You can always expect something more than just shades at Gentle Monster and the store at MBS is no different.
The eccentric and unabashedly over-the-top concepts at Gentle Monster should come as no surprise if you’re familiar with the South Korean luxe eyewear brand’s iconic stores. Case in point: Gentle Monster’s latest and second store in Singapore. Located at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, it’s a stark difference from the fun Ion Orchard space, attracting all attention with an orbiting red dot, alien-like robotics and broken antennas.
First, a quick back-story on the brand’s overarching project, ‘13’. It’s a concept that imagines a time when a mysterious drift between the earth and moon creates a 13th lunar month called ‘Undecember’. Things get chaotic due to a tilt of its axis and the earth has to suffer an extreme ecological change.
A grim and intriguing concept that opens your eyes
Enter ‘The Data Addicts’ – the first of this 13-part series and the concept behind the Marina Bay Sands store. It portrays a scene where humans have turned into alien-like creatures and their survival lies on every kind of information they can find – which is scarce in this excruciatingly harsh environment. The only outlet for information comes from large, high-tech antennas that provide signals which they must analyse and use for their survival. But plot twist: all the information is a big, big lie. *Gasp* In fact, the real antenna is broken and abandoned. Doesn’t make sense? Well, it’s a metaphor to show how easy it is to be misled by fake news and how society has become obsessed with information – even if it’s fake. The MBS store is part-one of ‘13’ and 12 other stores are slated to open around the world.
Project Manager Lee Jihee and spatial designer Shim Somi took nearly a year to conceptualise the story and about four months to complete the installations. Lee Jihee hopes that the concept irks some emotion and food-for-thought the next time you go in to get a pair of shades.
And more about the shades…
It’s also the only store in the world to house a special edition of Cobalt in collaboration with Singaporean fashion blogger, Yoyo Cao. With a teardrop design that screams chic, it’s one of the most coveted collections ever. Gentle Monster also celebrated the launch of its 2019 collection, ’13’, a blend of classics, statement pieces and avant-garde designs that’ll elevate any look.
Gentle Monster, 2 Bayfront Avenue #B2-103/104/105, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore 018972