Talk is … to hear the sound of my own existence.
Art is … trying to see my own world in a very forgiving manner.
Home is … where I feel melancholy.
Love is … when I feel melancholy.
Where there is light … there is proof of my existence.
There’s a fine line between … existing and living.
The enemy of my enemy is … one I don't give a damn about.
The window to existence is … through our eyes. In my case, it’s a very small window.

Find out more about Clang’s work and thought processes on Jun 22, 7:30pm. A Curious Teepee, #02-24 Scape, 2 Orchard Link, 6820-1680. $30 at the venue includes one standard drink and food.

Fashion collabs are all the rage. Everyone from high-street retailers right through to smaller, niche labels are working with interesting creatives from all disciplines in an effort to bring a bit of true individuality, exclusivity and authenticity back into fashion. If you haven’t collaborated with an artist, photographer, celebrity or simply with another fashion label, you’re doing it wrong. Some of the most memorable include the special edition Longchamp bags by contemporary Brit artist Tracy Emin and designer Jeremy Scott, and more recently, the Nike collaboration with Japan’s Undercover to produce coveted luxury sportswear—all of them produced in very limited quantities.

In Singapore, collaborative products are a bit harder to come by simply because of the sheer size of our market (or rather, lack thereof). The Nike and Undercover collaboration, for example, never made it to local stores, making it more collectible than ever. Here though, are some great crossovers that aren’t quite so hard to come by.

Opening Ceremony x Chloe Sevigny

You can only expect good things when one of New York’s coolest boutiques and fashion labels collaborates with one of Hollywood’s best-dressed celebrities. The always trendsetting Sevigny’s eclectic range of eyewear, T-shirts, legwear and footwear (also in collaboration with eyewear brand Barton Perreira, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, legwear specialist Fogal and footwear brand NaNa) has been lauded for its sense of fun and frivolity. A good thing too as Sevigny’s pieces are best for mix-and-match; its ready-to-wear pieces include printed dresses and cropped cardigans that go effortlessly with the accessories any time of the day. Available exclusively from Club 21b from $99 upwards.

Jack Purcell x Mackintosh

It’s an unlikely collaboration: Mackintosh is known more for their classic rainwear range, and Jack Purcell is one of the most respectable sneaker labels in the world. But this labor of love from the two labels has resulted in one of the most inspiring collaborations yet. Reportedly three years in the making, this is also only the second time the Mackintosh patent company has allowed their fabrics to be produced outside of their factories in Scotland (these babies are produced in China, in fact). Produced in three colorways of olive green, navy blue and chocolate, the latter two have been available for sale here in very limited quantities since May. Check them out for $260 per pair at Surrender.

A.P.C. x Converse

Already known for their pared down simplicity, the wearable French label A.P.C. applied exactly the same philosophy when working with sneaker giant Converse on its classic Authentic and Chukka models. It’s a simple and charming design which reminds one of classic school shoes made from cotton canvas and rubber outsole, imbued with subtle pastel hues of grey, blue, pink and green, and minimal branding too, so that it can be worn again and again and again. A great investment, this. $185 upwards from Front Row.

Uniqlo x Designer Invitation Project

The always productive Uniqlo team has recently added another feather to its cap—this time working with a multitude of upcoming and edgy designers and brands like Japan’s Double Standard Clothing, Suzuki Takayuki and Tiny Dinosaurs, and the US’s Vena Cava and Charlotte Ronson for its Designer Invitation Project. These collaborations are some of the most playful we’ve seen from the label—highlights include Takayuki’s easy to wear “Toha” dresses, made from organic cotton, and Tiny Dinosaur’s reinterpretation of children’s wear for adults—certainly one for the adventurous. $49.90 upwards from Uniqlo.

9Fountains x Various Designers

Singapore-based online T-shirt retailer 9Fountains, brainchild of designer Andrew Wolf and former lawyer Au Da Yu, has a keen interest in working with upcoming young designers from Southeast Asia. “We’re simply interested in elevating design, promoting designers—mostly Singapore focused—and producing wickedly cool T-shirts,” says Wolf. The team sources its designs by holding monthly online T-shirt competitions, assuring that fresh drops happen at least on a quarterly basis. The T-shirts are then produced on 100 percent ring-spun cotton, with direct-to-garment printing techniques used to produce the designs. A gamut of edgy work from the likes of Sunshee and Anwar Rafiee is then made available for sale online via www.9fountains.com from $25 upwards.

If You Want More

For serious style seekers, don’t miss out on the special collaboration tote bags and pin badges by Japan’s Comme des Garçons with our very own design firm Asylum, featuring whimsical motifs of nature and childhood-inspired activities. Only 360 pieces are produced for each collection, and they’re available exclusively at BLACK Comme des Garçons stores in Japan (nope, not even online, sorry). So if you’re heading to Japan anytime soon, you know what to do.

Also to be released in November this year: The first ever collaboration between local womenswear label Utt’er and accessories brand Frank. Expect a funky and bold collection made from leather, woodwork and crystal from Front Row.

