LOCAL LOVES

There’s plenty to be proud of in Singapore, from talented chefs to home-grown beauty labels and a rich arts and culture scene. The Her World team celebrate our favourites.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

There’s plenty to be proud of in Singapore, from talented chefs to home-grown beauty labels and a rich arts and culture scene. The Her World team celebrate our favourites.

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THE COMEBACK NAMES

Even with the uncertainty in retail climate and a culture of fast fashion, local labels that focus on quality over quantity have made their way back to our fashion scene – and they’re bigger and better than before. After a two-year hiatus, Reckless Ericka has returned – with womenswear, menswear and children’s wear! The brand now has three lines under it: casual cotton-knit line ODDS by Reckless Ericka, office wear line Still, and luxe jersey line Reckless Jersey, all of which are stocked in major department stores – such as Robinsons, Tangs and Isetan – as well as the two standalone The Reckless Shop stores. Veteran cheongsam designer Peter Kor is also back with off -the-rack styles and bespoke pieces. Don’t just expect his signature printed cheongsams – the label now offers patterned sheaths and evening dresses that marry practicality with style.

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HOMEGROWN LABELS GONE GLOBAL

We’re talking about brands like Q Menswear and Hypergrand. The sharp, quirky suits of the former, a five-year-old brand started by designer and entrepreneur Chong Han San, have been spotted at Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks on fashion editors. The products of the latter, a three-year-old watch brand featuring fun, patterned Nato straps, are stocked in the coolest multi-label stores around the world – think Singapore’s Kapok and Seoul’s A-Land. Who says Singapore’s home-grown fashion talent can’t flourish on the world stage?

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SG ONLINE FASHION

Local blogshops not only opened up a whole new world and means of affordable shopping for the younger generation; they also paved the way for the blossoming of local fashion e-tailers that now design original, desirable and value-for-money pieces. Some of our faves: In Good Company for comfy classics-with-a-twist; Collate The Label for feminine, form-fitting dresses; Exhibit Store for street-style staples; and Klarra for flirty tops and dresses in black or white.

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OUR BURGEONING F&B SCENE

It’s amazing that a nation as tiny as Singapore boasts a culinary scene with such a variety of food, it could rival that of just about any big city in the world. There’s our traditional cuisine, which is a constant source of pride with its rich heritage and incredible flavours. Following the influx of big-name chefs with the opening of Marina Bay Sands in 2010, the dining scene has also exploded with options; we’ve cycled through trends such as ultra-luxe fine dining restaurants – think the likes of Waku Ghin and Restaurant Andre – and the hip and more affordable concepts by young chefs. Right now, even our local cuisine is enjoying a moment of renaissance: Home-grown chefs are experimenting with fusing familiar flavours using modern techniques, or marrying Eastern and Western influences – restaurants such as Wild Rocket, Labyrinth and even the hipster-cool gastropark Timbre+ are all adept at it. With the long-awaited launch of the local edition of The Michelin Guide, Singapore has finally sealed her reputation as one of the food capitals of the world.

My Reading Room
My Reading Room
My Reading Room
My Reading Room
FARMING IN THE CITY

In the past few years, the awareness of and interest in creating sustainable food gardens have skyrocketed. Which means that one day, we might be able to walk into any restaurant in town where the produce used is entirely home-grown. We have local players such as Open Farm Community, who transformed its 35,000 sq ft space into a landscaped farm and dining destination, and urban farmers such as Edible Garden City and Comcrop, which tend numerous urban gardens around Singapore, to thank for the “green-volution”.