Beyond The Vines rebrands and opens new store

After five years as a womenswear brand, home-grown label Beyond The Vines has rebranded into a design studio, where no product category is off-limits. New to their offerings are a menswear line, bucket hats, stationery, AirPod cases and small home furnishings.

It was an idea they had been toying with for a year, says co-founder Rebecca Ting, 33, who started the brand with her husband, Mr Daniel Chew, 34. They had started feeling stagnant and alienated from their customers and wanted to "peel back the layers" to their brand.

"Relationships (with our customers) didn't need another layer added to them. With our new identity, we want to use real faces and relationships (in our marketing materials) that people recognise and can associate with," says Ms Ting. "We've been design-centric from the beginning. Moving towards a design studio now just makes it more intentional."

Launching the rebrand is a new 2,216 sq-ft concept store at Ngee Ann City, designed to be "more approachable". The airy space pays homage to the brand's design ethos with industrial-chic boltless racks and a striking blue cashier that doubles as a centrepiece installation.

A mirror-lined Bag Bar at the front of the store displays the brand's cult favourite Dumpling Bags ($59) in every colour,encouraging customers to try before they buy.

Mr Chew recalls "sleepless nights" fretting over whether the rebrand and store opening would be successful, especially given the tricky state of the retail industry.

While there were some disruptions, they got by the circuit breaker thanks to e-commerce. The brand also has a store at Funan mall. The Dumpling Bags, in particular, were a hot item online, with a pick-up rate that grew five times month-on-month since before the pandemic, Mr Chew says.

"The dumpling bags saved us during Covid."

INFO: Beyond The Vines Design Store is located at B1-42/46 Takashimaya Shopping Centre, 391 Orchard Road. Go to this website.

Sustainable shopping pop-up The Lounge by Zerrin returns

For those looking to spend their dollar responsibly, sustainable retail pop-up The Lounge by Zerrin has returned for its third edition.

Occupying the second floor of The Social Space cafe in Marina One, the pop-up store brings together more than 20 emerging brands that champion social and environmental values, featuring designers from Singapore, Bali, Cambodia and more.

They include Singapore-based African jewellery and lifestyle brand Ashepa, Bali-made slow fashion label Whispers & Anarchy, and Indonesian fashion brand Step of Grace.

Behind the pop-up is online retail and media platform Zerrin (zerrin.com), which carries some 30 sustainable fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands. The bi-annual affair is the only time one can browse the offerings from Zerrin in person.

Founder Susannah Jaffer says: "Despite Covid-19, we knew it would be the right decision to bring back The Lounge. Our pop-ups have always been an intimate and exploratory space for consumers - a respite from hectic malls and big crowds."

INFO: The Lounge is located at The Social Space cafe, 01-03 Marina One, 5 Straits View. It is open Tuesday to Sunday and runs till Dec 8.

Shop to support breast cancer awareness

There is one week left to do some good while shopping during this Breast Cancer Awareness Month .

The annual Estee Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Campaign is retailing some of its star products in limited-edition, pink-ribbon packaging, with part of the proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

This year, the beauty conglomerate has roped in local retail businesses to give back in style.

There is the collaboration with local print and textile studio Minor Miracles - an accessories collection comprising a pouch ($28), headband ($18) and fabric mask ($12) in an exclusive print called The Garden. Twenty per cent of the profits from the sale of the items in the blush shade will be donated to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) in support of breast disease research.

A meaningful collection with local lingerie label Perk by Kate features a blush-coloured Harper Full Cup Padded Bralette ($80 or $120). For women who have gone through a mastectomy, the bra offers more coverage and padding options, to balance out differences in cup sizes.

While the collection is currently sold out, part of the proceeds are donated to SGH and every purchase from the collection came with a complimentary beauty kit.

Lastly, 20 per cent of the proceeds from the in-store sale of any pink sneakers (from $59.90 for kids and $63.90 for adults) from Italian brand Superga will go towards the same cause. These customers will also receive complimentary shoelace customisation and a lipstick from The Estee Lauder Companies' brands.

INFO: Buy from Minor Miracles' website, Perk by Kate's website and Superga stores including Wheelock Place.