Fashion For a Cause
Singapore Fashion Runway (SFR) is a social enterprise that aids youth with special needs and disadvantaged youth groups through SFR’s Fashion for a Social Cause movement. Through SFR’s training and development programmes, youths and their families have the opportunities to learn about creative arts, performing arts, entrepreneurship and a host of other skills.
Like many social enterprises, SFR faces challenges such as the need to increase awareness of their work, strengthen branding, promoting their programmes and activities to various stakeholders, while also trying to be a financially-viable organisation. SFR endeavours to do good and create value to their beneficiaries on a sustainable basis. Hence, the challenge is to create differentiated channels of sustainable revenue which appeal to a multitude of audiences, yet allowing persons with special needs opportunities to be gainfully employed.
Through the students’ efforts, SFR obtained valuable insights on their selected focus areas:
- 'Fashion for a Social Cause' project: With the students' contributions, SFR obtained new-found insights and plans, which includes partnering corporates such as banks in their Corporate Social Responsibility programmes; engaging educational institutions in their extracurricular activities; use of social media platforms, and influencers to reach out to the targeted stakeholders.
- 'Starting and managing a convenience store' project: the two groups that were tasked in this project provided detailed suggestions on suitable locations; merchandising; marketing; manpower requirements; costs; potential suppliers and partners and the timeline.
- 'Maximising the utilisation of the SFR Centre' project: Suggestions from the students were varied and targeted both the special needs community and their families and also the general public in fully utilise the centre in organising various events and training sessions.
"I enjoyed partnering with SMU-X, especially with the faculty instructor, and the SMU-X team. They were very helpful, reassuring and so willing to go the extra mile for us throughout this journey. The students also lent a helping hand in proposing creative ideas based on the cases which they have picked from our social enterprise. I am amazed that they could come up with such interesting ideas in such a short period of time. Some also took the time and effort to visit our centre and interacted with the people with special needs. Overall, It was an enjoyable experience from all of us at Singapore Fashion Runway.”
- Eileen Yap, CEO/ Founder, Singapore Fashion Runway