2013 was a year of sad closures. We said goodbye to Blackmarket in September, after it won our Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Indie Boutique for the third year running. Multi-label boutiques Hide & Seek and The Society of Black Sheep soon followed suit, though the latter is moving to a new location next year. We were thrilled however with more openings and expansions in the indie retail scene, worthy of celebration. Here is our pick of the ten best:
FASHION
Actually
The Actually crew’s biggest boutique to date is still as off-beat and hip as ever, with more labels to be had, including mainstays like Freitag and Boy London alongside local names such as Coupe Cousu.
Fifty Five
Clad in dark wood and industrial fittings, this swanky boutique offers a faultless range of menswear and accessories from local indie labels K by Kevin Seah and Ed Et Al as well as international names like Jack Spade and Masunaga Eyewear from Japan.
Nana & Bird
The second and flagship store of Nana & Bird retains the intimate, homey vibe of the first outlet, but offers different labels spanning ready-to-wear, accessories and homeware such as Heinui from France and British brand Falcon Enamelware.
Robe Raiders
The permanent showroom of online boutique Robe Raiders stocks used but good-as new fashion offerings from covetable luxury labels and past season designer items (think Alexander Wang, Isabel Marant, 3.1 Phillip Lim) at unbeatable prices.
Salon by Surrender
Styled like a quaint 18th-century tea salon with a modern, minimalist approach, the hip sibling of Surrender carries cutting-edge names like Viktor & Rolf and Christian Dada in menswear, womenswear and accessories.
HOME
The Godown
Everything you see in this quaint vintage home furnishing store—whether it’s the herringbone-patterned coffee table, or the glass table lamp—is for sale and new items are added each month, so there’s always something new to discover.
The Moongi Project
This small but well-stocked flea market of a shop offers an ever-changing collection of restored furniture and eccentric antiques such as a French medicinal bottle and vintage wine barrels. Prices are incredibly affordable and up for negotiation, too—extremely rare for a shop on Orchard Road.
LIFESTYLE
PACT
The three-in-one concept store has expanded its floor space to include Fred Lives Here, which comes replete with a giant half pipe, an art gallery, a food truck serving hot coffee, and seriously funky furniture from Thailand’s Propaganda and the UK’s Ooh Deer.
Supplies & Co.
Helmed by former Surrender folks Danny and WJ Tan, this multi-label boutique specializes in hard-to-find furniture, homeware and accessories that blend heritage with modernity. Noteworthy labels include Stephen Kenn and Maison Martin Margiela.
Temporium
We love pop-ups, and this store-diner-gallery (through Mar 8) is arguably one of the most interesting so far. The 4,000 sq. ft. space carries a cool range of clothes, ceramics, books and curios, plus food and coffee.
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