Shop these exclusive collaborations this November
At the heart of Boutiques lies a commitment to creativity, community, and meaningful conversations. This November, we are thrilled to spotlight exclusive collaborations between brands that first met at Boutiques. What excites us about these collaborations is that the pairings are not just about products; they’re about a desire to do more as a community.
We are just 2 weeks away from Boutiques Singapore: The Gifting Edition 2024 from 22-24 November at the F1 Pit Building. Get your tickets online now: $6 for unlimited entry and kids under 12 enter for free.
Ashepa Lifestyle x OliveAnkara
Chetna (left) and Ify (right) sharing a meal together.
The first collaborative piece designed by Ashepa Lifestyle and OliveAnkara, which can be used as a bracelet, choker, or bag accessory.
7 years ago, Chetna Bhatt of Ashepa Lifestyle and Ify Ubby of OliveAnkara first crossed paths at Boutiques. As pioneers of African fashion in Singapore, Chetna and Ify immediately decided to develop Afrika Collection, a platform that spotlights African creativity in Singapore.
Say Chetna and Ify of the upcoming Gifting Edition 2024, “Customers can expect to see Ashepa Lifestyle’s Waridi collection, alongside OliveAnkara’s new Sands of Freedom collection. Together, we've also created our very first collaborative piece, a unique accessory that can be worn as a bracelet, or a choker or added to your bag for a touch of elegance. This piece combines OliveAnkara’s vibrant, sustainable textiles representing their original fusion prints with Ashepa’s artisan brass rings, handmade in Kenya. It’s a beautiful blend of African heritage and modern style, celebrating creativity from both our brands. In our space, you'll find a curated selection of African-inspired fashion, jewellery, and homeware, inviting you to embrace the richness of African culture with us.”
We also discovered that Chetna and Ify have a fun tradition of getting Saturday night dinner together every Boutiques. Says Ify, “Being African Italian, I’m always on a mission to find the best pizza in Singapore, so it’s become our tradition to try a new spot each time.”
Visit Chetna and Ify in Room 3B to shop their Boutiques exclusive launches, and speak to them to find out where you can find the best pizza in town. 😉
Eden Living x hchiehart
Changing Amidst Seasons is a collaborative series by Hchiehart and Eden Living, friends reflecting on life, love and loss in the past year. Through the darkness of grief, this diptych reflects their journey of coming to terms with the beauty of life and the myriad of emotions it brings, all while finding their own path.
The inaugural Boutiques showcase of Eden Living featured the artwork of Hwee Chieh Ang, a multimedia artist who goes by the moniker hchiehart. Heartened by the response received at Boutiques, hchiehart joined Boutiques independently in April 2024. This edition, Eden Living and hchiehart come together again for their second collaboration: Changing Amidst Seasons.
Says Hwee Chieh of the series, “Our second collaboration carries complex emotions as we saw one another through very rough moments at the end of 2023, when I lost my father and early 2024 when Cass lost her grandma. Our worlds shifted since and today, we continue to carry the weight of these losses with strength we never knew we had. This upcoming diptych series features quiet moments in nature, while exploring the in-between—change in seasons, harshness and beauty, knowns and unknowns. This collaboration holds a special place in our hearts as it marks our growth together navigating love, life and loss.”
Find Eden Living and hchiehart in Room 3B at The Gifting Edition 2024.
Scent Journer x Decibelist
The team behind Scent Journer (left, centre) and Brian of Decibelist (right), who have been neighbours since Decibelist’s first edition at Boutiques.
Scent Journer and Decibelist have created what is possibly the world’s first scent speaker, which will be exclusively launching at Boutiques this November.
When you’re new to Boutiques, your most important support system can sometimes come in the form of your neighbour. This was the case for Brian, founder of Decibelist, when he first joined us in Nov 2023.
Says Brian, “Prior to my participation at Boutiques, I had never been to Boutiques before and had no idea the scale and aesthetic intensity that comes with the name ‘Boutiques’. So, you can imagine my shock when I came to the humbling realisation that my booth design was barely scratching the surface. What made matters worse was the hanging backdrop idea I had envisioned failed spectacularly [during set-up]. This was when Scent Journer stepped in. They were my neighbour then and knew instinctively I badly needed help, so they loaned me a backdrop they weren't using. That saved Decibelist in more ways than they imagined. When you look at Decibelist’s booth today, it's sometimes easy to forget that we had a very very humbling beginning. This is something I remind myself when I meet any new vendor at Boutiques — that I should extend the same hospitality, help and knowledge to everyone new.”
This November, Scent Journer and Decibelist have come together to create what might be the world’s first scent speaker. This innovative speaker seamlessly blends Scent Journer’s signature fine fragrances with high-quality sound for an immersive, multi-sensorial experience. When we asked them about how the process of working together has been like, both Joyce, founder of Scent Journer, and Brian, only had good things to say. Shares Joyce, “The process has been incredibly fulfilling. Our creative visions align so well, and we respect each other’s need for freedom in exploring new ideas. This understanding allowed us to approach the project with fewer limitations, leading to a result we're very proud of.”
Find Scent Journer and Decibelist in Room 3B at The Gifting Edition 2024.
The many collaborations of Strait Lights
Ebonie of The Bright Campaign (left) and Samantha of Strait Lights (right) have been neighbours for multiple Boutiques editions. Last edition, their colalborative Bright Lights Bracelet raised $600 for Daughters of Tomorrow.
At Boutiques this November, Strait Lights will be launching 3 exclusive collaborations, which make meaningful gift options for the holidays.
Samantha Colbert, founder of Strait Lights, is all about working together. She describes what she does at Strait Lights as creating “a story of community, belonging, and making Singapore home.” Living true to Sam’s values, Strait Lights will showcase 3 exclusive Boutiques collaborations this November.
