The name of the Taiwanese fashion label, SchulzWorks, and its characteristic hand gesture are inspired by a German drinking game. Similarly, the brand of SchulzWorks is relaxed, light-hearted and playful. As explained by the designers, “SchulzWorks is for people who don’t take themselves too seriously, who like the easy-going feel, life’s quirks, and a dash of colour.” Founded in 2011, a designer team is under the label and they were named New Designers of the Year 2012 by Elle Magazine, Taiwan.

The label’s trademark is their prints which are hand drawn by their designer before being made into fabric. According to the designers, the quirky drawings and patterns are inspired by the wonderfully weird and silly things that life presents us.

The designers were in town to present their collection at BLUEPRINT last month.

A sneak peek to their SS2014 collection:

Hope they’ll be stocked in Singapore soon!

x Sybil

(Images provided by SchulzWorks)

J KOO, launched in the UK in 2010, is founded by designers Jinwoo Choi and Yeonjoo Koo. According to the designers, the label is “a blend of simplicity with an alternative take on luxury and femininity, which creates an immediate recognizable modern aesthetic”. From my point of view, the look is young, modern and quite international while retaining that uniqlely Korean aesthetics.

Though a young label, the designers have participated in the 2012 F/W Seoul Fashion Week (Generation Next) and 2013 S/S Seoul Fashion Week (Generation Next) and looks set to continue reaching out to the rest of the world. They are already stocked in Korea, Hong Kong and New York.

I was impressed by the range of selection available. There were more than 20 looks from the A/W2013 collection and while varied, the collection proves to be very accessible. I especially like the quirky and loose dresses.

Hope to see them in more parts of Asia soon!

x Sybil

(Images provided by J KOO)

It was a real pleasure meeting the designer behind ONE CHOI at Blueprint this year. Even though knitwear may not be an obvious choice for the Singapore audience, the minimalist look is a refreshing one with all the colours we’ve seen these past seasons. One Choi, the designer behind ONE CHOI, started out as a ceramist. Her initial love for raw materials began during her BA in Ceramics, and after an introduction to knitwear while she took her second BA in Textile Design at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art & Design, she decided that her true calling was in knitwear design. From there, she dedicated herself to an MA in Fashion Knitwear.

After her graduation show at London Fashion Week, Choi was invited by Julie Gilhart, former fashion director at Barneys New York, to place her collection at Barneys for sale. From 2003 to 2006, Choi worked for Alexander McQueen in London as a knitwear textile designer. She also collaborated with Marios Schwab for a A/W editorial campaign in Dazed & Confused magazine in 2005. After returning to Seoul in 2007, Choi worked as a director for knitwear design at one of the largest fashion retailers in Korea which oversees Lanvin collection.

Choi finally started her own label, ONE CHOI, in 2012 and is on her way to international success. Surprisingly, the label is not stocked in Korea yet but it is available in Italy, USA, Israel, Japan and very soon, Singapore. Produced in South Korea by accomplished textile factories, ONE CHOI uses Italian yarn to produce seamless knitwear. The label is founded based on Choi’s belief in the simplicity of form that is both timeless and innovative.

ONE CHOI’s S/S 2013 collection is a reappraisal of Carl Jung’s theory of Persona. Choi sheds the idea of the single personality and releases the ‘caged’ egos that are innate to each person. Applying this concept, Choi brings harmony to different textures, yarns, and colours within one silhouette, creating modern knitwear in her own way.

Can’t wait to get my hands on some of her works!

x Sybil

(Images provided by ONE CHOI)

When I first saw abcense at Blueprint, I recognised it as footwear from HEAVY MACHINE. So I asked the sales rep and indeed, the designer was from HEAVY MACHINE. Based in Taipei, abcense is founded by the designer duo Jhuosan and Yoyo, Product Designer and Fashion Designer respectively. The label is described as “the perfect fusion between footwear and design with shoes that combines the simplicity of industrial components and the beauty of traditional shoemaking.”

