The More (Malls) The Merrier?

This week saw the opening of nex, yet another shopping center and a huge one at that (by Singapore standards anyway), around the size of Ion Orchard. Just last month, Marina Bay Link Mall opened for business. And earlier in the year, City Square Mall. With the opening of Ion Orchard, 313 Somerset, Orchard Central and Iluma last year, I think its safe to say we now have a glut of malls. And a few ghost towns in the making.

On the surface, all these new shopping space should be good for consumers in terms of convenience and choice. If you are living near the suburban malls then it couldn't be more convenient. But as consumers, we still lose out in terms of variety as the new malls do not introduce many new brands or concepts to the market. So the same tried and tested high street and mass market brands proliferate. They are the only brands that can afford the high rents.

But do we really need more of these shops? There is an infinite variety of merchandise out there which we are not exposed to or aware of. I feel as consumers in general, we are not adventurous enough to try brands we haven't heard of. The sad thing is I often hear people lamenting about shops in Singapore being boring then go on to buy only high street brands.

All these new malls might not be good for the landlords either. The newer, bigger malls will draw customers away from its neighbours. Like what the Tampines malls did to Eastpoint Mall and 313 Somerset to The Heeren. I'll be worried if I'm a tenant in Hougang Mall now. At the losing malls, customer traffic will drop to a trickle resulting in tenants closing and overall drop in rental receipts.

Another sign of oversupply of retail space can be gleaned from the many empty units in some malls (The Heeren, Central, Chinatown Point) to low traffic in some (Orchard Central, Iluma, Liang Court). A more worrying sign is the appearance of empty units in popular shopping centers such as Plaza Singapura and Raffles City. Location cannot be a reason as some of these malls are in Orchard Road and let's not forget how crowded Liang Court was in its heyday (no MRT station near it then either). Its obvious supply of shop space and rentals have gone way ahead of customer numbers.

The vibrancy of Singapore's retail scene cannot be improved just by increasing the number of malls without a corresponding increase in the variety of merchandise offered. Its only with variety and when the general populace can appreciate this diversity that we become more discerning consumers.

Counter at NYP

Just started supplying stock recently to Nanyang Polytechnic's Marketing Services Centre. A retail center manned by Business Management students under supervision of the polytechnic's staff.

It simulates a real retail store to provide hands on experience for the students. A vibrant environment to pick up skills you can't learn in a classroom.

I'm starting with some men's graphic T-shirts, shirts, shorts and back packs. The basic fashionable wardrobe of a tertiary student!

New Arrivals 39/52 2010

New Ts released for the week. Probably second last batch before stocks run out. Quite different in styles, from graphic to cute. So something for everyone!

80's Trends - Men

I think its quite obvious by now that the 80's are back. From electro pop music to the endless movie remakes to fashion. Most people seem split on whether the original 80's or the current versions of it is better. Having lived through the 80's, I can safely say you can't beat the original. For electro pop, you can't top the melodiousness or inventiveness of acts like Yazoo (they've reformed! Happiness!), OMD (if you know what these letters stand for, you are a child of the 80's), Depeche Mode, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, Soft Cell and lesser known acts like Book of Love (US electro anyone?) and Seona Dancing (Ricky Gervais' group, yes, the comedian). Oh, MTV used to show videos then.

Sorry I digress. For fashion, it was a time for playful experimentation and nothing seemed too wild or weird or useless (leg warmers?) The last few seasons have seen popular revivals of trends from the 80's for the ladies. Some, like shoulder pads has been updated to sculpted shoulders. Logomania was taken to a whole new extreme. Others you can't really change much. Leggings are still eh, leggings, only this time round they are gaudier and more holey.

Men's fashion here has been caught up in/stuck with the shorts craze for forever. From baggy camo cargoes to the tailored looks these days. Fashion mavericks have tried to adopt the ladies' looks for men with undesirable results. Menswear with sculpted shoulders just look costumey, fit only for glam rock stars like Adam Lambert or Tokio Hotel. And this season's leggings for men? If even David Beckham has not tried the look... Unless we go all the way back to the era when men painted their faces white, dot fake moles, wear curly wigs and frilly sleeved shirts, no man can rock leggings! (I give exception to Pharrell, this guy can wear anything and make it work.)

What about 80's men's trends then? I have noticed a few that seem on the verge of returning. Good or bad, we shall see. Unfortunately for menswear, there's only so much room for adaptation and change. I'm talking specific looks/items here.

Jacket over Hooded T (with hood hanging out over jacket)
A Hong Kong star recently wore this look to promote a movie here. Only now its matched with shorts (again) instead of pants or jeans. Wholesale copy of 80's item of clothing. It would be interesting if someone can evolve the look a bit.

Slim Belt worn long with end tied in a loop and tip pointing south
It used to be slim cowboy belts with metal tips worn with tight high waisted jeans or pleated pants. But I guess any belt can work as well.

Too short Pants
Blame it on Michael Jackson for showing this look to the world in his music videos.

Neon/Hi-lighter Colours
Shorts are here to stay, it just comes in acid neon colours now.

and maybe Muscle Shirt
The sleeveless shirt seem poised for a return too.

Some 80's trends I hope to never see again, at least not in its original form include :

Bolo Ties/Collar Brooches
This is a major threat. With the popularity of line dancing here... I shudder at the thought.

Cycling Shorts/Tights
With the big aerobics craze then, some guys were crazed enough to walk around the streets in them. The only decent bulge in a man's pants should come from his wallet.

Super Baggy Pants
In any form, multi-pleats or harem.

The 80's saw the decade open with one extreme look and close with another. Both in the same colour palette - mainly black. In between was a kaleidoscope of colours and prints. It started with the beggar look created by the Japanese designers Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto. Closing with stealth wealth advocated by Prada and Jil Sander. With the recent economic crisis making the wealthy shun displays of ostentation, stealth wealth is creeping back. Ladies bags are getting plainer but the designs still recognizably belong to the brands so prices remain high. It'll be interesting to see if the designers can extend the trend to apparel. I'm not sure if people would be willing to pay top dollar for plain clothes with no screaming logos. I suspect the major brands would have a more differentiated collection. A more subtle one for the developed countries and one for the newly rich countries just entering into the world of luxury brands where the display of logos is a rite of fashion passage.

New Arrivals 35/52 2010

New arrivals at the shop. From easy to wear Ts to smart long sleeve shirts. Pair them with shorts for a casual, effortless look. Previous entry highlights some bags to lug your essentials around.


New brand DopeBoys. Slightly looser fit.











Fitted Ts.












Printed Ts.






































Shorts in slightly shorter length. But not hot pants!








Current must have, denim shorts in slim fit.

New arrivals for the week

Its been a while. But my laptop was so old, its more useful as a paperweight than for blogging. So new laptop, new blogs! To start, latest arrivals at the shop.


'Radio' shoulder bags in various sizes.











Medium shoulder bags.












Large gym bag with handles and shoulder strap.









Japanese tattoo print T-shirts.






















Cute print Ts, eh, except maybe the skeleton one.