Singapore Stories is an annual fashion design contest organised by the Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFF), and this year despite the impact of Coronavirus is on track to choose a final winner on 22 October, 2020.
All five of the finalists will hold a runway show on the same date at the Asian Civilisations Museum, where the judges will choose the winner who will be included in the annual Contemporary Gallery at the Asian Civilisations Museum, and be able to launch a collaboration with one of Asia’s top multi-label fashion retailer SocietyA. There will also be an opportunity for a showcase at Paris Fashion Week for the holder of the Singapore Fashion Award.
As with every year, there was a theme for the designers to work around: Reimagining the History and Creating the Future, based on the idea of “examining the past and interpreting the future of design”.
Described as “feminine, timeless, versatile and luxurious”, Nude Femme is a sexy ready-to-wear brand that is made by hand in Singapore and around the region, with a focus on supporting women. The brand adheres to the principles of Fair Trade, Fair Wages, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Garment without Guilt (GWG) standards.
A family-owned tailoring business, CYC was established in 1935, and is best known for its affordable, quality tailored shirts. Cara Chiang is a family scion who is involved with creating new concepts for the brand. The brand has a strong Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme including, recently, creating and distribution of 300,000 Masks for Migrants in Singapore after the outbreak of Coronavirus.
Carol Chen
Founder of Covetella, a designer dress rental service, Carol Chen is using the opportunity of the Singapore Stories competition to relaunch herself as a designer of her own namesake brand. Her design aesthetic fits into the world of glamour that the former beauty queen knows well.
Using traditional batik, Martha Who by Mette Hartman is a sustainable resort wear brand that features hand dyed silk caftans in jewel tones. Very Bali luxe. The pieces are hand-crafted by artisans then sewn by hand and embellished in Singapore.
A glamorous womenswear brand, Nida Shay has been around for a few years and features the substantial use of artisanal hand embroidery created in the rural areas of Pakistan. The designer believes in supporting traditional artisans, with a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme that provides a living wage, educational ventures and vocational training to support the wider community of craftspeople in Pakistan.
For more information about TaFF’s Singapore Stories contest, go to singapore-stories.com.
I’ve never been shy about my love for Kpop … yes, I’m a YG stan from way back! Which is why I gleefully watched the latest video from the entertainment company’s girl group BlackPink with eyes wide open to spot the latest Korean fashion trends.
And there, front and center were some fabulous traditional Hanbok-with-a-twist garments. I recognised the fabrics, prints and decorative details from all those Kdramas we all watch, but teamed with boots, short-shorts and minis, this was definitely not something Queen Seondeok would wear!
I was already following a number of other Korean brands that were working with traditional fabrics and clothing shapes on Instagram, but these garments were a cut above with the attention to detailing and how modern they looked. Eventually I tracked down the brand behind the looks and discovered Danha.
Danha is not only a brand that is focused on creating a modern version of traditional Korean clothing, it is also a sustainable and ethical fashion brand – not something that is common in the Korean fashion industry.
The brand describes itself as “sustainable ethical ‘slow fashion’ rather than ‘fast fashion’ that causes global warming, [and] will contribute to improving the world’s environmental problems”.
Named after the designer Danha, the brand has always been about two things – celebrating traditional garment heritage in Korea, and being environmentally responsible. The brand works with organic and recycled fabrics, upcycles fabric offcuts – it creates gorgeous foldable shopping totes – and using the traditional flat-cut method of Korean garment design, actively reduces fabric waste. Danha also produces limited runs of stock and will create made-to-measure garments.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
Designer Danha discusses how her clothes ended up on BlackPink
The garments are mostly created out of organic cotton, and eco-fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles. Silk and an eco-friendly tweed is also used for some items, and the brand continues to experiment with creating new sustainable fabrics. Their organic cotton complies with GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), and is grown in a three year process with no chemical fertilizers, plus only natural starch and wax are used during the spinning process.
Like many brands these days, Danha also uses recycled and biodegradable packaging, and is in the process of trialing an upcycled paper shipping box made of recycled materials.
Another part of the brand’s ethos is its ethical production methods, describing its sewists as “free workers who can choose what they want to do”, in a collegiate workshop environment where all the garments are handmade, “working comfortably together, respecting each other”.
From the customers’ perspective Danha is also remarkably inclusive unlike other Korean fashion brands which historically have had issues with sizing, creating only small sizes and with little consideration of non-tiny shoppers. Danha, on the other hand, is quite inclusive. The brand’s ‘free size’ ranges from Korean sizes 44 to 66 (that’s XS to M on the international size chart), wrap skirts go up to a 35in waist. Garments also come in sizes that are equal to an international L, and the brand will also customise garments to order in any size you like.
Those are all the sustainable and ethical requirements on the current hit list, but what about the clothes?
Danha’s aesthetic fits neatly into the growing #cottagecore movement of light layers, ruffles, soft voluminous shapes and an ethereal, fairy vibe. Think drifting around in the moonlight waiting for your prince to arrive while simultaneously discovering a herbal cure for cancer, but in Seoul. These are pretty, pretty clothes with a distinctly Asian traditional take.
Should you wear them if you aren’t Korean, or Asian? Yes! If you love the look it doesn’t matter where you come from, just make sure you don’t do something stupid like add ‘yellow face’ makeup or hair.
With most of the world still struggling through the Coronavirus, the fashion industry is in the odd position of being seen as either a pointless waste of resources and time, or a psychological escape from the doom and gloom.
But what does that mean for the young creatives graduating during this weird time, like the recent grads from Lasalle College of the Arts’ BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Textiles course?
For one, it meant no graduate fashion show with friends, family, media and industry insiders to show off to, rather the school for the first time created a virtual runway on July 16.
“The world we live in today is more unpredictable than ever. This pandemic alone has ground the world to a halt and increased our online consumption to curb social isolation. Although the fashion industry has long functioned based on the expectation that a runway has to be present, we are already seeing fashion houses worldwide begin to explore different ways to present their new collections. To some extent, the change has also arisen out of ongoing conversations about sustainability and the future direction of fashion. We believe it is more important than ever that our students graduate with a consciousness of these issues and the role of fashion in this changing world,” said Circe Henestrosa, Head, School of Fashion at Lasalle.