The first is the return of the Bright Lights Bracelet, a charity bracelet by Strait Lights and The Bright Campaign that raises funds for Daughters of Tomorrow. Says Sam, “Ebonie [of The Bright Campaign] and I have been neighbours at Boutiques for a while now. We wouldn't want it any other way. She's the bright to my pared back, the loud to my quiet, and she provides the snacks. Last year we decided to create a product that was designed to give back so we created the Bright Lights bracelet, in the Strait Lights signature bracelet style infused with Ebonie's love for colour. We had a small capsule of 30 bracelets and raised $600 for Daughters of Tomorrow, supporting their work to empower women experiencing poverty in Singapore. This year we're back with a bracelet inspired by some of the brightest spots on the island.”
Strait Lights is also launching the Singapore Christmas Candle, a collaboration with Shaun of Maverick Made, whom she met at Boutiques last April, and the Endless Summer in the Red Dot, a necklace made in collaboration with Anne of Green Gaea. Sam tells us how both collaborations began with a respect for craftsmanship.
The Singapore Christmas Candle, a Strait Lights scented candle adorned with a leather sleeve by Maverick Made. Says Sam, “I first met Shaun at Boutiques last April. When I saw the care and craftsmanship he pours into every piece, it sparked an idea for a fun collaboration. I worked with him to create our own take on a Singapore Christmas Candle, a leather-wrapped ceramic vessel embossed with a gold traveler’s palm, I had drawn. While Singapore may not have traditional Christmas trees, these grand palms, are a quiet nod to life at the equator and perfectly capture the essence of the season, reimagined for the tropics.”
Endless Summer in the Red Dot, a collaboration between Strait Lights and Green Gaea. Says Sam, “IWhat immediately stood out to me about Anne was her deep commitment to ethical manufacturing and the close relationships she nurtures with the artisans behind her creations. These values align perfectly with mine, both as an artisan and a brand owner. When I had an idea for a piece of jewellery, that symbolises life in an endless summer, I knew I wanted Anne to be involved. Her dedication to working closely with a small team of artisans, investing time and care into every step of the process, made her the perfect collaborator.”
Find Strait Lights in Room 3A.
ART:DIS x Curious Creatures
“Meeting ART:DIS at Boutiques felt serendipitous. We knew jewellery trinket dishes would be the perfect collaboration piece for both of us. It took us a few months to trial forms, glaze colours and techniques to achieve the unique petal shape and signature Curious Creatures gradient brand colours.” — Curious Creatures
“Curious Creatures had given us some of their stones to experiment with. We eventually decided to take inspiration from the gemstones that they work with, and incorporate crystal glazes on the trinket dishes itself. These are little coloured pigments that resemble raw gemstones, but melt in the kiln to create unique effects. We also created a series of colours reminiscent of Curious Creature’s colours.” — ART:DIS
Many Boutiques collaborations result in products, but the partnership of ART:DIS x Curious Creatures has gone one step further to include something unexpected: visual merchandising resources.
“As we periodically refresh our visual merchandising displays and resources, we sometimes find ourselves with items that, while no longer in use, are still in great condition,” explains Curious Creatures. “After our last Boutiques, we had the pleasure of visiting the ART:DIS studio as part of our collaboration and felt that these visual merchandising resources could be of greater value there, so we decided to donate some pieces to support their creative space and mission.” Says ART:DIS of the collaboration, “As a non-profit, we have limited resources to spend on visual merchandising and so when Curious Creatures offered to donate their VM to us, it was wonderful because they were still in great condition, and more importantly also aligned with our brand vibe.”
Both brands will be retailing their popular ART:DIS x Curious Creatures trinket dishes in an expanded range of colorways featuring signature Curious Creatures gradient colours. Each dish comes with a gift box and card, perfect for gifting. Hand built by artists with disabilities from ART:DIS, the trinket dishes take inspiration from the gemstones of Curious Creatures and incorporate crystal glazes that melt in the kiln for a one-of-a-kind gift. For every dish purchased, more than half of the sale proceeds go directly to ART:DIS artists as income. This collaboration empowers, advocates and creates employment opportunities for persons with disabilities through the arts.
Find ART:DIS and Curious Creatures in Room 3C.
Finix x Re-store
Finix and Re-store first collaborated on a limited range of products in April, producing a reversible cap and tote using deadstock fabrics.
This November, they are adding to their collaborative collection with a reversible bucket hat.
Finix and Re-store first met through shared passion for sustainable fashion at Boutiques, where they connected over their mutual commitment to creating purpose-driven, environmentally conscious pieces.
The brands first came together to produce a limited edition collection using past season deadstock from Finix at The Spring Summer 2024 Edition, and will be adding to that collection with a new bucket hat launching at The Gifting Edition 2024.
Finix and Re-store tell us more about the collection: “As a fashion brand, Finix is committed to creating versatile, lasting designs, and Re-store’s expertise in upcycling complements this perfectly. By merging our talents, we’re excited to bring an eco-friendly collection that highlights the beauty of reclaimed materials while minimising waste. The launch of our bucket hat, alongside our previous collaborations — the Reversible Folk Cap and Crossbody Tote Bag — marks an exciting milestone for both our brands. Each piece is thoughtfully crafted from carefully selected upcycled materials, including textiles from overstocked past-season collections, giving new life to fabrics that might otherwise go unused. Each piece offers two unique looks in one, allowing you to make a bold fashion statement while supporting a greener future.”
Boutiques Singapore: The Gifting Edition 2024 returns to the F1 Pit Building from 22-24 November. Get your tickets online now.