Singapore creativity on the international stage

Social Wares at Milan Design Week 2021

ENTREPRENEUR and founder of Supermama lifestyle brand, Edwin Low, is not letting the pandemic hinder his drive to showcase local design overseas.

"During such times when travel is restricted, some brands might feel apprehensive about showcasing their works overseas," says Mr Low. But Supermama isn't like this. "The sooner we head overseas, the wider the audience reach will be." While he will not be heading to Milan Design Week which takes place from Sept 4 to 10, he will have a partner who will be handling Supermama's inaugural participation at the prestigious show.

The annual showcase of international design was cancelled last year due to the pandemic.

Supermama will be showcasing a collection of five works, titled Social Wares, "where we deliberate on the roles of traditional designers in our social world", says Mr Low. "We believe that incremental changes made to design processes, materials considerations and consumption attitudes can lead us in the right direction towards a better world."

Among the works is the Tingkat Set - two porcelain bowls and a plate inspired by the traditional tiffin carrier and done in collaboration with local design firm Studio Juju. Another highlight of the collection is the Milan Icons plate, which has icons of the Italian city on it. It is inspired by a similar one of Singapore that Supermama is famed for. Mr Low says Milan Icons is designed in Singapore, made in Japan and inspired and presented in Milan.

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"I hope that our participation can encourage more cross border collaborations in the design world," says Mr Low.

Lanzavecchia + Wai at Milan Design Week

DESIGNERS Francesca Lanzavecchia who is Italian and Hunn Wai, a Singaporean, make up Lanzavecchia + Wai and are no strangers to Milan Design Week.

They return for this year's edition with a few new works for various brands includingDutch label Yo2, which retails wallpaper and rugs.

The duo's Biophilic Futures & Portals collection features plants and animals printed on its rugs and wallpaper.

The designers say that the collection presents, "a forest of utopia where human beings and nature coexist in peace and balance."

Another new item from them is Wave, a shoe bench made of copper, designed for Italian brand De Castelli. Wave is partially made of perforated metal, with sexy curves, a plate for users to empty their pockets when they return home, and hidden storage for shoes.

From Singapore to Paris: A Journey of the Five Senses

PARIS-based Singaporean luxury shoe designer Mashizan Masjum believes in the power of a collective voice.

He was given an opportunity to showcase his works at a space, but decided that rather than show only MASHIZAN shoes, he would invite other designers and brands from Singapore to join him.

The result is From Singapore to Paris: A Journey of the Five Senses - which presents works by Singapore fashion designers, sound artists, botanical design specialists, and even a skincare brand, in pop-up concept store Heureux Les Curieux in the hip Marais district. The show will run from Oct 5 to 10.

"Each of the brands has a unique design voice, but together our voices can be amplified much louder. Especially in these pandemic times, there is strength in unity and numbers," says Mr Masjum, who has been based in Paris for four years. "This will be a great opportunity for them to curate their best works and present them to a very discerning European audience."

Participating brands include Baju by Oniatta, a clothing line that reimagines batik for the modern woman, accessories label [In] Trigue, and botanical design studio The Humid House.

Visitors will experience these Singapore brands through the five senses.

For example, as visitors step into the store, they will have their hands misted with sanitisers from Straits Skin, made with formulas inspired by the founder's Peranakan heritage.

"Then they'll see the melange of colours of different fabrics used by various fashion designers, followed by a soundscape created by sound artist Jerry Teo. It's a multi-sensorial experience that we hope to share with the clients," says Mr Masjum.

Singapore Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

WITH less than a month to the opening of the Expo 2020 in Dubai on Oct 1, workers are putting the finishing touches to the Singapore Pavilion designed by WOHA.

The Singapore Pavilion will have more than 170 plant varieties within its space, making it one of the greenest pavilions at the Expo, a celebration of global developments and achievements. This is Singapore's fourth presentation at a World Expo.

Yap Lay Bee, deputy commissioner-general of the Singapore Pavilion and group director, Architecture & Urban Design Group at the Urban Redevelopment Authority says, "The Singapore Pavilion demonstrates the potential to push the envelope to integrate nature, architecture and technology through various design strategies and digital elements."

Homegrown landscape architecture firm Salad Dressing worked on the landscape design choosing plants that can be found in tropical rainforest, freshwater forest streams and mangrove habitats that are central to Singapore's natural environment.

A highlight of the Pavilion is the Flower Cone, where four terrariums are set against a wall of more than 50 native orchid varieties.

Digital elements come in the form of climbing robots that are designed to help with landscape maintenance and an interactive mobile game to teach visitors how they can nurture nature for the future.

Expo 2020 Dubai will run till March 31, 2022.