In Orchard Road, three exciting new stores worth checking out.
Shopping online is a great convenience, but it hardly beats the experience of in-person retail therapy. Just this last month, there have been three big openings in the Orchard Road precinct well worth checking out.
Athletic brand Puma threw a big, blowout party to mark the launch of its first-ever street-facing, duplex flagship in Southeast Asia at [email protected] The local-themed fringe activations—part of its SingaPUMA launch campaign—are over by now, but there's still lots to discover in what is the brand's largest store in the region. There's a customisation area where you can play with fonts, texts, pins and badges; a mural by local artist Tiffany Lovage; a "Green Space" for social media engagement in which you can try out the brand's "Eyes of a cat" filter; and a space on the upper floor that houses Puma collabs (like the one with cool French contemporary label AMI Paris). More collaborations with local creators are said to be in the pipeline, so keep a look out.
The Puma flagship is located at [email protected], 313 Orchard Road #01-10/11/12/13.
Carhartt WIP has moved from its former place in Mandarin Gallery to a larger flagship unit in Scotts Square. The straightforward, open space boasts a more complete range of the brand's well-loved essentials. Think beefy T-shirts, cargo and double-knee pants, and overalls. The brand's workwear roots are also subtly referenced in the design of the space by Milanese architect Andrea Caputo. Prefab and industrial materials like concrete, galvanised zinc and polished aluminium are combined with refined Bardiglio Grigio marble, cedar and lacquered walnut finishes.
To mark the occasion of the store's opening, the brand's got a limited edition 'Botanical City' T-shirt, available in black and white, with a print design of the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid that nods at Singapore's local heritage. (Psst: streetwear supremo Stüssy is opening up next door soon!)
Carhartt WIP is located at Scotts Square, 6 Scotts Road #01-02.
Japanese label Onitsuka Tiger has taken over its neighbouring unit at Takashimaya Shopping Centre and gone through a renovation, with a refreshed flagship that's larger than before. There's more of the brand's ready-to-wear designed by Andrea Pompilio; walls and displays dedicated to classic bestsellers like the Mexico 66 and the brand's bold, contemporary sneakers. Most excitingly, there's a new area dedicated to Onitsuka Tiger's 'Made In Nippon' line, in which there's a greater degree of Japanese craftsmanship and hand-making, as well as more premium materials (read: softer, more buttery leathers).
Onitsuka Tiger is located at Takashimaya Shopping Centre, 391 Orchard Road #B1-37/38.