New kids on the block: 5 local boutiques for your festive shopping needs

SINGAPORE – Some well-loved home-grown brands have opened new boutiques in time for the season of giving. From shophouses to shopping centres, here are five places you can pick up some locally designed goodies for the holiday season.

Atlas Kind

01-131 Great World, 1 Kim Seng Promenade

The new kid on the block at Great World shopping centre is none other than the sister brand of existing tenant and clothing label Our Second Nature.

With a focus on clean, genderless wardrobe staples, Atlas Kind was born out of wanting to spotlight more sustainable materials and a “better” way of producing clothing.

Consider it a formal extension of Our Second Nature’s Gots (Global Organic Textile Standard) collection of organic cotton pieces which the brand is phasing out. The team felt the range was overshadowed by its more popular print collections.

As a baseline, Atlas Kind uses organic cotton made from Gots-certified cotton fibres. Gots is the world’s leading manufacturing standard for textiles made from organic fibres.

Other materials used include cotton poplin certified by Better Cotton Initiative, a global non-profit promoting sustainable cotton production and practices, and Japanese cotton made from a cotton and recycled polyester blend.

Update your daily wardrobe with the brand’s signature shirts, which can be dressed up or down.

The Heritage AK Relaxed Poplin Shirt ($105) makes a good staple for both men and women. It is also a piece favoured by the brand’s co-founder and local fashion maven Velda Tan.

Or pick up the breezy Relaxed Collared Japanese Cotton Striped Vest in Yellow ($95) for a wearable pop of colour. Also try on the Straight Cut Twill Skirt ($105), a versatile, stretchy piece made with deadstock fabric.

Atlas Kind’s main supplier in Bangladesh has a Platinum Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council – which denotes proficiency in current sustainable design, construction and operations standards.

The eco-friendly garment factory is said to also provide fair wages and good welfare to its employees – including an on-site clinic that serves employees and their family members.

Linger in the Great World store to appreciate its decor details too, many of which amplify the brand’s sustainable living messaging. The furniture is locally sourced or produced, or acquired from second-hand marketplace Carousell.

Via a woodworking partner, the clothing racks were made from repurposed chairs and staircase banisters. Tapestries hanging on the walls have been woven together from discarded scraps of cloth. The stools in the changing rooms are made from recycled plastic, assembled by an Indonesian crafter.

You will also notice that the wood hangers in-store are slightly different. To maximise the lifespan of what was available, they were sourced from Carousell and heat-stamped by the Atlas Kind team.

The paper bags are crafted out of Forest Stewardship Council-certified bamboo and printed with water-based ink. Even the circular handles are made from paper, for greater ease in recycling responsibly.

Carrie K.

Level 3, 77B Neil Road

After eight years at the National Design Centre, jeweller Carrie K. has a new home.

Taking over the top two floors of a shophouse in Tanjong Pagar, the 1,900 sq ft atelier is where the brand will host walk-ins and bespoke consultations, as well as gem and diamond workshops.

The shophouse was among 220 heritage buildings that were saved from demolition and part of the first conservation project undertaken by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in the 1980s and early 1990s.

With plush blue accents and mirrors galore, the space has been done up to look more like a home – to welcome guests who over the years have become like family, says founder Carolyn Kan, 51.

A dining area doubles as a workshop space for 10 – for future gem workshops and VIP showcases of new collections.

Her jewellery conveys well wishes and is often purchased for weddings. For example, the Blessings collection wishes the wearer Five Fortunes (“wufu” in Chinese culture).

These pieces also make for good engagement jewellery which has seen increased demand during the Covid-19 pandemic, says Kan, who is sought after for her knack of combining traditional Asian heritage with modern design.

Prices start at $630 for a pair of Round Pave Studs in 14K White Gold.

Also look out for customisable bangles (from $5,300) – made in your preferred metal, with two initials represented in Morse Code via diamond dots and dashes.

The newest addition is a Jewel Bar where one can customise fine jewellery pieces. The selection of necklaces, earrings, bracelets, bangles and rings features modular elements for easy mixing and matching or layering.

There is also a wide selection of pearls here. From Akoya pearls to Tahitian Black and South Sea pearls, each string has been fitted with a unique Carrie K. Duo mechanism that can be connected to various chains and accessories.