Henestrosa refers, of course, to the recent attempts by international fashion weeks to claw back some of the media focus with less than successful digital events. Of the various attempts from London Mens, to Couture, few of the brands managed to create an online experience that topped their regular live shows. Only Helsinki Fashion Week – which has been online only since 2016 – has managed to create something that is at least as interesting in a creative way, as the physical shows.
Prada, Gucci, Dior Women (oh dear, Dior. A whole other problem there), basically just made fashion films. Dior Men created a fabulous fashion film, but still these were all just background and additional to what was usually the centrepiece, the clothes.
So, if even major established fashion brands with their endless budgets found it hard to stand out on the digital platform, how were 17 mini collections from a bunch of graduates based in Singapore going to do?
The ‘show’ …
To be honest, the virtual fashion show was, again, basically a fashion film. There was a lot of post-production and atmospheric shots of Pasir Panjang Power Station and the college campus – already a well-known location for sci-fi inspiration – but it was difficult to really see the clothes.
Watching via Zoom, you could not tell how well the garments were made, what the materials used were, or see the details that create the points of difference that make a new designer stand out.
Another thing that seemed a little behind the times was the concept of using Sustainability as an overarching ‘theme’ for organising the various designers. The collections were separated into five themes – Sustainability, Future Forward, Heritage, Textures, Body & Identity. Not unique concepts, but definitely topical ones, ideas and themes that are obviously affecting young creatives.
My issue with Sustainability as a separate theme, is that in the time of climate disaster, it should no longer need to be defined as a point of difference from ‘other types of fashion’. Sustainability should not have to be a ‘theme’. Sustainability is a fact; and any designer who produces today should be doing so in a sustainable and ethical manner automatically. The idea of using ‘sustainable’ or ‘ethical’ as a brand marketing tool is over. All brands need to be both, and therefore need to find another point of difference.
OK, rant over. Still, the Lasalle teachers and directors do take the issue seriously, while also allowing students to make their own decisions as to whether or not they incorporate it into their collections.
“One of the pillars of Lasalle’s School of Fashion and its BA(Hons) Fashion Design and Textiles programme is the continuous development of the notion of ‘future crafts’. Through this, we understand a seamless symbiosis between artisanal techniques and modern technologies,” explains Dinu Bodiciu, the lecturer in charge of the BA (Hons) in Fashion Design and Textiles at LASALLE College of the Arts’ School of Fashion.
“With the increase in awareness of sustainability, there is greater attention paid by our students to the materials employed in their collections. The graduation project allows them the time to play, experiment, investigate and innovate new textile processes in the search of creative fashion solutions.
“For instance, even though the plastic used by Felicia Agatha in the collection Repelebb was not recycled, she still chose to work with it because she needed a vessel to hold liquid substances like water and cooling agents. Her collection hydropuff proposes possible new materials and fashionable alternatives in a future when humanity has to face the consequences of global warming.
“Another example is Kwok Minh Yen’s collection 1.5oC. It expanded the notion of zero waste design by engaging in textile manipulation of leftover materials, turning these scraps of fabric into decorative elements in the collection. Minh Yen further worked with UV reactive threads and pigments, combining them with synthetic materials like mixed polyester/nylon organza.
“This juxtaposition of materials, preferred by fast fashion companies against the slower process of zero waste design, aims to criticise the industry’s unsustainable ways and how this contributes to global warming,” says Bodiciu.
Good, bad or blah …
To be expected, a number of the graduates were inspired by our dystopian times with collection themes that covered humanoid spaceships with different personalities, and one concept that was literally entitled Dystopia. Other current topics were covered as well; sizeism, sustainability, global warming, climate change, LGBTQIX, #metoo, etc. All to be expected in our modern world of global pop culture and TikTok. Some of the most successful concepts were those that didn’t focus on the global theme to the detriment of the actual design and craftsmanship of the garments. Of the most interesting were the designers that reimagined their concept into garments that functioned as both an artistic statement and an intellectual concept.
Cheah’s collection sat under the overall theme of Sustainability, using zero-waste pattern cutting techniques, but it was her modern take on traditional Malaysian prints inspired by the decorations of traditional kites that stood out. The draped, floaty shapes in the strong traditional colours ways of orange and black were softened with additions of hand dyed blues and yellows. While the cuts were somewhat reminiscent of early Japanese designers, the addition of ‘string’ interlacing referencing kite strings offered slivers of skin, creating a sense of fluid femininity. It will be interesting to see where Cheah goes from here. These pieces would definitely find a commercial market.
A mix of Iris van Herpen and Simone Rocha, Kwok’s work was also in the Sustainability theme, and was based on “draw[ing] attention to the increasing rate with which global warming is causing coral bleaching”. The garments were basically white, oversized dresses with ruffles and collars decorated with recycled textiles created to look like bits of coral. A series of adornments on one dress – donut shaped 3D rings studded with Swarovski crystals and UV reactive threads and pigments light up. Unfortunately this function wasn’t able to be clearly seen during the virtual show, but can be spotted in the photographs. Without the additional decoration, these pieces are cute, wearable clothes that don’t look much different from a lot of #cottagecore dresses seen all over TikTok and Instagram but come with a new take on the sustainability concept.
A pretty collection of pastel and embroidered separates, Schriber’s collection also sat under the Sustainability theme based on its entirely vegan material use. What these vegan materials are is unclear. No leather, so does that mean ‘vegan’ leather ie. plastic? Are the fabrics natural fibres? Or manmade and therefore less environmentally friendly? These are the issues that keep cropping up when it comes to defining what sustainable fashion really is. Still, the overall collection, while looking rather similar to Korean brand Ti:Baeg’s early work, is very wearable despite the fact that some of the concept was a bit too literal with large embroidered birds and prints being featured.
