Asian Civilisations Museum closes annual #SGFashionNow, debuts jewellery showcase

SINGAPORE – The Asian Civilisations Museum’s (ACM) annual showcase of Singapore fashion designers #SGFashionNow is coming to an end.

Now in its third edition, the exhibition, which runs from June 27 to Sept 1, is its largest yet, featuring 28 established and emerging designers. It has grown in both scale and reputation since debuting in 2021 with just eight.

Mr Kennie Ting, 46, outgoing director of ACM and the Peranakan Museum, is extra chuffed about the unexpected journey the exhibition took. The show premiered in Busan in August 2023, at the invitation of the South Korean government – marking the first time an exhibition featuring contemporary Singapore fashion has travelled abroad.

“For it to open in South Korea is particularly meaningful, because so many Singaporeans love South Korea and see it as being at the forefront of popular culture in Asia,” he says, adding that the Korea Foundation requested #SGFashionNow over a showcase on Peranakan heritage.

Divided into three themes, the exhibition traces contemporary Singapore fashion through the lens of Singapore’s multicultural port city heritage.

The Yellow Silk Dress by fashion designer Benny Ong is on show at the third and final #SGFashionNow showcase in Asian Civilisations Museum. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO

The first section, Craftsmanship, focuses on Singapore’s history as a tailoring nation, with featured designers including Andrew Gn, Benny Ong and Ashley Isham.

Innovation In Tradition features updated takes on traditional textiles or silhouettes, so elements such as batik, kebaya and cheongsam abound.

(From left) Kebaya Jacket and Circle Skirt by Ans.Ein, Sania Ankara Baju Raya by OliveAnkara, and Merdeka Jacket and Utama Trousers by Baju by Oniatta, are three of the new additions to the #SGFashionNow showcase. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO

New to the show are ensembles from Singapore-based labels Ans.Ein and OliveAnkara. Their items are made from batik and ankara (a commonly used African wax print which ACM chose to highlight for its similarity in technique to batik) respectively.

Like in previous editions, the show was co-curated by students from Lasalle College of the Arts’ School of Fashion. The students proposed designers they wanted to see in the museum – resulting in the inclusion of more emerging young designers in the line-up, says ACM curator Jackie Yoong.

One example is student selection Youths In Balaclava. The youth collective known for its streetwear and disruptive approach to fashion – which fuelled its unlikely ascent to Paris Fashion Week – has a place in the third section Urbanite, dedicated to fashion inspired by urban environments.

Its full look, if somewhat hectic, styles a leather jacket with embossed details with a skirt upcycled from trousers and using lace panelling – in a nod towards today’s gender-fluid dressing trends.

The look by Youths In Balaclava, curated by fashion students from Lasalle College of the Arts for #SGFashionNow 2024. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO

“We don’t try to define what Singapore fashion is. In a way, you can see how an institutional point of view meets a student-led view – what they think a museum should be collecting in terms of emerging design,” Ms Yoong adds.

With the closing of #SGFashionNow, however, comes a new beginning: the debut showcase of #SGJewelleryNow.

This first showcase of contemporary Singapore jewellery highlights six works by three Singaporean jewellery designers and houses – Edmond Chin, State Property and Foundation Jewellers – within the museum’s permanent jewellery gallery opened in 2020.

The debut #SGJewelleryNow showcase, within the Asian Civilisations Museum’s permanent jewellery gallery, is housed inside a refurbished humidity controller oven. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO

Says Mr Ting: “With #SGJewelleryNow, we hope to start small but work with as many of our jewellery designers as possible in the years to come, spotlight the diversity and dynamism in this area, as well as better understand the jewellery design landscape in Singapore and Singapore jewellery designers’ impact abroad.”

Each brand contributed a piece that reinterprets South-east Asian heritage, and one that references the past.

For the first instalment, ACM chose designers that “have a strong foundation in interpreting and reinterpreting South-east Asian heritage, are known for their exceptional craftsmanship and who have made significant waves abroad”, says Mr Ting.

Hong Kong-based Singaporean designer Chin, for instance, is one of the most influential and respected designers in the high jewellery space, says Mr Ting, yet “very few Singaporeans know of his exceptional artistry and craftsmanship, and what he’s achieved internationally”.

Conus Shell Bangle by Edmond Chin. Fashioned from a pair of antique shell bracelets originally worn by the Dayak people of Borneo, this bangle features a 100-carat, industrial diamond with an earthy wood-grain pattern. PHOTO: ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM

The 60-year-old founder of jewellery brand Etceterahas on display a bangle fashioned from a pair of antique shell bracelets originally worn by the Dayak people of Borneo. He cut the bracelets in half and reassembled them to hold in place a 100-carat industrial diamond with a wood-grain pattern.

A revered collector of Straits Chinese jewellery, Mr Chin’s almost 400-strong collection now forms a big part of ACM’s jewellery gallery. He donated it after two decades of collecting – and recalls a meaningful moment when a visitor commented about a piece that reminded her of her grandmother.

