SINGAPORE. Dec 18 — There was a time when the phrase “local design” meant T-shirts with the Merlion or some quirky phrase such as “Singapore is a FINE city” or even orchid brooches. Not any more.
From cushions that resemble local delights such as kueh tutu and ang ku kueh to candles and umbrellas inspired by the work of local artist and cultural icon, the late Chua Ek Kay, the wide range of made-in-Singapore offerings is becoming increasingly popular, not only with tourists but with the hip crowd too.
While locally-designed and -created products used to be solely available via niche websites and quirky hole-in-the-wall stores, they are now proudly stocked and available at the retail sections in several places of interest, including the newly opened National Gallery and the Botanic Gardens.
Whether these can be taken as signs that Singaporean design has finally come of age in this tight retail market is debatable. However, it is evident that the local market is finally embracing home-grown brands and their uniquely Singaporean perspective.
Take local boutique Naiise, which stocks local labels. Having started out as an online store in 2013 with a curated offering of independent, niche labels and original designs, the company now stocks more than 600 Singaporean and global brands — and a comprehensive line-up that includes artisanal food, artworks and home decor, such as a Hinika large dragon rocking horse, the Scene Shang embroidered cushion covers featuring iconic Singaporean locales; and the Urban x Maps Downtown Core Map.
It has also expanded to three brick-and-mortar stores here, including a 6,500 sq ft mega-store at Central Clarke Quay. As Dennis Tay, the founder of Naiise, observed: “Singaporeans are becoming more appreciative of local brands, which no longer have a stigma of being inferior in quality.”
The newest kid on this local block, Gallery & Co, is also the largest — 8,800 sq ft spread across two wings — and incorporates a cafe headed by chef Sufian Zain (from Restaurant Ember) and ample space for pop-up events. Envisioned as “an entrepot of visual dialogues”, the offerings here are naturally influenced by the artworks displayed in the National Gallery, such as the Chua Ek Kay Candles jointly created by Singaporean brands Candles Of Light and Mud Rock Ceramics or the Exhibition Umbrella inspired by Chua’s After The Rain.
“We want to be a store where everyone can engage with art and will carry items that are affordable at all levels. We want to reduce the divide between art and the public, to incorporate art into the everyday lives of Singaporeans,” said Alwyn Chong, co-founder of parent retail company & Co and managing director at Luxasia.
What can you look out for? Upcoming collaborations between designers and artists, such as an exclusive capsule collection of scarves by Matter Prints, designed by Foreign Policy and inspired by the National Gallery’s permanent collection.
Of course, other institutions have been plying visitors with homemade products too — or, at least, products that have been inspired by Singapore.
The retail brand behind the museum shops, The Museum Label, operated by the National Heritage Board, has long established a reputation for producing quirky, humorous products that reference our Singaporean heritage and culture — such as the cheeky Great Singapore Souvenirs (GSS) Singlish Magnets or the GSS Shophouse Tin Can. There are four retail outlets, located at various museums, including the National Museum of Singapore and the Asian Civilisations Museum.
Many Singaporeans assume that The Gardens Shop at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which has three outlets (located at the Nassim Gate, the National Orchid Garden and Tanglin Gate), caters solely to tourists. But it actually offers some unique gems themed around nature and florals in particular, such as the Tembusu-scented range of home fragrances that includes a diffuser, among other things. It also stocks homegrown jewellery brand Risis, which made its mark immortalising the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid, Singapore’s national flower, by encasing the blossom in 24K gold and other metals, and incorporating it into necklaces and other jewellery creations.
And then there are the “expats”, such as multi label lifestyle boutique Kapok at the National Design Centre, which founder Arnault Castel first established in Hong Kong. Apart from the National Design Centre, there are outlets at Tangs at Tang Plaza and Robinsons Orchard.
Castel meant for Kapok to be a haven where design mavens could find quirky-cool statement items from fairly under-the-radar brands.
“(My) vision is to introduce to Singaporean and Asian audiences a true choice of great designs by emerging talented brands from all over the world,” he said.
He also said that he was inspired by his shopping experiences in Paris and Tokyo “where I could find hidden stores full of wonderful discoveries”; and set up Kapok partly as a counterpoint to the “identical malls full of mega brands” found here.
For Singapore’s branches, Kapok stocks local brands and locally-inspired treats such as Singapore tea company Pin Tea’s Christmas blend called Merry Mount, made with chrysanthemum tea hand-picked from the snow-capped Kunlun Mountains in Tibet; the Matter cotton silk scarf: The Singapore print edition, which was designed by Yah Leng Yu from Foreign Policy Design Group as part of the Then & There edition and features the sou-sou tile patterns found in the kopitiam here; and the MYRRH trii-pyra necklace, which is made from 92.5 per cent pure silver pendants. — TODAY