Part of the Future Forward theme, Agatha’s collection is described as “delving into science in order to devise climate-sensitive solutions for our future”. What that translated into was a lot of plastic. Presumably the plastic stood in for as yet unavailable technical materials that will adapt to issues of climate change like floods and such. The “activewear-influenced” pieces appear to be less about being active and more about creating shapes to be worn under the clear technical materials. The shapes and cuts had a vaguely 80s feel, added to by the combination of black, clear plastic, zips and pastel lavender shades of shiny fabric. The designer’s work with hydrogels is quite fascinating and it will be interesting to see how her research translates into future garments.
One of the collections that riffed on the issue of sizeism, Ng’s work looks like a mix of streetwear and 80s ideas of ‘future clothes’. The concept is described as being “built on the foundation of science fiction, imagining a world where plus-size is no longer a separate category”, but the interpretation falls a little short. Instead of creating new silhouettes for larger sizes, the cuts echo already existing oversized streetwear staples like shorts, hoodies, and collared shirts. The addition of ‘spaceman’ bits and pieces like zips and plastic pockets, plus the very literal use of flames to represent the sun combined with technical shiny materials gives the work a cartoonish vibe.
Phang is obviously a lover of anime. The entirely weird concept of the collection looks exactly like a real life version of Kantai Collection known as KanColle (艦これ, KanKore). The story line has cute girls who somehow turn into ocean-going battleships to fight off their enemies. While the underlying concept is completely daft, Phang’s work is some of the most interesting of the graduates. The designer hopes that future research and technological development will be able to turn his “fantasies into functionality”. The collection features a mix of form-fitting bodysuits as the basis for a series of layered pieces that add various functions to an outfit, like a coat, shirt and even a currently needed accessory, the face mask. It is also interesting that although his collection is placed firmly in the future, the fabrics used are more traditional like a Prince of Wales check in menswear fabric, showing that this guy really knows how to cut and fit a garment. It will be interesting to see how his work translates commercially.
Another of the collections focused on the issue of sizeism, particularly that of South Korea where the extreme social conditioning of Kpop has reduced women to equally extreme diets and plastic surgery. Lee’s work is a rather literal interpretation of her traditional heritage, the hanbok, with a slight nod towards modernity in the addition of capri pants. While pretty, these pieces are more akin to the trend of hanfu, where young people dress in slightly modern versions of historial outfits, with a nod to nostalgia and an Asian version of #cottagecore. While it is refreshing for the designer to create for larger women, again this just translates into bigger sizes of the same clothes that are already being made and worn. Still, the pieces are pretty.
Also part of the Heritage theme, Basri’s collection looks at subverting the “misogynistic symbols tied to the Malay folklore figure, promoting body acceptance in the process”; also incorporating the current #metoo trend to a certain extent. Basri uses the traditional ghost story of the Pontianak – a misogynist tale of a female vampire who is transgressive in Malay society due to her inability to have a child – to talk about definitions of womanhood and femininity. The concept has been translated into a series of garments that evoke simple working clothes combined with the colours of mourning – black, white and grey. Although there are a couple of embellishments of red ‘blood’ tracing the fabrics which are a little too literal, overall the collection is wearable and interesting with a nod to the simplicity of Japanese design.
Based on the Japanese concept of “Ma” (間), the idea of allowing a sense of space in between other things, this collection is somewhat hard to define. There is definitely a very Japanese style overall, with some very obvious takes from the work of designer Yohji Yamamoto in the use of gaps or cuts in patterns for classical coats and jackets. There are also pieces obviously inspired by the work of Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons with the use of padding and strips of menswear fabric.
Sitting under the Textures theme, Tibrewala’s collection is based on “fluid and distorted lines in order to express chaotic emotions” which really just translates into adding squiggly lines to her fabrics via print and hand-done spray paint. The shapes are based on early 80s, including a definite nod to Issy Miyake’s Pleats Please collections – one round-shouldered top in particular. Overall the collection has a pleasant run through of shape and colour, although a collared, open back jacket strikes a bit of a wrong note, as it seems too different to the rest of the pieces. There is also something a bit off with the proportions particularly in the short length of the pants. However, there is a softness and wearability to these garments; they are very ‘art gallery worker’, much like Issy Miyake.
Supposed to be all about the sense of touch, with the aim of making the viewer – not the wearer? – want to touch the garments, this collection appears, in fact, to be the opposite. Created from some sort of stiff, hard, sharp-looking faux leather (maybe?), the garments jut out from the wearer more like spines saying ‘stay away!’. There is little attention given to the wearer either, with the stiff fabric removing any human softness from some of the more encompassing pieces, while adding excess volume to the body in others. The juxtaposition with sheer fabric and the use of bright colours certainly imparts a kind of child-like playfulness, and while some of the cuts are simple, the more textured pieces have an interesting use of volume. Are these pieces actually soft to the touch? Or do they feel as stiff as they look? Interesting.
Based on her imagined idea of what people on magic mushrooms see, Halim has created garments that are basically traditional in shape and cut, but have various parts – the sleeves mostly – ‘blown out’ with the addition of sheer voluminous additions. The concept reads well in the original sketches, however the finished garments seem unbalanced and overly complicated. The addition of various colours, crystals, fabrics, more embellishments, and even more textures gives an impression less of the distorted vision of a bad trip, and more a toddler’s idea of dress up. The designer’s central premise of “a reality where vision is blurred by hallucinogenic drugs”, has been lost in translation.
Based on the myth of the Chimera – part lion, goat and dragon – the designer chose instead to combine a butterfly with a jellyfish, with unfortunately little success. The interpretation is all too literal with actual, human-sized butterfly wings adorning half a garment, while the other half features a long, full ‘jellyfish’ sleeve. A lopsided puffball skirt recalls not only the very worst of the 80s but also a dying blue bottle jellyfish on the beach. The concept was interesting – the idea of combining various and opposite creatures; air and water – creates fertile ground for juxtaposition and contrast. It is just unfortunate that in this iteration the clunky construction overcame the concept.