Inspired by Oriental culture, the designers recreated the concept of “blank-leaving”, a technique used in Oriental poetry and art. In traditional Chinese painting, “blank-leaving” means to leave on purpose a visual hiatus in a painting. The intention is to allow viewers to imagine and develop their own interpretation. This “blank” or ”absence” makes the painting more meaningful to the viewer. In the same vein, abcense shoes are created to allow their customers to use their imagination, and create their own stories. abcense believes in self-expression and their designs are guided by this philosophy. According to the label, “the shoes are about self-reflecting; they are an extension of the person, the individual becomes a blank canvas where bold geometric shapes and abstract lines play with unexpected details and silhouettes striving to create a new classical-contemporary style.”

The prices are slightly high for a newly emerged label but quality is emphasised. abcense shoes are created using the finest kidskin, calfskin and suede leather. The leather is hand-dyed, and all shoes are hand-finished. One more decent option for edgy shoes!

x Sybil

(Images provided by abcense)

I chanced upon Nostalgia Queen Vintage last month on its third day of business and it is a real treat to have a vintage shop near my workplace.  The place is nicely done up with retro fittings and I feel right at home.

Tucked away in a nondescript corner of Sunshine Plaza, it’s the sort of vintage shop worth visiting on a regular basis.  The range is wide, stocks are updated regularly and prices are reasonable. Originally a by-appointment-only showroom at 92 Sophia Rd, Nostalgia Queen Vintage moved to Sunshine Plaza a month ago. Clearly, there is demand for vintage clothing and accessories. My favourite being vintage jewellery (no surprises there), you’ll probably see me there often because they have a wide selection!

Visit Nostalgia Queen Vintage at #01-75 Sunshine Plaza, 91 Bencoolen St. It is open 11am to 9pm daily, except Tuesday (closed) and Wednesday (half-day 4pm to 9pm).  Like its Facebook page for regular updates!

x Sybil

(Images provided by Nostalgia Queen Vintage)

In my opinion, Day 1 could almost be summed up as being extremely “service-oriented” and the key message was the importance of service, even when it comes to e-commerce. The one inspiring session was by Douglas Young, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Goods of Desire (G.O.D.) and Dr Peter Lau, Chairman and Chief Executive of Giordano International Limited because it wasn’t about service; it was about design, the essence of an idea and the concept of retail as a psychological need.

Douglas Young, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Goods of Desire (G.O.D.).  G.O.D. is set to open a second outlet in Singapore soon. For those who enjoy their quirky designs, more household accessories and funky tee shirts to be bought!

Dr Peter Lau, Chairman and Chief Executive, Giordano International Limited said, “Business is about life, not money”, which was extremely refreshing after the line-up of presentations that day. I was glad that at least one session that day approached the subject of fashion not from a revenue-making point of view but rather, from the viewpoint of fashion as a form of life. While Douglas stressed the importance of heritage and culture as a form of lifestyle, Dr Lau spoke about the concept of fashion as a form of self-realisation. The philosophy of self-realisation and self-discovery is also one that we talk about frequently in art so I was really happy when Dr Lau spoke about fashion and retail from that perspective. Finally! I may give Giordano Ladies another go because of Dr Lau…

x Sybil

(Images provided by Asia Fashion Summit)

Keep this weekend free because it’s BLUEPRINT and specifically BLUEPRINT Emporium to the public. BLUEPRINT gathers more than 180 emerging and established fashion labels in one venue for 4 days, out of which 2 days make up Blueprint Emporium where we can shop local and overseas emerging fashion labels, many of which are showing for the first time in Singapore.

Into its fourth edition this year, BLUEPRINT Tradeshow and Emporium will take place from 16 to 19 May at Fashion by the Bay at The Pit Building. Expect womenswear, menswear and accessory brands from Australia, Brazil, China, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, United States of America, United Kingdom and Vietnam. Singapore is also slated to host this year’s Asia Fashion Federation Conference, and six representing designers who are prominent names in their own countries will present their ready-to-wear collections at BLUEPRINT. The labels are Kaal E. Suktae (Korea), Christian Dada (Japan), Dieu Ahn (Vietnam), ISSUE (Thailand), Zou You (China) and Ong Shunmugam (Singapore).

