CATEGORIES

She Calls The Shots

Since The 2000s, Rihanna Has Been Making Dance Floors Work, Work, Work With Her Infectious Electronic And R&b-inflected Pop Hits. For Another Side To Her "Queen Of The Night" Persona, There's Her Role As The Latest Face Of Dior's J'adore Perfume And Its Accompanying Campaign Film. Shot By Her Long-time Friend Steven Klein, It Features The Barbadian Baddie Striding Through The Gilded Halls Of The Palace Of Versailles Dripping In Gold. Here, She Shares More About How The Famously Feminine Fragrance Embodies Celebration.

GOOD VIBES

EVERY YEAR, CHANEL PICKS A PLACE ON THE WORLD MAP NOT ONLY TO INSPIRE, BUT ALSO TO SHOWCASE ITS ANNUAL CRUISE COLLECTION (IT’S A TRADITION THAT’S ROOTED IN THE MAISON’S EARLY YEARS WHEN COCO CHANEL PRESENTED A LINE OUTSIDE OF THE USUAL FASHION CALENDAR TO INCITE WANDERLUST FOR TOASTIER, MORE PICTURE-PERFECT CLIMES DURING THE WINTER MONTHS). THE LATEST DESTINATION: VIBRANT MARSEILLE – THE FRENCH CITY THAT RECEIVES THE MOST SUNSHINE; HOME TO AN ECLECTIC REPERTOIRE OF CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND LANDMARKS; AND A MAGNET FOR EMERGING CREATIVES WITH ITS MIX OF GRIT AND GLAMOUR, LAND AND SEA, AND YOUTHFUL BOHEMIAN ENERGY. THE RESULTS? A COLLECTION THAT MAKES US WANT TO LET LOOSE AND DANCE. NOELLE LOH REPORTS FROM THE PHOCAEAN CITY.

THE PARTY EDIT

Club-appropriate hits from the Resort 2025 collections

THE VIPS

SOME OF THE 17 PEOPLE SPOTLIGHTED ACROSS THE NEXT 26 PAGES HAVE BEEN IN THE NIGHTLIFE BUSINESS WAY BEFORE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC DECADES EVEN. OTHERS LESS, BUT HAVE BEEN FOR MUCH OF THEIR LIVES DEEP INTO MUSIC, VIBING IT OUT ON DANCE FLOORS AND MAKING SURE EVERYONE AROUND HAS A HELLUVA GOOD TIME. THEIR ENDEAVOURS RANGE FROM A MODEST NEIGHBOURHOOD BAR TO CONGLOMERATE-BACKED, MULTI-CONCEPT SPACES AND A MULTIFARIOUS NETWORK OF POP-UP PARTIES, ALL OF WHICH HAVE BEEN MAKING AN EXTRA-LOUD SPLASH IN THE PAST YEAR. WHAT ELSE THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON: THEY'RE RETHINKING AND RESHAPING PARTY CULTURE FOR THE FUTURE - OR, TO PARAPHRASE CHARLI XCX, THEY'RE BUMPIN' IT. KENG YANG SHUEN AND NOELLE LOH PUT THE CAMERA FLASH ON.

THE NIGHTS

ROUGHLY TWO YEARS ON SINCE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, FOLKS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE ARE STILL TAKING IT UPON THEMSELVES TO THROW THEIR OWN INDEPENDENT PARTIES WITH MORE EXPERIMENTAL SOUNDS, AND MORE INTENTIONAL AND INCLUSIVE EXPERIENCES THAT INJECT A ROUSING UNDERGROUND ENERGY TO SINGAPORE NIGHTLIFE. KENG YANG SHUEN TURNS THE SPOTLIGHT ON FOUR OF THE NEWEST ORGANISERS ON THE SCENE AND TELLS YOU WHY YOU SHOULD HIT THEIR PARTIES.

THE SOUNDS

THEY'RE ALL UNDER 30, MOSTLY SELF-TAUGHT AND EMERGED PROFESSIONALLY ONLY AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. MOST DON'T EVEN HAVE A REGULAR GIG (YOU'D HAVE TO CHECK THEIR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS TO FIND OUT WHEN NEXT THEY'LL BE PERFORMING), BUT DON'T YOU DARE CALL THEM BEDROOM DJS. KENG YANG SHUEN SPOTLIGHTS SEVEN EMERGING SINGAPORE-BASED MUSIC SELECTORS AND MIX MASTERS WHO'VE BEEN TEARING UP DANCE FLOORS IN THE PAST YEAR AND SHOULD BE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY.

A Not So Common Scent

For the first time, the singular house of Hermes has launched a chypre perfume fragrance type known for its complexity and dualistic nature a that comes in a first-of-its-kind bottle, no less. Keng Yang Shuen finds out more about Barenia, Hermes's latest scent that hit stores recently, from the brand's in-house perfumer Christine Nagel.

Strange Love

The six names in this story create wildly different works that tend to blur the boundaries among disparate disciplines. All have little in common except one thing: a certain wondrousness and sense of curiosity that inspire audiences to look at familiar things anew. Keng Yang Shuen reports.