Part of the Body & Identity theme, Balachander’s collection is a cleverly wrought interpretation of the concept that “underneath our skin, our human anatomy is all one in the same”, a powerful nod to the current global reassessment of racism. The designer translates her links to her grandmother, with her age and experiences etched onto her body into a series of oversized menswear garments that expand the silhouette far outside the original body, stretching out with padding and extreme length. Yet somehow, these pieces still look like someone, somewhere could happily wear them. Actually, with many parts of the world still in lockdown, these voluminous pants and sweatshirts are the perfect hide-from-the-world-in-comfort pieces. Using a quilting technique, Balachander implies ideas of wrinkles on skin, or the lines of a topographical map, which is also echoed in the original print in the collection. All in all, this collection is an accomplished piece of conceptual design, that still feels not only like fashion, but like something you could actually wear, and want to buy.
A mix of the Mona Lisa and an Instagram influencer sounds like an interesting starting point for a collection. However the garments created by Latib appear less a “satirical conversation” between the Renaissance and contemporary culture, than an excess of shiny, oversized, blinged up streetwear pieces. The Renaissance references are lost in a sea of snap-on trouser legs, puffers, sleeves and hoodies, with a lone neck ruff to voice centuries of innovation and philosophical thought. The influence of Moncler X Craig Green is also very obvious. What is really a shame is that the designer’s earlier work as seen on his Instagram account is way more interesting, better constructed and unique.
Inspired by his personal medical issue, a diagnosis of Wolff Parkinson White (WPW) Syndrome, that causes random heart palpitations, this collection is one of the more personal. The translation into a series of voluminous, non-gendered garments, however, seems to have little connection. It is hard to see the link between a backless jumpsuit, a cloak of bunched red vinyl and a white shirt with long cuffs as “an abstract form of a journal – penning and scribbling down what I felt when the palpitations attack”, as the designer writes. Presumably the shapes and volumes are how the designer translates his feelings. Whatever the connections, the pieces themselves are well tailored, pretty evening wear for the non-gendered.
There is something very Leigh Bowery and Judy Blame about Xun’s collection, mixed in with current Drag Queen Culture, added to Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons and even a touch of Moncler X Craig Green. The work is a celebration of “queerness, artifice, irony and high aestheticism” that is obvious in its theatricality, shouting ‘look at me’ as loudly as possible. But it is because of this blatant obviousness that the collection works. The fact that the construction is impeccable and, while riffing on the work of other experimental designers, does not copy slavishly, it also positions the designer at the head of the conceptual pack. Xun’s work is unashamedly more art than retail, but that is exactly why it will grab the eyes and hearts of dedicated fashion lovers the world round. Can’t wait to see where this designer goes, and what they decide to make.
All images Lasalle College of the Arts. For more information, and to watch the original virtual show, go to www.lasallesof.com.
Indonesian fashion brand Happa is a fun and fabulous brand with an underlying mission to support traditional Indonesia textile workers, the majority of whom are struggling, and to also create a female-positive space for women of all sizes, shapes and ages.
Founded by Mel Ahyar and Andien Aisyah, Happa is part of the slow fashion movement; garments are made-to-order and require about five working days to be handmade in Happa’s ethically run factories.
While there is somewhat of an ethnic vibe, particularly in the brand’s lookbook shoots, the designs are comfortably modern, rendered in vibrant shades with artistic details created by using various traditional handicrafts and techniques.
It is the richness of these traditional techniques and details, alongside the sumptuous materials that creates the luxe global vibe of Happa. Saturated colours, create pieces that easily fit into anyone’s wardrobe; wear the look head-to-toe or throw them together with a pair of jeans.
Part of the brand’s mission, ‘Happa Lyfe’ is both a loyalty programme and a social media hashtag that connects the label’s widespread community both in Indonesia, and overseas.
Being based in Indonesia – a majority Muslim country – there is a certain level of modesty about the garments making them appropriate to be worn by hijabi women, while also offering pieces that can be worn in a less modest way.
Happa’s inclusive mission fits into the space of creating clothing for all women, which includes prayer appropriate cultural pieces like the ‘mukena’ redone in bright colours and prints.
Overall the cuts are forgiving, but also free in nature. It is the colours, patterns and additional decorative details that not only give the brand its own style, but also creates the signature ‘Happa’ style.
Thai designer label Takara Wong was founded in 2015 by designer Thakorn Wannawong around the concept of ‘trial and error’, and influenced by subcultures and musicians across the world and history.
According to Wannawong, iconic tropes from the 70s or 60s for example, are mixed with an “aerodynamic sporty silhouette” which makes the garments timeless. The latest collection for 2020 is all about streamlined 70s leather and glam for the menswear pieces, and sexy leather and suiting for the womenswear.
“Imperfections are what make things truly interesting, that is why the brand focuses on the underdogs of society and rebellious spirits,” states Wannawong on the website.
Wannawong is a graduate from Japanese design school Bunka’s Bangkok school, and he has always been interested in fashion, starting with designing pieces for family, and then moving onto creating costumes and outfits for his musician friends.
There is a very new YSL feel to the latest Takara Wong collection – lots of leather, lots of skinny guys and girls with shaved heads, tight and narrow cuts combined with slinky velvet. This is a very sexy collection; but there are also a number of sharp suits that can take you from day to night.
These pieces aren’t exactly cheap, but there is a level of quality and detail that is worth the cost – many of the pieces are ‘demi couture’ and need to be pre-ordered.
There is always a certain consideration that Carolyn applies when she designs; she doesn’t take the most obvious route towards referencing ‘local flavour’, and generally designs first from a point of genuine interest and love for the things that make Singapore special. She also has a quirky sense of humour.
Carolyn is basically the nicest person in the world too. #justsaying
The new Modern Heirloom fine jewellery collection has been inspired by Singapore’s Peranakan heritage, in particular the colourful traditional tiles. But unlike just about every fashion student I’ve ever had the misfortune to critique, Carolyn didn’t just go with over-wrought patterns of teal, fuschia and lemon.
The Modern Heirloom fine jewellery collection. Image: Carrie K.