“There was a sense of belonging – that the grandmother’s things might be seen in the museum. I think that’s very important; that’s what museums do. They give people a sense of belonging to a place, as well as give ideas for the future,” says Mr Chin.

Home-grown Foundation Jewellers is adding to the showcase not a grandmother’s piece, but a queen’s.

Respected in the Peranakan community for its contemporary takes on heritage Peranakan jewellery, the brand is best known for its Bird of Paradise brooch, which the late Queen Elizabeth II was photographed wearing almost 30 times in 10 years. She received the intricate reinterpretation of the kerosang as a Diamond Jubilee gift in 2012 from then Singapore President Tony Tan.

The Bird of Paradise Brooch by Foundation Jewellers. Designed as a reinterpretation of the three-piece kerosang, this Peranakan-style brooch is made of 18K yellow gold inlaid with 61 brilliant-cut diamonds, and features a Birds of Paradise plumage. PHOTO: ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM

The one on display is an identical version donated by the brand. It is one of 600 pieces Foundation Jewellers has committed to making, after massive demand for the brooch, co-owner Caroline Tay, 60, says.

“That it’s (called) the queen’s favourite brooch – we feel very proud, not just for our brand but also our culture. It means she likes our craftsmanship.”

Ms Tay believes having it showcased in a museum will help educate and endear the younger generation to Peranakan jewellery, who in the past found the style “too loud”.

She adds: “Museums don’t usually collect fashion – antiques are always antiques. So if there’s a place for the piece in a museum, to represent Singapore, we’re happy to do that.”.

The family business started as a goldsmith in the 1970s, but was revamped by second-generation owner Thomis Kwan, Ms Tay’s husband, into one focusing on crafting original Peranakan jewellery in the 1990s. Together with Ms Tay, who is Peranakan, Mr Kwan, 70, went around Asia hunting for jewellery craftsmen to help keep the dying trade alive.

Today, he leads seven craftsmen at their atelier in Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre.

They are grateful to represent Singapore and promote Peranakan culture, says Ms Tay, who remembers being snubbed by European jewellers at international fairs in the beginning. “Now we have our own original craftsmanship and designs. A customer once called us the Asian Buccellati.”

Hairpin-Ring by Foundation Jewellers. On loan from a client, this piece in 18K yellow gold with diamonds and a tourmaline was originally a hairpin crafted by Foundation Jewellers in 2005 before it was redesigned into a ring in 2016. PHOTO: ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM

Rounding up the showcase is younger label State Property, which ACM chose to show diversity in the jewellery scene. It, too, has famous fans – former US first lady Michelle Obama and American pop star Lady Gaga.

Founded in 2015 by contemporary jeweller Lin Ruiyin, 33, and industrial designer Afzal Imram, 34, the brand prides itself on its East-meets-West aesthetic. The married couple were drawn to fine jewellery as it “plays a very vital part in many intimate moments in life” – from marriage to the passing down of a legacy, says Mr Afzal.

Sold at its atelier in Armenian Street and global e-tailers such as Net-a-Porter, State Property is known for its rings that reinterpret the classic signet ring.

On show is the Spade Warisan Emerald Signet Ring, a piece inspired by ACM’s archives as part of a 2021 collaboration between the museum and the Singapore Fashion Council.

Spade Warisan Emerald Signet Ring by State Property. PHOTO: ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM

Made in 18K yellow gold and with a baguette-cut emerald, the ring features hand-carved floral motifs inspired by Javanese combs from the late 19th century that bore engravings of flowers and leaves symbolising fertility and vitality.

The Modernised Heirloom by State Property. On loan from a client, this necklace was refashioned from a pair of heirloom jade earrings. PHOTO: ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM

While the personal works of Lin and Afzal have been collected and showcased by museums, this is the first time a State Property piece has received the honour. “To have our work recognised by a museum like ACM is a highlight in our career,” Mr Afzal says.

“There’s always conversation about what ‘Singaporean design’ or ‘Singaporean aesthetic’ is, but looking through the ACM archives has taught us that this morphs constantly. We are writing the story as we go, and in a way, there is pressure – to make sure it’s a great story.”

Mr Kennie Ting, pictured on June 26, is the outgoing director of the Asian Civilisations Museum and Peranakan Museum. He first assumed the position in 2016. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO

Mr Ting, for whom the twin showcases marks the end of his eight-year tenure at ACM and the Peranakan Museum, hopes the shows will “counter prevailing notions that Singapore has no or not enough creative talent”.

He says: “The intent is to let younger Singaporeans know that there is opportunity in the creative and design fields. There are Singaporeans who have come before them doing very well locally and internationally.

“I hope in some small way, #SGFashionNow has contributed to encouraging more conversations about design and how much talent we have, at the highest levels. The museum should not just be a space of the past, it should be able to inspire creatives and the community to think about the future.”

Book It/ #SGFashionNow and #SGJewelleryNow

Where: Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress PlaceWhen: June 27 to Sept 1; 10am to 7pm (Saturdays to Thursdays), 10am to 9pm (Fridays)Admission: Free
Info: acm.org.sg