The artist

Johnny Depp is certainly far from the conventional leading man: the iconically quirky on-screen roles, the rock musician persona (he was a guitarist before becoming an actor), the unexpected neoexpressionist portraits in 2022 (these paintings of cultural heroes ranging from AI Pacino to Elizabeth Taylor sold out in a day), and of course the title of being Dior's long-standing poster boy for its wilderness-inspired flagship men's perfume Sauvage for nine years and counting.

spirited away

Collaborations with the art world have become a trusted way of injecting novelty into fashion.

Showtime

Shaggy, floor-sweeping, candy-coloured faux fur coats. A tuxedo suit with exaggerated proportions that's a nod to Marlene Dietrich. Bondage-inspired evening gowns. One would think that a collaboration fronted by a contemporary label would mean tempering down on the drama, but the Bimba Y Palomo collection, a tie-up between the fun-loving Bimba Y Lola and the red-carpet provocateur Palomo Spain, more than doubles down on it. Here, the latter's creative director Alejandro Gomez Palomo gives an exclusive interview on keeping the dream of dressing up alive.

Glam Rocks

Lying At The Heart Of Celine Beaute, The First Cosmetics Line From The House Of Celine, Is A Decidedly Romantic Notion: That Makeup Should Be A Luxurious Ritual.

mother!

FOR AN EDITION CENTRED AROUND NOSTALGIA, HOW COULD WE NOT HEAR FROM THE ONES WHO'VE SEEN THEIR RESPECTIVE INDUSTRIES CHANGE OVER TIME? SIX RENOWNED AND BELOVED CULTURAL AUTHORITIES IN FASHION, DESIGN AND CULTURE IN SINGAPORE SHARE WHAT THEY'VE LEARNT, WHAT THEY MISS AND WHAT WHAT KEEPS THEM GOING.

the art of reflection

DICTIONARY.COM DEFINES NOSTALGIA AS \"A WISTFUL DESIRE TO RETURN IN THOUGHT OR IN FACT TO A FORMER TIME IN ONE'S LIFE, TO ONE'S HOME OR HOMELAND, OR TO ONE'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS\". KENG YANG SHUEN ZEROES IN ON FIVE SINGAPORE ARTISTS INTERPRETING THIS OFTEN-INTANGIBLE QUALITY AS WELL AS THE NOTION OF TIME AND MEMORY ONLY TO EVOKE POIGNANCY, CURIOSITY AND EVEN PLENTY OF LAUGHS.

thank you for the memories

GEN Z IS OFTEN SAID TO BE A NOSTALGIA-INFATUATED BUNCH. THE SIX DIGITAL NATIVES FEATURED HERE LIVE UP TO THAT REPUTATION WITH THEIR COLLECTION OF CLOTHES, ACCESSORIES, TOYS, OBJECTS AND MORE THAT DATE BACK TO A TIME IN WHICH THEY WERE GROWING UP OR IN SOME CASES HAVE NEVER EVEN LIVED THROUGH. PAIGE BOON GETS THEM TO OPEN UP THEIR ARCHIVES AND ABOUT THEIR LOVE OF YESTERYEAR.

Super Natural

Who Better To Tell Us More About The N°1 De Chanel Revitalising Eye Serum - The Latest Addition To Chanel's N°1 De Chanel Skincare Collection That Promises To Give Peepers A Fresh, "Wide Awake" Look-than The Maison's Doe-eyed Ambassador And Face Of The Line, Minji Of Newjeans?

THE INITIATIVE: new bahru

EVEN BEFORE IT'S SET TO OPEN OFFICIALLY NEXT YEAR, NEW BAHRU HAS BECOME THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT AND VISITED NEW LIFESTYLE DESTINATION WE'VE HAD IN DECADES FOR ITS AMBITIOUS CONCEPT: A SOPHISTICATED CULTURAL PLAYGROUND TO DISCOVER AND SUPPORT MADE-IN-SINGAPORE CREATIVE BUSINESSES SPANNING F&B TO FASHION. HERE'S WHY ITS SUCCESS MEANS A WIN FOR ALL.

THE INITIATIVE: proud spaces

FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY IN SINGAPORE HAS A PERMANENT, PHYSICAL SPACE WHERE ITS MEMBERS CAN HEAD TO ANYTIME OF THE YEAR TO SEEK BOTH ADVICE AND SOLACE, NETWORK, ATTEND ACTIVITIES THAT EDUCATE AND EMPOWER THEM, AND EVEN STAGE THEIR OWN.

THE INITIATIVE: lucky hall

FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS OR SO, THIS UNUSUAL SET-UP HAS BEEN GIVING YOUNG CREATIVES A LEG UP IN ORGANISING THEIR OWN EVENTS (INDUSTRY ADVICE, SERVICES AT CONCESSION RATES, ZERO RENT). SOON, THE CURTAINS WILL COME DOWN ON IT. HERE'S WHY IT REMAINS THE MAIN EVENT.

