Kapok

For the-French-know-best modern classics.

Founder Arnault Castel is French. And because he is, how to dress without looking dressed up is written in his DNA. That ability to identify what looks good and what’s style (as opposed to what’s fashion) is spread out in all his Kapok stores (five in Hong Kong now and two in Singapore), and is one of the reasons for his brand’s success story. The other is the decision to not have any of the stores be exactly the same.

“We stock more apparel and accessories at Singapore’s Tangs outlet, while National Design Centre’s focuses on highlighting emerging local designers, as an ode to its location,” says Castel. “We want our customers to be able to find something different at each store.”

New items are added monthly at every store. Castel makes it a mission to travel at least twice a year to countries he has never visited for new brands and new products for Kapok.

While “millennials” is the buzzword now, Castel says Kapok is for “perennials” instead – a term he explains describes people who are curious, stay current, and are defined by their interests rather than their age.