Although the designs were based on the stylised plants and animals of the traditional tiles that can be found across Singapore from Chinatown to Little India and Geylang Serai, when you look at the geometric and streamlined jewellery pieces the connection does not smack you in the face.
“The Modern Heirloom Collection was designed to create relevant interpretations of important elements of our Singapore Heritage in the hope that these meaningful reminders will be handed down to future generations,” says Carolyn.
There is a very Art Deco feel to the designs overall, including the sharp lines, the pearls and the fact that Carolyn chose to use white gold instead of yellow for the settings. The colours come from rubies, emeralds, blue sapphires and diamonds and well as semi-precious stones such as amethyst, peridot, topaz, and jade.
The Modern Heirloom fine jewellery collection. Image: Carrie K.
As well as the refined, pared-back aesthetic, Carolyn has continued her penchant for mechanical things by fiddling with the designs to include multiple functions. There’s an ‘over ring’ that you wear with the core Heritage Rings; this creates an impressive cocktail ring that you can breakdown into a smaller everyday piece. As with all Carrie K. pieces, the designs come in a number of price points. Starting from only SG$288 for the silver version of the Heritage Outer Ring with topaz, that you pair with a silver and ruby, blue sapphire or emerald Heritage Ring for SG$388. You can also splash out on a luxe version that is made of 9 karat gold with a great emerald for SG$1,288.
The Modern Heirloom fine jewellery collection Heritage Ring. Image: Carrie K.
Another inspiration for Carolyn for the Modern Heirloom collection was Si Dian Jin – usually connected to weddings but actually based on the Chinese concept of ‘four generations under one roof’. You can also see echos of this concept in the architecture of the traditional Chinese four-pointed roof. That concept is where the overall design of the rings comes from – the outer ring with four ‘points’ and the inner ring with four stones that represent the four generations.
The Modern Heirloom fine jewellery collection Heritage Ear Drops. Image: Carrie K.
The rings are obviously my favourite pieces, but the earrings are damn nice too. Like the rings, the earrings are also multifunctional – the Heritage Ear Drops can be worn either as simple studs or with the additional ‘drops’ which you can buy separately. Prices range from $368 to $588 depending on the type of stones you choose. Top of the line is the pair that comes in 9 karat gold with amethyst and London blue topaz or white topaz which cost $1,488. I’m also loving the studs in rhodalite garnet or dark tarvorite garnet for $1,188.
Basically I’m impressed with the whole collection – as if that’s not obvious. I just have to work out how to pay for all the pieces I want.
The Carrie K. Heritage fine jewellery collection is available from the new Carrie K. Fine Jewellery Atelier located at #02-02 National Design Centre. The atelier will feature the custom and bespoke services, and you can shop for the ready-to-wear Carrie K. collection at the Keepers PlayShop at #01-01 National Design Centre.
For a long time I’ve had an issue with Singapore media describing certain companies that make clothes as ‘fashion brands’ but which are actually ‘retail’ labels. These brands – Love, Bonito is one of them – are not really ‘fashion brands’; they are companies that make nice clothes, at reasonable prices, with a bit of personal style, for people to wear on a daily basis. These brands are more similar to Topshop and Uniqlo than they are to Dior or Chanel, or even Vetements.
In Singapore there are number of quite successful retail brands that have been making their way into popular shopping memories, but which are not fashion brands per se. Brands like Love, Bonito, By Invite Only, Beyond the Vines and Benjamin Barker, were recently featured at the Singapore Fashion Awards 2017, as part of the ‘marketing’ section, not as part of the design awards. And having been a founding judge for the awards, I know that the reason these brands are featured is because they are popular and much more retail-friendly than many less wearable or conceptual designer brands. Designer brands that are more appropriate to be considered as ‘fashion’ labels.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that more retail-friendly brands are worse than the more fashion-forward labels. What I’m trying to highlight is that these types of clothing companies are not ‘oranges and apples’, they’re more ‘oranges and coffee-smoked buffalo tongue’. The first is something that doesn’t scare the shopper, the second is only for the very adventurous.
I have a great deal of respect for Love, Bonito’s founders. They have created a very lucrative business in a fashion retail environment that’s been under a great deal of pressure for the last 2-3 years. The brand knows exactly who their customer is; they know what she wants; and they know how to give it to her in a seamless online-to-offline experience. The brand has a variety of price points, but retains its core directive from its launch, expanding only as much, and as directionally, as is needed to grow the business. Love, Bonito is not a fashion brand swinging on the weird wind of trends and concepts; it’s sailing along smoothly along in a clear direction. And this is not a bad thing.
Image from Love, Bonito Chinese New Year 2018 capsule collection. Model: Jasmine Sim
While I may not consider Love, Bonito to be a hardcore fashion brand – you can read about the Singapore brands I do consider more ‘fashion’ – the founders have never claimed it is one. They are purposefully creating a business that has long term prospects in the retail market.
There are a few other Singapore brands that are also not exactly pristine when it comes to plagiarism. Whole9Yards has been cited for knocking off first, Self Portrait – the classic coloured lace dresses of its earliest collections – and now Malaysian designer, Jonathan Liang. Pleatation is obviously a copy of Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please label.
For Pleatation, the concept arose at the same time as micro pleated skirts started flooding Zara and Topshop; the brand cleverly linked up with this trend.
Image from Jonathan Liang SS17
When Whole9Yards first launched there was not a whole lot to talk about. The design concept was very ‘office lady’. However, after Self Portrait’s iconic lace dresses took off in 2013, Whole9Yards began to specialise in lace dresses the average OL could afford. The lace dress became a staple of its output. And very successful it was too. Although I’ve noticed that the brand has massively increased their prices now that they’re doing items that look like those of Jonathan Liang.
Image from Whole9Yards AW17
Again, I’m not saying that affordable retail options are an entirely bad thing. What I am saying is that making items that so closely echo the creative work of other designers is not fashion; it is copying. It is the lack of original design coupled with riding a wave of commercial popularity that makes it ‘retail’ and NOT fashion. At least as far as I’m concerned.