THE INITIATIVE: alt-gps

ZACHARY DESKER BELIEVES THAT SINGAPORE'S UNDERGROUND MUSIC SCENE SHOULD BE A TOURIST ATTRACTION. HE TELLS US WHY AND HOW HE'S MAKING THIS HAPPEN ON HIS OWN TIME AND DIME.

THE INITIATIVE: the fruit basket

DRAG AS AN ART FORM HAS BEEN UNDERGOING A CULTURAL RENAISSANCE IN SINGAPORE RECENTLY.

THE INITIATIVE:Shrub

THE CULT GEN Z-OWNED INDIE DESIGN STORE HAS EMBARKED ON A REBOOT IN THE HOPES OF BECOMING MORE COMMERCIALLY VIABLE. WHAT WON'T CHANGE: ITS SUPPORT OF LOCAL INDEPENDENT ARTISTS.

THE INITIATIVE: hear me up

ENTERING THE MUSIC INDUSTRY ON YOUR OWN CAN BE INTIMIDATING, SAYS HOME-GROWN SINGER-SONGWRITER AND PRODUCER SHYE.

THE INITIATIVE: an asylum

TO HELP EMERGING DESIGNERS REALISE THEIR CREATIVE VISION WHILE NAVIGATING THE CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINING IN SINGAPORE, THE FOUNDERS OF ONE OF THE MOST UNDER-THE-RADAR FASHION LABELS HERE HAVE BEEN PUTTING THEIR OWN TIME AND MONEY INTO RUNNING ONE OF THE MOST INTIMATE - AND MEANINGFUL RESIDENCY PROGRAMMES AROUND.

national treasures

CELEBRATING THE ICONIC, CANNAGE-PATTERNED DIOR HANDBAG IT’S NAMED AFTER, THE TRAVELLING EXHIBITION LADY DIOR HOUSE ARRIVES IN SINGAPORE FOR THE FIRST TIME AND RUNS AT 5 JIAK KIM STREET UNTIL AUG 11. IT ALSO FEATURES ANOTHER FIRST: THE WORKS OF THREE SINGAPORE ARTISTS AS PART OF THE MAISON’S LADY DIOR AS SEEN BY INITIATIVE, WHICH SEES INVITED CREATIVE TALENTS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE PRODUCE ONE-OF-A-KIND WORKS OF ART INSPIRED BY THE LADY DIOR. HERE, THE THREE NAMES TELL US MORE ABOUT THEIR EXHIBITS.

Dance Dance Revolution

Just How Much Is Street Dance Part Of Mainstream Pop Culture Today? Returning This Month, The Summer Olympics Will, For The First Time In Its History, Feature Breaking The Dance Style More Popularly Referred To As Breakdancing As A Competitive Sport. To Celebrate That, Emma Ashlee Goh Spotlights Four Urban Dance Communities In Singapore That Each Deserve A Medal For Inspiring Others To Pop, Lock, Vogue And Simply Ge Ance In Their Own Way.

Dream Academy

ALL 13 GEN ZERS FEATURED HERE ARE RECENT OR SOON-TO-BE GRADUATES OF ART SCHOOLS IN SINGAPORE WHO COME HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY THEIR RESPECTIVE ALMA MATERS FOR THEIR TALENT AND PROMISE. WHAT EXACTLY DO THEY THINK ABOUT A LIFE IN THE ARTS AND HOW EXACTLY DO THEY THINK, WORK AND LIVE? STEPHANIE YEAP CHATS WITH THEM FOR A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT’S DRIVING OUR CREATIVE FUTURE.

Genius In A Bottle

One Of The Most Vibrant And Beloved Scents From Chanel Gets An Unexpected Recharge That Makes It Look All The More Like An Icon.

They Boss

CALL THEM OVERACHIEVERS, THE ULTIMATE OF MULTI-HYPHENATES AND EVEN - AS THEY MIGHT SAY SO THEMSELVES - A LITTLE BIT NUTS. EVERY ONE OF THE SIX GEN Z CREATIVES IN THIS STORY HOLDS DOWN MULTIPLE PROFESSIONS (INCLUDING, FOR MANY OF THEM, STUDENT); HAS LAUNCHED AT LEAST ONE BUSINESS LARGELY ON THEIR OWN; AND IS ONLY JUST GETTING STARTED. ROHAIZATUL AZHAR FINDS OUT HOW THEY'RE MAKING IT.

Face Value

IN THE WORLD OF WATCHES, THE DIAL SERVES MULTIPLE ROLES KEEPING TIME AS WELL AS ACTING AS THE VISUAL IDENTITY OF A BRAND AND THE PARTICULAR MODEL IT'S DESTINED FOR. WITH THE EXPERTISE AND AMENITIES TO DESIGN AND ENGINEER THIS VITAL ELEMENT COMPLETELY IN-HOUSE, ROLEX ELEVATES DIAL-MAKING TO A TRUE CRAFT.