We can’t wait!  See you there this weekend!

x Sybil

Exquisitely delicate and detailed, the sculptures created by Hitomi Hosono are as intricate as lace.

”I sculpted a leaf that I found in the garden at home.  It was a simple leaf, not particularly special amongst other leaves.  However, when I started sculpting its shape with clay, I was drawn into its intricacy; the manner in which the veins were branching, how the margins ended. I found many details that I admired in this small leaf. It is my intention to transfer the leaf’s beauty and detail into my ceramic work, using it as my own language to weave new stories for objects.” Hitomi Hosono.

Hosono had trained in Japan, Denmark and London before going on to win awards such as Homes & Gardens Designer Award and Graphic Art on Ceramics at the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Tajimi, Japan.  Her works are found in Porcelain Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Wedgwood Museum and The Oriental Museum in the University of Durham, UK.

Leaves Bowl, 2011
Moulded and hand-built porcelain

Chrysanthemum Tower, 2011
Moulded and hand-built Limoges porcelain

Black Wisteria Square Box, 2012
Moulded and hand-built black porcelain with gold leaf interior

Snow Cherry Blossom Box, 2013
Moulded and hand-built porcelain with gold leaf interior

I would love to own one of her porcelain boxes, especially a black one.  It’s breathtakingly beautiful in an unconventional way.

x Sybil

(Images from Hitomi Hosono and Adrian Sassoon)

Former creative director of Kenzo, Antonio Marras is as much of an artist, as a fashion designer.  He is known for his sketches and his collaborations with artists.  Marras’ notebooks are filled with drawings and collages with lots of references to his exploration of fabrics and materials used in his creations.  He is a leading figure in the fashion industry and has shown his artistic projects in museums worldwide.  We enter his world through his notebooks. 

When asked about the border between art and fashion, he says “Today we have to bring into question this categorization; it’s not simply a matter of mutual influence or lending: the border between art and fashion is more and more faded to the point that an entire range of intermediate experiences is difficult to classify in one field or in the other. Personally, I have always been interested in working on spaces of creative autonomy. Freedom is a luxury but I want to create something crossing pure fashion, something born out of independent moments of life, as I did when I worked with Maria Lai and Carol Rama. Their approach naturally matches with what I have always created. For sure, I am lucky, I do what I love, my work allows me to mix everything: clothes, music, theatre, cinema… I remember a story about Maria Lai. Once, I confessed her I had stolen one of her drawings. She answered: “Art is stealing, continuously. Don’t worry: I’m always stealing too. When you steal it, the artwork becomes yours”: well, we can say that I steal something from a context to give it to the other and vice versa…”

x Sybil

(Images from Style.com)

I’ve been looking for a gift for some time now.  The one criterion I have is that it must be entirely black.  That’s when I found this cufflinks.  They are not just any cufflinks.  They are made out of jet stone, a stone that was formed approximately 182 million years ago during the Jurassic period.  How’s that for timeless?  Dunhill managed to incorporate them into a modern and sleek design that is so simple and versatile. Yes, it’s probably more than what we’re used to paying for a pair of cufflinks but I bet they’ll last you another few hundred of years. Hell, a stone like that probably belongs in a museum.

Another option is this all black pen that features an innovative lacquer finish containing genuine crushed black diamonds and meteorite stone.  It’s also limited edition. I want it for myself.

It’s too bad that they don’t have an all black lighter.  A close match would be this iconic Rollagas lighter with black lacquer, a timeless classic piece.  My grandfather had a similar one.  I like that the logo has been moved from the front of the lighter to the roller itself, the design looks cleaner that way.

Finally, to top it all off, Dunhill’s range of leather collection includes a functional overnight bag that is all black of course.  A unique graphic carbon fibre print is applied to black leather, ensuring that the bag is durable with a high degree of resistance to scratch and water.

Available at Dunhill, shopping for men just got easier.

X Sybil

(Images from Dunhill)