As I was quoted in this very flattering story by Adele Chan, the Editor-in-Chief of Nylon Singapore … “As always, I want to remind readers that this is my personal opinion, and as with anything, you can always have your own.”
There is a tendency in small communities to rave about any local brand or designer simply because they ARE local.
While it is important to support local talent, it is just as important to give praise where due, and to not simply celebrate the ‘localness’ for its own sake.
This is what has happened over the last 6 years in the Singapore fashion industry. Local brands with little to no true originality have been patted on the back and given media coverage simply because they exist. It’s like giving all the kids in a race a certificate and no medals for first, second or third.
When you don’t appear to get anything more for standing out from the crowd and being better than others, what’s the point of trying?
Conversely, just because you have a lot of friends in the local media, it shouldn’t mean that your work is placed higher on the tent pole of adulation.
In Singapore there has been a general creep towards admiration for retail brands that have successful social media accounts, rather than support for labels that do their own thing and focus on creating original work.
Yes, we should be proud of the brands that have continued to be economically viable in the current difficult retail environment – and indeed, they deserve praise simply for surviving. However, retail-successful brands are not going to be cutting edge fashion design in a trend-focused, shopping-driven country like Singapore.
Over the last 9 years in Singapore I have seen so many fashion brands come and go. Some deserved to disappear from our fashion radar, but others succumbed due to the lack of media attention, the lack of fashion education for shoppers – also media-led – and a general oversupply of any, and every, fashion brand in the world. Not to mention, of course, the increasing rise of online shopping.
Out of this complicated mess of being ignored in favour of someone’s friend’s new blogshop sourced from Dongdaemun Market; fighting for sales against global retail giants; and forever being forgotten by the fashion media except for the annual ‘Singapore issue’, there have risen a few fashion and accessories brands worth talking about.
These are my personal picks for Singapore fashion brands that actually work from a creative base of originality; no, they’re not all perfect (no brand is) but they have worked to ensure that they have a brand identity that doesn’t depend on ripping off other brands.
DEPRESSION
Image: Depression
Yes, I admit that I am personal friends with the designers behind Singapore streetwear unisex brand Depression. However, this doesn’t mean I can’t objectively appreciate what Kenny Lim and Andrew Loh have done over the last 10 years. Yes, Depression is 10 years old.
A brand that began as t-shirts for the impoverished junior industry creatives and hairstylists of Singapore, has grown into a brand that has a distinct DNA, is stocked globally and has shown at Berlin Fashion Week.
Depression is not a brand for everyone. It’s mostly black, drapey, oversized, punk-influenced streetwear for guys who work in the creative industries and girls who don’t like wearing pink lace dresses. But this doesn’t mean it’s not good.
Depression has a particular point-of-view and a targeted customer. And these are the reasons why it has survived Singapore’s ‘retail apocalypse’.
Image: Depression
Depression does have some issues. Over the years the brand has had hiccups in fabrication and fitting, but the team of designers tend not to make the same mistakes twice. As the brand owners have branched out into a multilabel store – Sects Shop – and a number of in-house brands, their ‘learnings’ have been incorporated into improving the Depression label.
Despite, or in fact, because of this, Depression is a Singapore fashion brand worth celebrating, whether or not you love an all black wardrobe.
Depression is available from Sects Shop located at Orchard Gateway #04-14, Singapore, and online at www.depression.com.sg.
IN GOOD COMPANY
Image: In Good Company
Designed and owned by the creative team behind now-defunct original Singapore brand Alldressedup, In Good Company is a tight collaboration between two designers who have their own specialties, and who know exactly who they are designing for. I’ve always said that the team, who worked together for about 10 years, made all their mistakes with someone else’s label, which is why they have grown from strength to strength since the brand launched in 2015.
Image: In Good Company
Jaclyn Teo, Sven Tan, Kane Tan – no relation – and Juliene Aw, are the co-founders of In Good Company, which started out with contemporary womenswear designed specifically for Singapore and the Southeast Asian region’s hot weather in a series of capsule collection ‘drops’, and has now expanded into matching ‘mini me’ collections for kids, and menswear. The brand is stocked in a number of stores in Singapore and the surrounding region, including in Jakarta, and has its own ‘tropical minimalist’ flagship store in ION Orchard on Orchard Road.
Image: In Good Company
The reason I describe the brand as being ‘tropical minimalist’ is that its aesthetic is a mix of Scandinavian minimalist design (yes, there’s a fair bit of COS in the shapes of the clothes) combined with a love of strong colours, ease of wear and machine-washability; perfect for tropical weather.
Image: In Good Company
Cuts tend to be on the smaller, Asian side, however the brand launched first as an online store and has a wide range of global customers. The signature very-fine shoulder and back strap details, and unique fabrics like machine-washable silk and cotton ‘neoprene’ means In Good Company remains modern without being trend-driven. Pieces from early collections can just as easily be worn with the latest launches and also fit nicely into ‘arty’ wardrobes that feature a lot of Comme Des Garçons. Yes, there are a few ‘basics’ that have a tendency to look like COS summer collections, but overall, In Good Company retains its own voice.
Image: In Good Company
The co-founders knew exactly who they were selling to before they launched the brand, and continue to stick to that very defined demographic despite the brand’s increasing profile as original Singapore design. They’ve been offered opportunities internationally – in countries that are definitely NOT tropical – but have stuck to their guns when it comes to designing for the region, not being beholden to global weather and not sticking to arbitrary fashion seasons.
It’s the combination of sticking to their preferred business model, knowing their customers and always exploring technology to create new, more comfortable fabrics, that has seen In Good Company continue to grow and establish itself as a strong independent Singapore fashion brand. This is not a brand that wants to become a global behemoth, the founders are all about staying true to their personal aesthetic and likewise living a life that allows for family and friends.
In Good Company is located at ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn, #B1-06, Singapore. Open daily: 10am – 9:30pm, Tel: +65 6509 4786. You can shop the brand online at www.ingoodcompany.asia, and the store is also home to a cool cafe, Plain Vanilla Bakery.
