Can couture spark conversations on suicide prevention?

Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) has partnered with creative agency Sweatshop and three Temasek Polytechnic fashion design graduates on "Courage couture", a public awareness initiative using avant-garde fashion to open up conversations around suicide prevention.

The campaign poses an intentionally impossible brief: what if designers had to create a garment that could prevent suicide?

Rather than attempting to create a literal solution, the designers explored protection, courage and hope through fashion, resulting in four couture pieces: 'Grounded', 'FAILSAFE', 'Sanctuary of Mercy' and 'The Vespertine Vessel'.

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The creative process led all three designers to the same conclusion: no garment can prevent suicide. Instead, the campaign highlights the importance of recognising emotional distress, creating space for honest conversations and encouraging people to seek support.

The collection debuted at Orchard Road Fashion Week before being exhibited at *SCAPE Singapore, where visitors can explore the stories behind each design alongside suicide prevention resources.

“Fashion is more than garments. It is emotion, identity, and storytelling brought to life through the body. That's why we chose to use fashion to start a conversation about suicide, and to remember how we all need to have kindness,” said Faris Famok, one of the student designers.

The campaign is designed to reach young people through a space closely tied to self-expression, identity and community.

Rather than depicting suicide directly, the garments symbolically explore the instinct to protect someone we care about, prompting audiences to consider who in their own lives they might need to check in on.

“Fashion is usually about self-expression. Through this project, I realised that while fashion can start a conversation, it is people who make the greatest difference,” said Jamaine Teo, another student designer.

Charlene Heng, deputy director at SOS, said the campaign aims to tackle the silence and stigma that can make difficult conversations harder to have.

“What moved us most was that every designer came to the same realisation: there is no object capable of preventing suicide. The real protection comes from people who notice, listen without judgement, and encourage someone to seek support,” she said.

Taking the campaign beyond the runway

Kevin Seah, founder and CEO of The Kevin Seah Group and campaign ambassador, mentored the graduates throughout the creative process as they translated the social issue into couture.

Seah said his own experience with a difficult period in his life made the project particularly meaningful, adding that fashion can make people “feel something first” and potentially open the door to difficult conversations.

Following the runway presentation, Samsung’s Spatial Signage display will extend the fashion experience into an immersive 3D gallery, allowing visitors to engage with the collection beyond the catwalk.

The campaign was conceptualised by Sweatshop and co-created with the Temasek Polytechnic graduates, with PR specialists IN.FOM and event production agency Flash Concepts also supporting the initiative.

Sweatshop co-founder and CCO Adrian Yeap said the campaign was built around a deliberately impossible creative brief.

“You can design protection for the body, but you can’t design away someone’s pain. That takes more than fashion. It takes people noticing, listening, being there, and having frank, open conversations,” he said.

The initiative comes as brands increasingly turn to fashion and creative expression to open up conversations around youth mental health. Earlier this year, Geneco partnered creators Edwin Goh and Rachel Wan on "Begin again", a crochet collection exploring grief, burnout, renewal and personal growth, with the pieces exhibited at youth wellness centre grovve at *SCAPE.

Developed with Beyond the Label and grovve, the campaign used handcrafted fashion as a way to encourage young people to reflect on their own experiences and wellbeing.

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