Homegrown designers you ought to know
Singaporeans get a lot of flak for being an uncreative lot but judging by our burgeoning fashion scene, we’re steadily proving those naysayers wrong. Get clued in on this talented bunch of homegrown designers you oughta know.
Vice & Vanity
It’s hard not to be blown away by Vice & Vanity – this industrial jewellery label offers a stunning range of avant-garde designs that are, simply put, works of art. We love how designers Vivi Masturah Lim and Aaron Kao aren’t afraid to constantly push the envelope and experiment with size, proportion, and materials. And clearly, we aren’t the only ones: Vice & Vanity has had major love from the international press and has even collaborated with industry bigwigs like Charles & Keith. local designers in Singapore
Depression
True to its name, this unisex ready-to-wear label makes no apologies for its moody and often clinical approach to design – think minimalist cuts in stark, monochromatic colours. But make no mistake, there’s nothing sad about Depression. It’s a favourite amongst edgy fashionistas and celebs such as Adam Lambert and The Black Eyed Peas, and is also stocked internationally in Hong Kong, Japan, Belgium, and the US.
Depression, Cineleisure Orchard, #03-05A, 8 Grange Road, S 239695, p. 9889 2179. Also available on Zalora and Asian Fashion Inc.
Ong Shunmugam
Best known for its refreshing interpretations of traditional Asian wear, Ong Shunmugam is hands down one of the most original homegrown fashion labels around. Take for example its latest collection Whenever I Fall At Your Feet, a stunning range inspired by Singapore’s iconic landmarks. There’s no question – designer Priscilla Shunmugam is one talented lady and judging by the label’s well-received presentation at Paris Fashion Week 2012, she’s going nowhere but up.
Ong Shunmugam, 16 Raffles Quay, B1-36 Hong Leong Building, Singapore 048581, p. 6223 4804. Open Mon-Fri 12-7pm and on selected weekends.
Kae Hana
Vibrant and edgy, yet still incredibly wearable: that just about sums up Kae Hana to a tee. This ready-to-wear women’s label is big on bold and bodacious prints, which are exclusively designed in-house and are surprisingly easy to mix-and-match. Fashionistas who love their frocks fun and fabulous, take note: Kae Hana is just what your wardrobe’s been missing.
ZENCHI
Naomi Campbell (yes, THE supermodel herself) made her South-east Asian runway debut at last year’s Digital Fashion Week Singapore sporting ZENCHI – consider us duly impressed (and awed). What’s more impressive is the label’s line of elegant haute couture-like gowns that’ll bring out the goddess in you – all kudos to designer Zenchi Ewe’s stellar skills in drapery.
ZENCHI, 117 Devonshire Road, Singapore 239880, p. 9090 1337 (by appointment only). Also available at Gnossem.
Chalk
Founded in 2009, Chalk is by no means a new kid on the local fashion block. But thanks to the ingenuity (and visual design background) of designer Priscilla Tan, each collection is like a breath of fresh air – fun, versatile, and utterly charming. Whether it’s a sultry collection inspired by silver screen icon Marlene Dietrich or an irreverent and whimsical one with eye-popping Pantone hues, Chalk will have you smitten from the get-go.
In Good Company
For once, a label that (ironically) bucks the trend, instead of setting it. Designers Kane Tan and Sven Tan (of alldressedup fame)’s strategy is a clever one – forgo the typical seasonal dictates of fashion and focus instead on creating capsule collections of wardrobe essentials that every woman needs. And indeed, judging by In Good Company’s aesthetic of sophisticated and feminine silhouettes which are tailored to Singapore’s weather, no woman would be able to resist snagging a dress or two for herself.
In Good Company, also available at Front Row, Raffles Hotel Arcade, #02-09, 328 North Bridge Road, Singapore 188719, p. 6224 5501.
Saturday
Not to be confused with Kate Spade’s sub brand, this unisex label is the second venture by veteran designers Nic Wong and Daniel Loh, following the success of their previous collaboration, Nicolas. Saturday’s approach to design is minimal and pragmatic, but definitely by no means boring. Expect clean cuts, simple silhouettes with quirky and unexpected touches that embody the carefree spirit of everyone’s favourite day of the week.
Saturday, Wheelock Place, #B2-04, 510 Orchard Road, Singapore 238880, p. 6887 3860. Also available at TANGS Orchard and Isetan Scotts.
Evenodd
Gents: now there’s no reason not to look anything less than dapper. Not when you’ve got Evenodd, a menswear label that’s making waves in the local scene. Inspired by gentlemanly, debonair styles of the yesteryear, self-taught designer Samuel Wong reinterprets them with a contemporary twist – and the result is a collection of meticulously designed separates that belong within the pages of Vogue Hommes.
LION EARL
Designers Lionel Low and Hariz Lim have one goal – to push the boundaries and create genre-defying looks by fusing fashion with art and architecture. Sounds ambitious but this talented duo is well on their way to accomplishing just that. Their presentation at last year’s Audi Fashion Festival was a daring one, with futuristic designs and experimental prints that left audiences wanting more (and for good reason).
LION EARL, available at Threadbare & Squirrel and online at Inverted Edge and Gnossem.
Top image: Vice & Vanity x Charles & Keith