Hot fashion designer is Berita Harian Achiever Of The Year

Hot fashion designer is Berita Harian Achiever Of The Year.

A Singaporean designer, Ashley Isham, who is a hit on the London fashion scene and who counts among his fans superstars like Kylie Minogue and Mariah Carey, is named the Berita Harian Achiever of the Year, becoming the youngest recipient to win the prestigious award in the Malay/Muslim community.

The 29-year-old London-based designer received the award from Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong last night at a gala dinner to mark Berita Harian's 50th anniversary.

Dressed in a suit by British designer Alexander McQueen, he arrived at the award ceremony at The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Hotel with his good friend, model Denise Keller, who was dressed in a white Ashley Isham gown. His mother, housewife Rokiah Abu, 57, and sisters Khaty Ismail, 24 and Lily Watty, 27, also attended the presentation.

The award, organised by Berita Harian and presented by HSBC, recognises his pursuit of excellence and attaining international recognition in fashion design.

"The judges were very proud and impressed with what a young Singaporean like Ashley has achieved in his career and we are confident that he will do even better in the future as he has the right mindset to be a success," said Mr Ridzwan Dzafir, consultant to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ambassador-at large, who headed a panel of six judges drawn from the Malay-Muslim community.

Added Berita Harian editor Mohd Guntor Sadali: "Ashley is not an ordinary fashion designer. He is the perfect example of how you can turn your dream into reality if you are brave, can work hard and seize opportunities as they arise."

The annual award, now into its 9th year, is given to Malay/Muslim individuals for their achievements in education, business, arts and culture, sports, social work or a specialised profession.

Ashley, who grew up in a three-room HDB flat in Clementi, loved sketching clothes when he was young and even helped his part-time seamstress mother with simple tasks like sewing the necklines of the baju kurung.
Armed with some savings, he left for London in 1996 to study fashion design at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and later the Middlesex University. A sponsorship from a Swiss investment bank that took interest in his work enabled him to complete his further education in fashion and launched him into the international fashion scene.

He now shows his collections twice a year at London Fashion Week alongside international labels like Eley Kishimoto and Paul Smith. His clientele includes celebrities like Kylie Minogue, Angelina Jolie, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Princess Haya of Jordan.

He owns his eponymous label, Ashley Isham, as well as a multi-label boutique called aQuaint on the chic Conduit Street in London, alongside brands such as Moschino, Issey Miyake and Vivienne Westwood. His clothes, comprising fluid silk jersey gowns and well-tailored suits, are sold in Dubai, Kuwait, London, New York, Los Angeles and Singapore.

Ashley was selected to be the official womenswear designer for the 2004 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards and has also appeared as a guest judge on the popular American TV programme, "America's Next Top Model", hosted by supermodel Tyra Banks.

More recently, Ashley was invited by Mercedes Benz SEA to present his own catwalk show at the Singapore Fashion Festival 2006 and to judge at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Awards 2006.

But Ashley is modest about his success, saying that his career is still in its infancy. He attributes his achievements to his humility and filial piety, engrained by his upbringing in Singapore.