KEEPERS Singapore Designer Collective: Exclusive interview with Carolyn Kan of Carrie K

The next time you head out in search of local designers, there’s no need to venture far into the nooks and crannies of Singapore. Instead, for the next five months, till February 2015, take a quick trip down to Orchard Green, spot the KEEPERS pop-up and prepare yourself to relish in a one-stop designer fix.

Conceptualised by Carolyn Kan, designer and founder of Singapore-based jewellery label, Carrie K, KEEPERS started as a small initiative in her personal atelier. This year, through the support of Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFf), Spring Singapore and Singapore Tourism Board (STB), there is now a bigger, more visible front to present local designers to shoppers and visitors alike. Within this space, consumers will be able to discover a whole range of local designers and artisans across fashion, beauty, furniture and art – all for keeps of course. Some of the resident brands include Dzojchen, Code Deco, Desti Saint, Ling Wu and Whole9Yards.

We spoke to Carolyn Kan to learn more about her journey as a designer and her continuing passion to champion local craft.

Marie France Asia: How did the idea for KEEPERS come about?

Carolyn Kan: Well, KEEPERS was part of an initiative I started with Carrie K three years ago. I had originally learned to become a silversmith back in Florence so art and craftsmanship is something that I’m very passionate about. I really wanted to make in Singapore, craftsmanship and its work more accessible because if you notice most of the independent designers and craftsmen were scattered all over the island and many don’t even have the opportunity to showcase or sell. So I figured if I could just do a small showcase, every few months, at the Carrie K atelier, where we would bring together 4-6 designers and artisans then we could make it a bit of an event and bring people who are interested in what we do together to tell our story. It will also allow us to educate the public by showing them how we make the pieces and the stories behind our designs or collections.

So the very first KEEPERS was in November of 2011 at the Carrie K atelier. That kind of grew and every quarter we had an event.  This year we collaborated with TaFf because both Lynette, the CEO of TaFf and myself noticed that Singapore designers are getting traction overseas but they are unknown by Singaporeans and also by the visitors that come to Singapore. Most visitors think that Singapore is just the same bunch of big shopping malls with international brands but actually we do have a lot of very interesting independent designers across different fields – fashion, furniture, product design. We spoke to STB and Spring Singapore and got the support and finally pulled all this together. We even worked with award winning architects like Randy Chan, who was the President’s Design Award winner and he was the one who created this space, inspired by the black diamond. His idea for the diamond was because we’re going to be bringing together all the gems of Singapore’s design scene. The interiors are also designed by ACRE, a branding agency who customized the entire space based on our brief. We told them to come up with a design for furniture, layout and interior that would be welcoming and still feel like a working atelier so it’s not just a retail space.

MFA: How do local designers benefit being showcased at KEEPERS?

Carolyn Kan: In a number of different ways. One would be that this is still a retail space that they would obviously need to sell their wares and because this is supported by STB and Spring, being in the middle of Orchard Road and having access to this kind of traffic and customer base is not normally affordable to us. The other would be to being able to market our brand. By being acollective, it has drawn a lot more curiosity, almost like by being together there’s a greater magnetic pull.  Additionally, we have gotten a lot of international media coverage which as an individual would have been much tougher.

For the 20 resident designers, they also get the opportunity to do an event to showcase their brand and they can do it in a number of ways – launch a collection or do a workshop. So it’s really an opportunity to present ourselves however we wish.

MFA: How do you choose the designers to showcase?

Carolyn Kan: The designers are selected through a criteria. For instance, the resident designers must have been around for at least two years. There is no doubt that we have a lot of talented designers with a lot of ideas but it takes at least two to three years for you to hone your craft and also to figure out how to take an idea and execute it well so production is a key thing that takes time to figure out. The other would be to consider if they have already shown internationally because that would mean they are already of a certain caliber. We do have a very wide range of designers in Singapore, from designers straight out of school to the well-established and some who are doing phenomenally well overseas. Like Dzojchen who are very focused on the international market and have dressed celebrities like Johnny Depp but most people are not even aware.

MFA: Do you think Singaporean shoppers are now more open to local design?

Carolyn Kan: Definitely. There is definitely more interest in Singapore designers and labels and that is also because our designers have managed to hone their craft to an international level. So I think it’s been both; the demand from customers have gone up but also the product warrants that level of support. We now have quite a good number of designers who can sit side by side with international designers and be proud to say ‘that’s my design’.

MFA: What are some of your favourite pieces in the showcase?

Carolyn Kan: Keng Lye definitely. There are also a couple of emerging designers like One.61. Her aesthetic is very focused. She’s been focused on form and structure, where architecture is a key point. She takes buildings like the Esplanade and transforms them into artistic bags.

MFA: Are there plans to obtain a permanent spot?

Carolyn Kan: Well, we’ll see what comes along but yes I would definitely be looking for a place where we can have an enclave for the designers. Not just to sell but to have an atelier for them as well. Because I find when you put ideas together, it’ll really grow the community and give rise to potential collaborations.

MFA: In your opinion, how has the local fashion scene evolved over the last few years?

Carolyn Kan: Tremendously, in so many areas. The market is a lot more open and ready to support and be proud of Singapore designers. We are definitely improving and heading to a level where we can compete internationally. Singaporeans are so well-traveled and they’re picking up the good designers from around the world that they are now expecting that same level of execution and design from us, which is great.

MFA: What are some of your future plans?

Carolyn Kan: At the moment KEEPERS is keeping me very busy but we are focused on growing internationally. We are launching our bespoke and wedding collections online, which will launch next month. Wedding jewellery should definitely tell a more meaningful story so we gathered some of the more uniform stories and pulled that into our wedding collection. As for bespoke, they’re based on the person’s individual story where I’ll have a chat with them to figure what needs to be embedded into the design. Additionally we do look into redesigning some heirloom pieces. For instance, if you get a piece from your mother in law but it doesn’t suit you then we’ll take it apart to construct something that’s a little more wearable for the individual.

KEEPERS: Singapore Designer Collective will run till 15 February 2015 at Orchard Green.

Tarandip Kaur