Leong Hon Kit and Si Jian Xin, Wynk Collaborative

Design firm WYNK Collaborative may not have millions of followers on Instagram, but they don’t need to. Not when the spaces they’ve created – the tech-enabled grocery and dining concept, habitat by honestbee; cocktail bar The World Is Flat at Changi Airport Terminal 1; and the lobby of The Projector cinema – have already been widely photographed, posted on the social network and become ‘like’ magnets all on their own steam.

Still, partners Leong Hong Kit and Si Jian Xin say that designing Instagram-friendly spaces was never on their agenda.

”If we did that, we would really have lost the plot,” says Mr Leong, 38.

Mr Si, 37, adds, ”We design spaces that people want to visit, and the results are such that these places attract a lot of Instagram ‘likes’.”

The firm formed in 2011, and while they began with designing home interiors, they are now better known for commercial spaces – largely F&B joints and offices.

On their design philosophy, Mr Leong says, ”if you strip away the colours and the materials, we are really functional designers. We look at how people use the space, and how to design a space to help businesses.”

Mr Si adds, ”our ethos is to make spaces experientially variant and fun. We leave it to visitors how they want to use them.”habitat by honestbee has been their most significant project to date, not only for its size, but also the complexity. ”It was almost like we were masterplanning the space and not just designing the interiors,” says Mr Si.

To design habitat by honestbee, they had to think about the future of retail, how to integrate technology into grocery shopping and dining, and at the same time not make the space feel too foreign.

With F&B joints, they say that while the food is still the main selling factor, having outstanding interiors help too. ”Especially now when people remember restaurants not only through their taste buds but their phones too,” says Mr Leong.

He proudly declares, ”all the F&B projects that we have designed are still standing even after their first lease has expired.”

Their foray into designing F&B spaces started with Standing Sushi Bar at Raffles Place in 2014, where they took inspiration from a Japanese fish market. Happy with the results, Lim Huinan and Howard Lo, founders of Empire Eats hired them for their next outlets including Tanuki Raw and The World Is Flat. Wynk is currently working on another three more projects for them.

”After five years of working together, we have developed a tight rapport and understand each other’s working styles and preferences,” says Ms Lim. ”Over the years, they’ve learnt to strike the delicate balance between design integrity and budget constraints. We really like their originality, which is why we continue this relationship, and strongly recommend them to our friends.”

Mr Leong reckons that their popularity stems from the way they do more than just design a space. ”We consider branding, marketing, user experience, comfort and technology for our clients,” he says. ”Choosing nice materials is the easy part.”

For example, noting how Singaporeans dislike bar stools, they used conventional chairs at the counter of Tanuki Raw, but created a sunken space behind the counter so staff can still engage with diners.

The duo also check our other F&B outlets to see how they’re run. ”It is important to have a holistic view, so that we can incorporate it into our next project,” says Mr Si.

Quck Zhong Yi, Wong Ker How and Lim Jing Feng, Asolidplan

Say you flip through a decor magazine, and you see a home done by Asolidplanthat you like. You go to the design firm, and ask them to do the same for you. More likely than not, they will tell you ‘no’.

Don’t be offended, though. It happens all the time. ”It would be easy money for us, to copy and paste, but we will turn down the job,” says Wong Ker How, 38, one of the three founders of Asolidplan. ”It isn’t fair to the first homeowner, and it is not our style to replicate designs.”

The firm’s philosophy is all about being original and creating work that responds to the site in question, says partner Quck Zhong Yi, 39. And of course the challenge to ”experiment and push boundaries.”

It sounds like a oft-heard spiel but ”we don’t try to be different for the sake of it,” asserts Lim Jing Feng, 36. ”Each project looks different because of how the design responds to the issues affecting it.”

Veteran interior designer Nikki Hunt, founder of Design Intervention, reviewed some of the firm’s projects for a design award. She says, ”I am impressed by their attention to detail and creativity, and how they implement a cohesive approach to their projects.”

A large proportion of their projects are residential – mainly the interiors and at times, the architecture. Some of their unconventional designs include a brass privacy screen for an apartment which became an eye-catching feature in the surrounding neighbourhood; a mirrored wall that gave a triangular-shaped apartment the illusion of being square and twice as big as it really was; and a labyrinthine network of staircases and flying bridges that connected all the levels in a terrace house.

On the public front, they designed a pool bar, with interiors deliberately resembling a swimming pool as a visual pun. In 2018, the firm was hired to design the set stage for the National Day Parade. Unlike previous stages which blocked views of Marina Bay, Mr Quck designed pivoting screens to connect the audience to its surroundings.

Mr Wong says, ”In commercial projects, we consider how our designs fit into a bigger picture, such as how the business positions itself in the market. Homes are more personal, so we have to be more sensitive to the users.”

Although each partner handles projects separately, the firm has fortnightly review and critique sessions, where all design proposals are presented for everyone to give their opinions. ”It gives us clarity of thought, because we can sometimes get too narrow minded in our designs, and someone else may have a better idea,” says Mr Quck.

Mr Lim adds that communication, not only among staff, but with clients is crucial.

”This is particularly so when we design homes, as we see such projects as a collaboration with the homeowners,” he says.

The trio say that homeowners are now more savvy and well-informed, but the most frequent request is still more storage. ”Most homes are already small, you don’t want to waste space on a storeroom,” says Mr Wong. They find creative solutions, such as storage spaces under platforms and built-in cabinets. Once, they created moveable cabinets that doubled as walls.

Do they ever run out of ideas? Mr Quck says, ”Hardly, because each project is driven by context, from the client and the site.”

He adds, ”we are not stylistically driven and we don’t follow trends. Some of our best projects are not so much the best-looking ones, but the ones where clients are most satisfied.”

