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SINGAPORE - From the shuffle of inmates' feet to the strut of runway models.
Five months after its prisoners were transferred to the Changi Prison Complex, the Queenstown Remand Prison will play host to a chi-chi fashion show on Friday.
The launch of ck Calvin Klein's Spring 2010 collection is the first event to be held at the prison since it ceased operating last August.
Retailer Club 21, which holds the licence to distribute, market and operate boutiques for ck Calvin Klein in Europe and Asia, secured the venue for the show.
Both ck Calvin Klein and Club 21 were unable to provide further details by press time.
But other than the fashion show, there are no plans to hold more events there, said the Singapore Prison Service, which oversees the Queenstown Remand Prison,
The 388-cell prison located off Margaret Drive opened in 1966. Its notable inmates include American vandal Michael Fay in 1994, actor Christopher Lee in 2007 and former National Kidney Foundation chief executive TT Durai in 2008.
When told of the event, deputy chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Home Affairs and Law Hri Kumar Nair welcomed the creative twist given to a disused space traditionally "associated with crime and law".
"I think artistically it can be very interesting. It's just another platform for designers and those in the fashion industry to showcase it. I see no objections to that," said Mr Hri Kumar.
For Ms Sulian Tan Wijaya, senior director of retail and lifestyle at Savills (Singapore), the choice of venue shows that "... we really have come a long way in creativity and originality". Ms Tan Wijaya, who is among the guests invited, said it "takes a lot of imagination and foresight to put something like this together".
No plans have been officially announced about redevelopment of the prison premises, but Mr Hri Kumar sees no reason for the prison to be "permanently there" as an edgy events venue.
"I'm sure even if the prison is ultimately demolished (the creative industry) can find another venue to put up the show. Every show is different, after all," he said.
- TODAY/il
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