CARRIE K. ARTISAN JEWELLERY
Image: Carrie K. Artisan Jewellery
Once again I have to own up to being personal friends with the team behind Carrie K. Artisan Jewellery, but hey, Singapore is a small place.
Carolyn Kan, the founder and designer of the brand is the perfect example of a Singapore creative just doing her thing, being excellent at what she does, and ignoring the shallow, wider world of globally focused trends and social media ra-ra.
Image: Carrie K. Artisan Jewellery
Carolyn launched the label way back in 2009 as a way to ‘tell stories’ after changing her career. Almost immediately the brand took off as an international jewellery exporter; her quirky designs based on everything from nuts & bolts to paint splatters and morse code, struck a cord with people looking for ‘wearable art’ that was not only affordable but also unique and told a personal story. Carolyn has always done commission work, creating very personal pieces for customers who want something that tells their own story.
Image: Carrie K. Artisan Jewellery
The retail side of the business has grown over the years to encompass pieces in silver for less than a $100, to fine jewellery versions that can go for thousands. Every collection starts from Carolyn’s odd-but-interesting brain and continue to tell fun and unique tales about her world and the fans who have bought into it.
Image: Carrie K. Artisan Jewellery
On top of all this, Carolyn has been the backbone of the creative design scene in Singapore. Her creation of the Keepers Studio concept from pop-up weekends and stores, to a permanent retail space at Singapore’s National Design Centre, has seen her become the most important person in the national design scene. Without her, there would not be successful Singapore brands – a bold claim but one I’m ready to defend.
The Carrie K. Artisan Jewellery atelier is located at National Design Centre, 111 Middle Road. #02-03 (Annex building along Queen Street), Singapore. Open: Monday to Saturday, 12:00 – 7pm, Tel: +65 6352 2559. You can also shop the brand online at www.carriekrocks.com, and at the Keepers store. For a full list of stockists including international, go to www.carriekrocks.com/stores.
These are my current best Singapore designer fashion and accessories brands. I’ll continue to update and add to the list.
Everyone seems to agree that Singapore has some of the best shopping in the world. You really can buy everything in the shopping city, especially when it comes to fashion, shoes and accessories … There are all the European, American and Asian international brands, as well as some unique Singapore-centric labels as well. For my money, the best places to shop are some of the more eclectic multi-label stores … Sects Shop, Keepers and Biro Shouten.
SECTS SHOP
All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
Sects Shop is the store for people who love streetwear, alternative fashion and anything a bit spooky and goth. Founded in 2014 but the two creative minds behind Singapore fashion brand Depression – Kenny Lim and Andrew Loh – this multilabel store located in Orchard Gateway is always at the forefront of the next big trend. Although it’s mainly a menswear store, there’s a strong unisex component to the buy that neatly covers the new Korean streetwear trends of oversize, unisex ‘skirts for boys’ trends as well as generously-cut ‘drapey black goth’ pieces that are definitely female-friendly. Shoes are available in smaller sizes for women, and there are always accessories like bags and jewellery that can be adopted by both sexes.
All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
What I love most about Sects Shop is that it’s always got something new – a new label, a new fashion-forward trend – and the staff are extremely knowledgeable about not only the labels in-store, but also about the current trends for styling.
All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
The interior consists of various ‘shop-in-shop’ spaces that curate the various looks and trends into different spaces. The furniture pieces have been specially created to match the store’s concrete-industrial-tropical-trash feel and are used to create different spaces. Sects Shop is also home to semi-regular pop-up party events that basically include a runway show of the store’s hardcore fans in their best Sects Shop looks.
I have to admit to being a bit biased about the beauties of Sects Shop. I am a longtime friend of the co-owners 🙂 and also a big-spending customer; I do LOVE Korean fashion brands.
I was also the creative director for the shop’s recent Spring Summer campaign shoot … READ MORE HERE
Sects Shop not only has a great Instagram account that lets you know what’s new in-store, the owners have recently also launched an account called sects.education that’s designed to show Singaporean’s how to be a bit more cutting edge when it comes to their street style looks, and features images from some of the city’s more interesting fashionistas. Well worth following for some interesting Asian fashion inspiration.
Sects Shop is located at Orchard Gateway #04-14, Singapore.
KEEPERS
All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
If you are looking for genuine Singapore design then you need to check out Keepers in the National Design Centre, which is worth checking out in its own right if you like any sort of design.
Created by one of Singapore’s most prolific and genuine artisans, Carolyn Kan of Carrie K. Artisan Jewellery which also has its studio in the same group of buildings, Keepers has had a number of incarnations, starting as a pop-up store on Orchard Road and ending up with its permanent spot in the Design Centre.
Carolyn is Singapore’s number one style and design collaborators – Singapore’s godmother of design. She has created numerous opportunities for all sorts of emerging artists and designers to come together to create unique capsule collections, but has also spearheaded the development of space for these artisans to actually SELL their creations. As a multilabel store, Keepers offers everything from jewellery, fashion, furniture and homewares, to unique flavoured teas and chocolates. Keepers is also behind the annual Singapasar fleamarket that features only Singaporean creations.
Thomas Wee capsule collection at Keepers. All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
So, back to the store. Situated in the front of the ground floor, the store is a free-form space that morphs into different design concepts based on individual brand concepts.
Currently Keepers is holding is a pop-up capsule collection from Singapore’s ‘Dowager Empress’ of fashion, Thomas Wee. This all-white range of beautifully hand-finished, couture-cut fashion pieces are based on Thomas’ all-time best-sellers. The designer himself was there opening night, taking measurements and informing customers that he would tailor various bits and pieces to better suit their body shapes.
Thomas Wee capsule collection at Keepers. All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
This is the type of personal service that adds to the joy of visiting Keepers. Carolyn and her creative husband/partner Chong can often be found hanging out in the store making useful suggestions to customers over which pieces of jewellery to buy, or which Ling Wu exotic skin bag looks best. Hands down, Keepers is the best place to buy stylish souvenirs from Singapore; and it’s the best place to snap up artistic presents as well.
