Since we began, it was always our intention to create garments that hold a generation’s craft in its textiles, and a story in its prints. But we knew all along that we wanted to go beyond apparel. As we grew over the years, we explored working with various types of businesses and industries, with each collaboration grounded on the core value of an appreciation for provenance. This shifted our focus from the style and look of garments, to the heart of what inspired our beginning: the textiles and prints.
As The Warehouse Hotel was preparing for their launch, they sought to include Singapore’s homegrown makers, creators, and do-ers in their design and detail. This effort extended to include brands like A.muse for specialty teas, Mud Rock for their custom ceramics, and even an art installation by artist Robert Zhao. We were heartened to have been included in this collaboration as we saw commonality in our shared appreciation for provenance and heritage.
We knew all along that we wanted to go beyond apparel, to shift our focus from the style and look of garments to the heart of what inspired our beginning: the textiles and prints.
In collaboration with The Warehouse Hotel, we designed bed runners with a custom print fit for their launch. It was a first for us to explore homeware, and it held its own challenges but we knew that this was a step in the right direction because it was where we saw ourselves growing. We quickly saw a strong parallel between our values and The Warehouse Hotel. The building was meticulously restored from a traditional warehouse, known as a godown, and its modern design were inked with stories of its industrial past to create a unique experience for its visitors. This passion to revitalise heritage was something we felt was deeply relevant to us, and it was exciting to take this element from their hotel and mirror it in with a modernized ikat motif.
Working with a homegrown talent, Asylum, we designed a print custom to The Warehouse Hotel. As a celebration of the building’s unchanging structure from past to present, we decided to feature that constant silhouette as the custom motif. As the ikat technique provides some irregularity to the print, the final motif resembles the building’s reflection in the water; a lovely coincidence in the making.
It has always been our vision to explore new avenues for traditional crafts to be interpreted and appreciated in a contemporary setting, and this collaboration was the perfect catalyst.
Inspired by the earthy tones of the room, simple accents against a muted colour palette were chosen for the fabric. Complimenting the interior instead of competing with it, the designs completed its minimalist, industrial and modern look. The fabric was woven by our ikat artisan partner Srinath Fabrics, from Koyyalagudem in Pochampally, India. The traditional weaving technique of ikat was selected for its subtlety of colour, and the natural abstraction of the motif was another plus point – marrying the geometric patterns with the soft handmade fabric. In line with our zero-waste design policy, we proposed to make pouches out of the offcut fabrics from the bed runners. The remaining fabrics were used for the storage of hair-dryers and toiletries in each of the 37 rooms.
We are incredibly humbled (and encouraged) by some of your queries on producing bed runners or duvet covers in the future. Expanding our horizons while working with The Warehouse Hotel, a young and promising hotel already featured on international platforms like Design Hotels, has definitely been an amazing journey in itself. It was our first venture into homeware, and we certainly do not expect it to be our last. This was a reminder of the inspirations behind our beginning. It has always been our vision to explore new avenues for traditional crafts to be interpreted and appreciated in a contemporary setting, and this collaboration was the perfect catalyst.