Local Focal: 3 Homegrown Designers Doing Our Little Red Dot Proud
Bag It
When it comes to homegrown leather goods label LingWu (@lingwubags), the devil really is in the details. Founded by Central Saint Martins and Lasalle alum Goh Ling Ling, the brand places a strong emphasis on quality with a handmade touch, highlighting timeless but functional designs that marry expert craftsmanship with thoughtful details and top-notch materials.
Consider the new Stevie hobo, for instance. An ideal companion for the independent woman who’s always on the go, the Stevie is characterised by a strongly curved, half-moon silhouette with generous resin hoop handles, which draw on brutalist architecture such as the Golden Mile Tower along Beach Road. Deceptively spacious and wonderfully versatile, it arrives in black and tan corrugated lambskin, silver crackled cowhide, tawny bison leather, and sustainably-sourced python leather in mottled pink and blue.
If you’re looking for a contemporary classic you can carry wherever and forever, look no further.
Shoe In
If there was ever a local designer who embodied the multicultural spirit of our nation, it would be Mashizan Masjum (@mashizanofficial). Born in Singapore, he worked in New York for many years, before moving to Florence to study shoemaking under a veteran Ferragamo designer, and now he’s based in Paris.
Counting numerous local and international celebrities among his fans, including Ariana Grande, Solange Knowles, Constance Wu and Zoe Tay, Masjum is renowned for his quietly sophisticated, handcrafted creations in innovative shapes and materials.
His latest styles are no exception. The sharp-toed d’Orsay flat is reimagined in MASHIZAN’s signature iridescent patent leather and sunny yellow pearlised leather, while the Mary Jane kitten heel is updated in stark black and silver, and a classic pump is given a twist with a sculptural plexiglass heel. Just what you need to stride forward in these strange times.
Rocket (Wo)man
Rather like our beloved hawkers who specialise in a particular cuisine or a particular dish, Rocket Eyewear (@rocketeyewear) focuses on doing one design, but doing it well. Namely, P3 sunglasses, favoured by Grace Kelly, James Dean and Emma Stone alike, in addition to the mother of Rocket’s founders, whose habit of losing her shades led the Ong siblings to set up their own eyewear brand.
Flatteringly oversized, the local label’s take on the P3 now comes in a striking blend of clear and translucent acetate on the rims and along the temples, respectively. Featuring two-toned combinations with intriguing names like “Aiyu Jelly Crystal & Kombucha” and “Smoke Crystal & Ghost”, these fresh frames offer a choice of two fits, as with every pair of Rocket sunglasses: Raised, which compliments the high cheekbones and low nose bridges typical of Asian faces, and Standard for those with a more pronounced nose bridge. You won’t be able to stop at one.
First seen in the August 2020 issue of L'Officiel Singapore