Find pearls too stuffy for everyday wear? Pair them with a white gold chain or chunky charm to instantly dress them down for more casual wearing.

Prices start at $750 for the Carrie K. Silver Rocker Chain with Hexa Duo and go up to $15,000 for the South Sea Pearl Necklace and 14K gold chain.

In that same vein of versatility, earrings at the Jewel Bar offer customisable components – such as removable ear studs, hoops, drops and ear jackets that can be taken apart or worn together.

For instance, the Lotus Jade Coin Drop ($990) crafted with Type A jadeite can easily elevate a regular ear stud.

Head on upstairs to the mezzanine level, turned into an intimate VIP lounge for bespoke jewellery consultations. You can pore over the brand’s curation of precious gems, pearls, as well as lab-grown and natural diamonds.

Curious Creatures

B3-37 Ion Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn

The demi-fine jewellery brand has come a long way from when Ms Larissa Tan started it as an Etsy store more than a decade ago.

The Temasek Polytechnic graduate began with hand-threading jewellery in her bedroom, and after friends started buying them, she listed them on Etsy’s marketplace.

Then came consignment opportunities at now-closed multi-label boutique Rockstar by Soon Lee, and eventually Curious Creatures’ own website (curiouscreatures.cc).

Ms Tan, 39, who had worked as a graphic designer and in the retail industry after polytechnic, focused on her jewellery business full-time in 2011.

The new Ion Orchard flagship is the second Curious Creatures standalone store, after one at nearby Great World.

Here, you can find the brand’s full range – from demi-fine pieces (made in 925 sterling silver and electroplated with 1-micron 18K gold, rose gold or rhodium) to ones made in 18K solid gold under its A Fine Line collection.

Signature pieces are on the daintier side, and prices start at $32 for ear studs, $45 for rings and $53 for necklaces.

A small selection of pearl-based jewellery is available too, starting at $49 for a piece with freshwater pearls.

Ion Orchard is also where customers can come for the brand’s most well-known offering: permanent jewellery.

The concept, popularised in the United States, allows you to weld bracelets, rings and anklets in dainty 14K gold to your body. Should you choose to remove the chains, you can simply cut them off.

Ms Tan says her clients have no issues going through immigration checks at airports and that rewelding costs just $10.

The service has been well-received among friends and couples after Curious Creatures introduced it in Singapore in 2022.

Prices start at $69 for a ring and $109 for a bracelet, and charms that you can add to personalise your chain start at $69.

Taking personalisation a step further, Ms Tan has also introduced luxury piercing services – a first for the brand – at the Ion Orchard boutique.

Instead of having one’s ear pierced with a standard stud that cannot be removed for the first three to six months, customers can get a piece of their choice (from a given selection of 14K solid gold fine jewellery) pierced directly onto the ear lobes or cartilage.

This allows for more flexibility in choosing how to curate one’s ear stack and expresses personal style instantly, says Ms Tan.

A corner of the 495 sq ft store has been carved out to offer customers privacy during piercing sessions. Curious Creatures uses sterilised piercing needles instead of traditional gun piercing, and you can get up to three piercings done in a single appointment.

Prices start at $60 for the first piercing and $40 for subsequent ones.

Ms Tan and co-founder Sherrin Chan, 46, recently welcomed a third co-owner to the team: radio personality and 987FM DJ Kimberly Wang.

The 32-year-old, who has collaborated with Curious Creatures to design capsule collections in the past, joins as creative brand consultant – and will head her own collections for the brand in the future.

Rye

01-03, 201 Joo Chiat Road

Womenswear label Rye, known for its chic, minimalist apparel, has brought its slow-living ethos to a heritage shophouse – built in 1929 – in Joo Chiat.

Often favouring unconventional retail spaces, the brand opened its first boutique in Bukit Timah’s Cluny Court in June 2022. There is also a third store in the works, at The Lo & Behold Group’s upcoming lifestyle development in Kim Yam Road.

The Joo Chiat store has been meticulously designed to pay homage to the town’s coastal history, with elements inspired in part by founder Bessie Ye’s summer sabbatical in Sri Lanka, where she spent time at the Lunuganga Estate, the country house of renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa.