Thomas Wee capsule collection at Keepers. All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
Keepers is located at National Design Centre, 111 Middle Road, #01-01, Singapore. Open 12pm to 8pm daily. The National Design Centre is also home to Carrie K. Atelier and super hot dining & cafe spot Tanuki Raw plus another cool multi-brand store Kapok.
BIRO SHOUTEN
All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
For shoppers who are more into the extreme hardcore minimalism of very select hand-curate objects and fashion items; or stylistas who are obsessed with the normcore purity of Japanese design, Biro Shouten is the tiny, perfect store for you.
This is where the brothers bring together their concise curration of the very best versions of micro-targeted accessories, homewares, organic home scents, jewellery and clothing, including Mastery handmade small leather goods and Takashi Endo Ceramics.
All images by Niki Bruce, shot on iPhoneX
The store itself is small, but perfect in layout and design – very Japanese in concept and feel. Although it’s located in a somewhat odd area (a very Singapore heartland shopping mall), it’s directly next to the Lavender MRT stop and well worth making the effort to visit.
Biro Shouten is located at Kitchener Complex, Level 3, 809 French Road, Singapore.
Singapore, while being a geographically small country that punches above its weight in any number of industries, has had some difficulty in producing fashion brands and designers that have been able to go on to worldwide success. It’s not been impossible; accessories label Charles & Keith is a prime example and brands like In Good Company – which won the inaugural Designer of the Year – is currently making waves with its affordable fashion with a ‘designer’ sensibility. However, there have been a number of Singaporean brands that have recently downsized or closed – not just ‘designer’, in fact, previously solid contemporary and high-street brands have disappeared too.
Thankfully, however, there’s been some new blood to fill in the blanks and some brands who have been plugging away for years, have finally been recognised.
THE SINGAPORE DESIGNERS OF THE YEAR …
Image: Dzojchen
I was particularly excited that Chelsea Scott-Blackhall of contemporary luxury brand, Dzojchen, won Designer of the Year. Chelsea has been growing her label since 2013 and over the years has shown on runways in Paris, New York and Seoul. It’s also being stocked in major multi-label stores and showrooms. I actually sat front row at Seoul Fashion Week for Chelsea’s first show there, and I’ve been supporting her strong, personal take on luxury mixed with a sense of ease and nostalgia ever since I saw her first collection. A well deserved winner. Yay Chelsea!
Image: Marilyn Tan
Another well-deserved winner was jewellery designer Marilyn Tan. Marilyn has been creating artisan jewellery pieces for 20 years; the brand shows in Paris twice a year, and is stocked at the Museum of Contemporary Art Store in Chicago, plus at designer stores in New York, Miami, Toronto, and London. Marilyn is one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met; she’s always stayed true to her unique design sense that mixes precious metals and stones with a Singapore aesthetic and the organic shapes of nature.
The winner of the Emerging Designer of the Year, Elizabeth Soon of Ametsubi, may be a relative newcomer to the Singapore fashion world, but her win was loudly applauded by the fashionista crowd at the awards.
Ametsubi is an interesting mix of Japanese aesthetics and contemporary womenswear. These are clothes made for women who love fashion but aren’t necessarily into following trends. Although based and produced in Japan, the brand does have a more practical bent that shows its Singaporean roots. This is definitely a brand to watch. You will eventually be able to shop Ametsubi on its website (although it seems to be still under construction), but you can check out the new collection and then stalk the site. That’s what I plan to do – I really want this whole outfit.
Image: Ametsubi
The Emerging Accessories Designer of the Year award went to the team of Afzal Imram and Lin Ruiyin behind fine jewellery label State Property. The brand has a very modern aesthetic, quite geometrical and minimal, mixed with a Singaporean’s love of colour; it’s very easy to see that this is a label that can become international. There is also an artistic quality to the pieces; an interesting sense of balance between the materials, the skin of the wearer and the spaces between. The earrings are particularly clever – they look both current and timeless, something that’s very difficult to do. I personally like the Coda earrings.
Image: State Property
THE CHAMPION OF THEM ALL … CAROLYN KAN
Image: Carrie K.
First up I have to declare that I’m great friends with this individual who I feel has done more for the Singapore fashion and design industry in the last 10 years than anyone else.
The designer and founder of artisan jewellery label Carrie K., Carolyn Kan, is someone who has been a tireless worker for Singapore’s design scene. Her jewellery brand is international, but what’s more important is that Carolyn has created numerous environments for Singapore designers to come together and make money; all on her own initiative.
Her positive personality, energy and genuine care for creatives in Singapore led to the Singapore Fashion Awards committee creating a special award just for her; the Champion for Creatives and Designers Award. Carolyn was behind the Multiply: A Majestic Playground event by Keepers Singapore and The Straits Clan – featuring over 50 Singaporean artists, designers, makers and craftspeople – and more than 6,000 visitors. Carolyn was also the driving force behind Keepers, a platform for Singapore’s creative businesses that has gone from pop-up weekends in the Carrie K studio, to a pop-up store on Orchard Road and now has a permanent space at the National Design Centre.
Carrie K. also won the inaugural Bespoke Award for a unique ring designed for a wedding anniversary that managed to combine not only the client’s many personal requests, but still held onto the Carrie K. design aesthetic. And, she won the Best Collaboration of the Year Award for the Carrie K. and Disney Beauty and the Beast Collection (another personal favourite – I’ve got two of the rings).
We all love and adore Carolyn.
THE SINGAPORE FASHION AWARDS EVENT …
I have to say something about the actual event for 2017. This year it was held at W Singapore and the organisers went all out on creating an environment that was an eclectic mix of Singapore, luxury and dare-I-say, fun. The was a real sense of occasion created by Singapore’s ‘Godfather of Fashion’ and author, Daniel Boey … towering flowers, fabric, Singaporean models, crazy lighting, an actual triumphal arch on the stage and lots, and lots of Singapore fashionistas in their best Singapore designer threads. Congrats darling! It was definitely ‘fashion’.
niki bruce 