It also helps that their company’s name instils confidence, since their clients have been singing their praises and spreading the word about their services. ”We are firm believers that having a solid plan will produce good design,” says Mr Wong.

1. CONCEPTUAL ETHNIC WEAR

Priscilla Shunmugam, Ong Shunmugam

The go-to designer for elegant Asian chic has come a long way from nine years ago when ‘lawyer-turned-designer’ was perpetually prefixed to her name – almost like an excuse for her fashion ‘hobby’. Today, Priscilla Shunmugam is a leading light in Singapore’s fashion industry, with her label Ong Shunmugam an established cult favourite of Singapore’s most stylish women.

”I always design for an intelligent woman – one who makes consumption decisions based on design as well as thought,” says Shunmugam. That is what sets her apart from the rest – her ability to tap into the psyche of the modern Singaporean woman who loves fashion but craves authenticity.

Her design aesthetic focuses primarily on her reinterpretation of traditional Chinese, Indian, Malay, Peranakan and Sikh womenswear.

”While the national dress still exists, it’s increasingly confined to postcards, museums, ceremonial occasions, festive parades. But on the other hand, it seems to need validation from a Western or an established brand/ designer before it can find currency in the fashion system. Fashion as an instrument of identity negotiation and symbolic profiling — this becomes augmented on so many levels when you talk about Asians and Asian traditional wear — this is what interests me and ultimately drives the work that I do.”

For her, it’s also about taking a progressive design approach. ”The huge challenge for us lies in taking traditional garments or textiles that the current generation of Asians consider to be outdated or restrictive — and fashion a rethink of them in some small way.”

Her appeal has extended beyond Singapore as well. ”We entered the Hong Kong market in April 2018, which I have wanted to do for years. Women in Hong Kong embrace fashion in a way that makes them a dream to dress. We also began producing in London in November 2018, working with a partner studio in East London.”

Atelier Ong Shunmugam is located at 43 Jalan Merah Saga, 01-76

2. GEOMETRIC CHIC

Sabrina Goh

As the daughter of a draughtsman, it’s not surprising that Sabrina Goh favours clean lines, symmetry and proportion. Her work draws inspiration from architectural form, sculpting strong yet feminine silhouettes focusing on oversized proportions and asymmetrical cuts.

Simple is never easy, which explains Goh’s skill and eye for detail. She may design a shirt dress, for example, but there will always be something extra – say, a pleated oversized sleeve on a dress or mixed textures of cotton, nylon and lace on a clean white frock — all done in subtle fashion, therein the magic.

”We focus more on quality,” she emphasises, adding that natural Japanese textiles like cotton linen are used in her collections.

Validation comes in the form of celebrating the label’s 10th anniversary in 2019. ”In addition to that, we just opened our new store at Paragon level 3 and we will be relocating our flagship store to Raffles City level 2 in March.” And as a career high, ”We recently launched Mickey The True Original Collection, which is our collaboration with Walt Disney Singapore for Mickey’s 90th Birthday.”

Sabrinagoh is located at 3 Stamford Rd, #02-14, Capitol Piazza

3. FEMININE INSTINCT

Ting Ee-Ling, The Missing Piece

Unlike other designers who may lean towards a cutting edge aesthetic, Ee-Ling Ting’s clothes look positively commercial. Which is entirely intentional.

As a mother of three, Ting identifies as a woman first and a designer second. In fact, she didn’t even set out to be a fashion designer. ”It just grew organically from a hobby,” she confesses.

Essentially, she speaks to women who don’t live and breathe fashion, but know a pretty dress when they see one. The Missing Piece appeals for its Chinoiserie-inspired looks, but Ting’s strength is in identifying her signature look, namely the clever side slits on her contemporary dresses.

”I’d like to think of my clothes as modern classics,” says Ting, who learned to sew when she was living in Australia. Not many women who aren’t a size 0 with a 25-inch waist will feel confident to show some skin. But Ting’s dresses are cut in such a flattering silhouette, it doesn’t matter if you’re a size 2 or 6. Says Ting of her design philosophy, ”I’m constantly inspired by the women who wears my designs, and I never want anyone who shops with us to feel left out regardless of their body shape or size.”

Support for local talent has also helped to raise her profile. ”The community is really making a conscious effort, especially with new initiatives such as independent fashion events and the new Design Orchard, which give shoppers wider access to home-grown brands.”           

The Missing Piece is located at 10 Winstedt, 03-06, Trixilini, 6 Scotts Road, #03-08 and Design Orchard, 250 Orchard Road.

4. BACKLESS BEAUTIES

Elyn Wong, Stolen

With everyone focused on the front of a garment, Elyn Wong wants to tell a back story – namely, backless pieces she created out of ”personal passion”, she explains.

”They may have a signature backless feature but it’s nothing overtly sexy or body-hugging. It’s more structural and architectural — a quiet kind of sexy. Now when people think of backless garments, they think of (her brand) Stolen.”

Wong wasn’t trained in fashion but it didn’t deter her from pursuing it as a career. It used to make her self-conscious that she lacked formal training. But, ”Now I find it very liberating”.

A backless garment may be a hard sell, which is where Wong’s persuasive power comes into play as she extols their wearability by creating a variety of styles from dresses, to tunics, shirts and blouses.

”With my brand, it is always about opening minds and celebrating cross disciplinary creations. Fashion can be more than just a dress. So far, Stolen has created art installation pieces beyond clothes that showcased in Milan, Beijing, New York, and London.”

She’s also encouraged by the positive response at home.

”In recent years, Singapore’s fashion scene has a very different vibe. It’s more about craft, sustainability and authenticity. Not so much about chasing trends. And more bespoke fashion is being appreciated, which is pretty cool.”

Stolen is located at Straits Clan, 31 Bukit Pasoh Road.