Why the minimal fashion cred Singapore?

Singapore is listed as one of the leading shopping hubs in Asia for the reason that it has attracted and secured many of the major sought-after western brands and retailers.

There is a huge infatuation with western luxury brands here fuelled by both the local Singaporeans and tourists – a research study carried out at the end of 2012 found Louis Vuitton, Gucci & Miu Miu were the most searched retailers in Singapore supporting the observation of a designer fixation here.

Additionally the fact that the two key tourist attractions here; Marina Bay Sands and Resort World Sentosa both have shopping malls filled with all of the top end, lavish retailers suggests that the Singapore tourists add to this demand. 

So with a reputation of being one of the best places to shop, why does the fashion scene here not have the same credibility as its Asian counterparts, Japan and Hong Kong?

I have a feeling it may be something to do with the hard focus on brand name and price tag from both locals and visitors alike.

Singapore is great for shopping but its depth in choice is limited, unlike the fashion credible cities of the world, Singapore doesn’t have enough independent retailers, market stalls and fairs that enable and encourage local fashion talent to grow and gain acknowledgement - it falls victim to its common trade routine of importing everything!

Ok so maybe I’m being harsh… there are some efforts such as Parco next Next, an incubator project that nurtures the next generation of Singapore designers plus the rare sprouts of vintage outlets around the city (Déjà vu Vintage & Dulcetfig), oh and those infrequent flea markets held at Zouk (Flea & Easy), but there’s still way more efforts to be made Singapore.

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little bored of the mass produced high street stuff, there’s nothing special about wearing head to toe mainstream.