Ye, 34, was inspired by its concept of quiet architecture – which focuses on the quality of space and the symbiosis with the earth – and how spaces were intentionally created for lingering and slowness.

Columns were a recurring element in Bawa’s works – used to break up negative space and add texture and dimension. To bring that to her store, Ye commissioned local artisans to custom-build column racks for the clothing, including a striking centrepiece column and ottoman fixture.

The seat cover on the ottoman features the “Jak and Ebony” print by Sri Lankan textile designer Barbara Sansoni, known for taking the work of her country’s female weavers to the global stage.

In this union of local and international artists, a focus on texture is the common thread here.

Rustic clay walls and natural stone floor tiles mimic the earth and walking on raw soil – as does the rug in earthy hues in the fitting room, woven by local textile design studio Tanchen.

Even the fitting-room chair – inspired by South Korean furniture designer Minjae Kim’s lacquered chairs – was intentionally chosen to resemble a chess piece to complement the checkerboard-like rug.

Ye also sought to acknowledge Joo Chiat’s fast-gentrifying nature and to preserve its history.

A hand-crafted sun mosaic welcomes customers at the entrance. Composed from tile fragments and a plant pot discarded outside the store, it represents the Helios motif as a nod to Joo Chiat’s coastal history.

Likewise, Ye’s latest Resort 2024 collection honours this and includes Peranakan-inspired elements.

The collection features travel-ready, lightweight layers with bohemian-inspired nuances – perfect for taking on a sailing day or year-end beach holiday.

Gorgeous textures collide in brocade, crochet lace, eyelets and crinkled fabrics.

The Eyelet Lace Panelled Shirt Dress in Black ($259) is patterned with lace squares reminiscent of Peranakan tiles, while tassels are a recurring motif in the collection – seen in the flowy Brocade Tassel Shirts (from $179) that elevate the concept of loungewear.

The overall palette is earthy and rich, adding colour that is still comfortable even to the most neutral of wardrobes.

Zerrin

01-14 Anchorpoint, 370 Alexandra Road

Until Dec 31, you can shop the sustainable fashion and beauty brands carried by e-marketplace Zerrin (zerrin.com) in person.

Flanked by two cafes, the two-month pop-up joins the rejuvenated wing of Anchorpoint shopping centre. It gathers more than 30 independent designers and mission-driven brands with sustainable practices spanning fashion, beauty and wellness.

Make your Christmas shopping unique with lesser-known brands from Singapore, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia. Some may ring a bell – such as Hong Kong apparel label Tove & Libra; B Corp footwear brand Indosole; and local label Wray Crafted, known for its wrap dresses.

New to Zerrin is Malaysian menswear brand Kualesa, which makes batik-inspired polo shirts ($69 to $79) in soft, eco-certified bamboo fabric.

For luxurious silk pieces perfect for holiday parties, Hong Kong-based Anaphe has day-to-night dresses ($250 to $280) and separates (from $120) made from 100 per cent ethically sourced mulberry silk.

Malaysia-based Batik Boutique has gifting options ranging from coasters ($25) to travel pouches (from $70) to serviettes ($70) – which support about 300 artisans in Malaysia.

Or pick up statement jewellery from local brand Lara & Ela. Its pieces (from $68 for a pair of earrings) are made from recycled brass plated with 18K gold or 925 sterling silver.

The store also features an expanded green skincare, haircare and wellness section, with new-to-Zerrin brands Miseico, Slow Rituals and The Powder Shampoo.

Check out home-grown Miseico – billed as a “pro-ageing” skincare brand that embraces authentic beauty – for its small selection of roll-on essential oils.

The MenoHarmony Elixir ($38), formulated to promote balance within the body and mind, will be a thoughtful gift for any loved ones going through menopause.

Another hit is plant-based skincare Slow Rituals – which has shower salts ($24), body oils ($32) and essential oil-based pulse oils ($24) great for gifting.

For an added touch of personalisation, you can custom-blend your scented oil in-store at no extra cost.

Zerrin turns six this December – so on Dec 2 and 3, with every purchase, shoppers will receive a free Mini Room & Linen Fragrance Mist from Oasis and an Eternity Stem Cell Multi-Active Essence sample from Miseico.

With a minimum spending of $150, get a free upcycled Zerrin tote bag too.