Club 21b, #01-07 Forum The Shopping Mall, 583 Orchard Rd., 6304-1459
Front Row, #02-09 Raffles Hotel Arcade, 328 North Bridge Rd., 6224-5501
Surrender, #02-31 Raffles Hotel Arcade, 328 North Bridge Rd., 6733-2130
Uniqlo, #03-27/34, 313@somerset, 313 Orchard Rd, 6834-4073

What is style?
Style is innate. With the right sass and panache, any look will work.

What can you not do without?
Sunglasses for sure. Not only do they cover up signs from a rough night out, they allow you to people-watch shamelessly.

Who are your style icons?
Dita Von Teese, Angelina Jolie and Marilyn Monroe. Strong women who never fail to amaze me with stylish choices on and off the red carpet.

Can money buy style?
Style does not recognize how much you have shelled out for the piece you purchased 15 minutes ago. It can be a maxi dress from Topshop or a one-off from a luxury brand; attitude counts for much.

High street or high fashion?
It depends on the occasion. High street fashion is perfect for a relaxed day out looking chic without feeling the need to rob a bank. High fashion labels come in when you need that extra glitz for an event.

Favorite fashion tip?
Caps are perfect for bad hair days.

Famous last words.
“There are no ugly women, just lazy ones”—Helena Rubinstein.

To say that the fashion design alumni and husband-and-wife team Je Yong Jung (Je Jung) and Rujira Lawonvisut (Ru) have done well, would be something of an understatement. Who would have thought that an indie Asian label would immediately take off in New York, debuting at New York Fashion Week last year to critical acclaim? Now, the WRKROOM: menswear line is stocked across eight states in the US, and is slowly making its way back home to Asia and Singapore, available for the first time here at Blackmarket. Je Jung lets us in on the label’s origins and philosophies.

How did you guys end up being based in New York?
It was merely two years ago when my wife Ru and I decided to start the brand in New York. Both of us had previously worked for fashion companies in the US such as Urban Outfitters, Theory and Gap. Although we were both holding head of design positions, we were still part of a machine … a big machine. We wanted to do something exciting, create something of our own. Although it was the period of economic crisis around the globe, we decided to look at the other side of the coin. We thought that when everybody is pulling back, more opportunities will end up presenting themselves. Which was why we decided to launch the label WRKROOM: in Brooklyn. After receiving plenty of good responses from New York, Dallas and Seattle, we decided to cross the ocean to expand WRKROOM: to Singapore and Thailand.

What is the fashion scene in NY like as opposed to where you guys are originally from?
NY is a special place for us. It is where we started the business and that’s where we live … well, one third of the time these days due to business developments in other countries. We love watching people at a lazy Sunday brunch. It is the place that inspires us and truly a city that never sleeps. Every time I am back in Korea, I realize that it is a big fashion city—people are very savvy and fashionable. You can see the latest trend anywhere, anytime. Ru is from Thailand, which is also very different from NY or Korea. The city allows individuals to have more freedom to express themselves. This freedom of expression allows them to create their own identities and styles where very unique and different looks can be found. We witness and experience these different perspectives and mix them up to create our own.

What is your design philosophy?
Designing fashion is an evolution rather than a revolution. Fashion is endless, trendy and evolving. We believe that it is about interaction in how people see, think and influence one another. It can also evolve according to the responses we get from the society we live in by way of politics, economy, music or art. Everything is interlinked.

What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned doing business out of NY?
Well, the lessons come from working for large-sized corporations rather than directly from NY. We have learned to have “common sense.” One of my predecessors said, regardless how many degrees you have, the most important thing is having common sense. So when there’re challenges, deal with things in a way that makes sense.

How important is it to make clothes that sell as opposed to making clothes as a conceptual idea?
Whether conceptual or commercial, designing is a lot like cooking— you put simple ingredients into a pot to create a dish. And then you add your own recipe to make it a special creation. For us, that special recipe is the diverse range of people we meet. We’re very much influenced by the people we’ve met and will meet.

Why just menswear?
We started the menswear collection because we saw an opportunity in the NY market place, but that doesn’t mean we won’t have a women’s line in the future. Also personally, I like menswear because I can wear the line.

Where do you think the global fashion scene is heading today?
Global fashion is building a community that transcends style, luxury or commercial viability. If a brand can communicate effectively with their target audience, they can be extremely successful whether big or small, luxury or commercial. It’s all about communicating more effectively in the long run.

What are some of your pet peeves in the industry?
What bugs me is when ugly sells—meaning something that we thought, for sure, for a particular style, could never be sold, but unfortunately or fortunately became star of the season. It’s good when it sells well but at the same time, it’s not good when it comes to deciding whether to continue with the style or otherwise. Usually we’ll end up dropping it.

Where do you plan to take the label to in five years’ time?
Our dream is to build five studios in five different countries: NY, Tokyo, Seoul, Paris and Bangkok. Each studio will handle its own business and have a head person to lead it—think of it as advertising agencies in different locations. Currently we have studios in NY and Bangkok, so we’re getting there.

WRKROOM:’s menswear collection is on sale now at Blackmarket, #02-10 Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Rd., 6634-5201.