(SPOT.ph) Are you tired shopping for the usual designer goods along Orchard Road (or you simply cannot afford it), or are you looking for something more unique to bring home from a trip to Singapore? Then you might want to check out Design Orchard, the retail hub (we’d like to say it looks like a mall!) dedicated to homegrown Singaporean fashion designers and lifestyle retailers. It opened its doors on January 25, coinciding with this year's edition of Singapore Art Week.
The retail showcase carries more than 60 Singaporean independent brands, from fashion and houseware, to locally made scents and various gift items. The best part? The prices are very reasonable, with some items priced as low as SG$8. The second floor will house an incubation or coworking space for budding designers, as well as a venue for workshops.
“We are excited to be operating the retail showcase at Design Orchard to make local design accessible…furthering our goal to offer support to local brands,” says Dennis Tay, CEO of Naiise, the retailer of Design Orchard. Ready to shop SG under one roof? Here are SPOT.ph’s picks from Design Orchard.
Photo Phactory
Photographer Valley Arora loves walking through Singapore’s heritage districts and taking snapshots of daily life there. She now prints these photos of shophouses, Peranakan tiles, and street scenes onto stylish accessories and gift items like handbags, clutches, and serving trays.
For more information, visit Photo Phactory's website.
OoLa Lab
Founded by South African Terry Jacobson, this fragrance house creates various scents—from woody, musky tones to light and fruity—to create a unique, personalized perfume for the body or the home. The scents come bottled in test tubes with minimalist packaging.
For more information, visit Oola Lab's website.
Singapore Memories
These scented candles and personal fragrances are dedicated to the flora of Singapore. Each scent has its own charm, evoking memories of icons from Singapore’s past, such as Peranakan Oud, Singapore Girl, and Reves de Singapour.
For more information, visit Singapore Memories' website.
Blithe and Merry
Designer Joanna Wee believes jewelry should be fun, playful, and be able to put a smile on the wearer’s face. They are the first and only local label to use genuine leather in their pieces. Here, you can find bracelets, necklaces, and earrings with whimsical leather accents shaped like butterflies, daisies, and geometric shapes.
For more information, visit Blithe and Merry's website.
Plain Vanilla Home
The popular Singapore bakery is known for their deli items and baked goods. In 2017, founder Vanessa Kenchington branched out into homeware and started Plain Vanilla Home, where they sell table napkins, coasters, pottery, and pillows that, like their bakery, are simple but modern. Buying the homeware items can help others too, as these are made by disadvantaged women.
For more information, visit Plain Vanilla Home's Instagram page.
MARTHAWho
This ethical luxury brand founded in 2014 prints handpainted, modern batik patterns onto delicate silk, which are featured on elegant kimonos, wraps, scarves, dresses, and Singapore-themed pillows. These are all rendered in sophisticated colors like navy, black, gray, and coffee.
For more information, visit MARTHAWho's Instagram page.
The Paper Bunny
Founded in 2013, this brand creates colourful, pastel-themed stationery and lifestyle products such as notepads, journals, posters, and prints with quotes and empowering messages that bring positivity, while blending clean design with functionality.
For more information, visit The Paper Bunny's website.
Pew Pew Patches
Embroidered patches are so trendy, but Pew Pew Patches takes it one step further by using Singaporean images as their motifs—check out the chili crab, lion dance, and OK Lah patches! They have previously worked with top brands like Uniqlo and VANS, too.
For more information, visit Pew Pew Patches' website.
Design Orchard is at 250 Orchard Road, Singapore. For more information, visit Design Orchard's website.
