LASALLE-SIA has appointed a team of highly qualified academics and practitioners in the fashion industry to drive the growth of the Fashion Institute.

- Gladys Heng, Director of Fashion Institute of Singapore

Gladys Heng brings with her considerable knowledge and experience having been a leading fashion educator for almost 20 years. She is no stranger to the local fashion industry having headed a School of Fashion Studies as its Dean for over nine years and serving as the President of the Singapore Fashion Designers Society for the past decade. Gladys’ research interest in Chinese monority clothing of over 56 tribes in China has led to the production of significant work in textiles and the publishing on the topic. Her research work also includes South-east Asian textiles and costumes, and digital technology for fashion, costume and textiles.

Gladys will commence her appointment as Director of the Fashion Institute of Singapore on 1 December 2005.

- Hywel Davies, Programme Leader, Fashion Design

A graduate of Central Saint Martins, Hywel Davies was most recently Course & Subject Leader of the BA (Hons) Fashion programme at Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication, UK. The College is recognised for its creative use of digital technologies in design and communications within a lively interdisciplinary learning community. Hywel had also taught at the London College of Fashion and the Royal College of Art.

- Dympna M Rochford, Programme Leader, Fashion Management

Dympna M Rochford has global experience in fashion and education. Educated in Manchester, UK, Dympna's career has encompassed Wisconsin in the USA to Glasgow in Scotland. With a reputable managerial background in Fashion, Dympna began her career as a Fashion Designer. She established showrooms for fashion wholesalers in the UK before moving into retail management with Hunters of Brora Ltd, Scotland. Hunters of Brora designed and manufactured tweed fabric and yarn for Ralph Lauren, Dries van Noten, Jones New York and Aquascutum.

Academically, Dympna was an Assistant Professor of Fashion at Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA and lectured Fashion, Retail and Business at North Glasgow College, Scotland. Dympna has worked as a consultant to business start-ups and acted as an advisor to established businesses in Scotland. Artistically, she is pursuing research on garment design and manufacture and has exhibited in the UK.

The College will be announcing further appointments for the Fashion Institute in the near future.