strong industry network with global and local brands? Check out our list of courses here (link: https://www.mdis.edu.sg/school-of-fashion-and-design). 

Written by Julian Cheong

Edited by Betache Precious Mae