"One of the best ways to introduce New Bahru is by explaining its name," begins Wee Teng Wen. Wee is the founder of The Lo & Behold Group, the hospitality company behind some of the most exciting brands in Singapore's cultural and culinary landscape today. Over the past two decades, the group has brought to life concepts that include Odette, Fico and The Warehouse Hotel. Still, when it comes to scale and ambition, nothing compares to New Bahru. Undoubtedly the group's biggest project to date, New Bahru transforms the former Nan Chiau High School into a creative cluster that places its focus entirely on local talent.
"Bahru is Malay for 'new' and 'new new' is a reference to how Singaporeans like to say the same word twice. For us, it signals a new community and a new path that we want to build for Singapore's creatives," Wee explains.
You won't find any large international franchises within these walls. Instead, a line-up of local businesses, ranging from dining and lifestyle to wellness and enrichment, showcases the strength and diversity of our creatives. Housed in a site indelibly tied to local culture, New Bahru is like nothing we've seen before in Singapore's retail landscape.
"New Bahru is a dream project for us," reflects Wee. "It's a combination of all the work we've done over the last 20 years. It will bring together some of the most talented creatives and entrepreneurs across the different fields of lifestyle in Singapore and it's what we feel is the first concept to be able to assemble this kind of talent in one place."
Ahead of its opening. Wee shares how New Bahru came to become what it is today, what visitors can look forward to and how he hopes it will help Singapore's creative scene grow.
How did this project come about?
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