It’s no secret that we do love ourselves a good Uniqlo piece, particularly this time of the year when winter is coming and HeatTech is imperative. This year, the basics apparel giant has put together an innovative new way to showcase their Fall/Winter 2018 collection—in the form of a four-act play, journeying through four far-flung countries. And you can come watch.
While fashion shows have historically been closed-door events, social media and live streaming have made collection previews a lot more accessible to the public at home these days. Uniqlo’s one-weekend-only play Modest Travels, then, takes it one step further. Happening Sep 21-22, the original play produced by thespian Tan Kheng Hua features key pieces from the collection, strung around a plot that follows four wanderlusting Singaporeans on their journeys abroad. A travel-blogging duo get caught in unwitting gunfire in Uzbekistan; a young magician in search of life’s real magic meets a wise local in the deserts of Morocco; a solo traveler on his last night in India converses with his taxi driver as he rushes to a performance by his talented host; on a sojourn through the harsh winters of Europe, a young girl reaches sobering conclusions when she meets strangers who help change her perspective.
The lean five-person cast comprises Ali Khan, Irfan Kasban, Rebekah Sangeetha Dorai, Timothy Wan, and Zee Wong in rotating roles, with singer-songwriter Inch Chua rounding out as a singing narrator. Naturally, they’re all impeccably dressed. In following the stories, you move deftly through four rooms, housed within the lush colonial setting of Temenggong 18/20.
Written by local writer Euginia Tan, all the stories were shaped after actual stories submitted by travel bloggers and Uniqlo fans in an open call earlier this year. The production team first put together the show, after which Uniqlo stepped in to do the styling. “It was really fast—I think the space really dictates how everything goes,” Kheng Hua said. “We did everything in about four rehearsals; Euginia wrote everything in a couple of days.”
Admission to the 45-minute play is $30—but afterwards, you get to exchange your ticket stub for vouchers to shop the new collection. Tickets are selling out fast, but you can try your luck here. Art and fashion colliding? Consider us sold.
Modest Travels runs Sep 21-22 at 18 Temenggong Road. More information here.
