In fashion, where each season brings all new collections and a thousand new trends, three months can often feel like a lifetime. One might even say that lasting a decade in this fast-moving industry is a sort of immortality. Not the stagnant kind, though, where one simply sits in a cave and meditates — longevity in fashion is necessarily marked by agility, adaptability and attunement with the market.
Founded in 2013, Singapore-based multi-label retailer Colony Clothing is now entering its second decade in the business. With a focus on softly tailored pieces that breathe well in tropical climates, the brand fills a much-needed niche here in Singapore. Its East-meets-West aesthetic, which Kozo Kawamura, the brand’s founder, calls “new colonial style”, is popular here, too.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Colony has found success. It has maintained its presence here, with a store in UE Square, and even expanded around the region. “Since last year, we have been gaining partners in Thailand, Korea, and the Philippines, who are selling our products as a brand and doing pop-ups,” Kawamura tells Options.
This increasing popularity is also the result of Colony’s ability to keep up with changing tastes. “Compared to 10 years ago, Singaporean fashion has become more similar to that of the US and Europe,” Kawamura notes. “There seems to be an increase in the number of people who are wearing clothes with their own personal identity by carefully examining the quality and silhouette, rather than only coordinating high-brand or fast-fashion clothes with brand logos.”
To meet this emerging desire for conscious dressing, Colony provides product explanations and suggestions for how to coordinate outfits, he adds.
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Joining hands
Given its international growth, it is only fitting that Colony’s 10 birthday is being marked by two partnerships with other brands from around the world.
For the first, Colony teamed up with Italian fabric stalwart Vitale Barberis Canonico (VBC) and Japanese ready-to-wear label Ring Jacket, to produce three variations of suits made for Singapore. Lightness and levity are the key elements here — think unlined jackets, and shorts instead of trousers. Still, there’s a sharpness that comes across, so the looks give off an air of effortless chic.
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The emphasis on creating something unique to the local context — both functionally and aesthetically — was important for Colony, says Kawamura. “By selecting and designing fabrics that match the climate and lifestyle of Singapore, we thought we could create luxury wear for people living in Southeast Asia,” he explains. “During the production process, the fabrics evolved to … fit the climate and mood of Singapore.”
The suits are manufactured by Ring Jacket and made of fabrics from VBC’s 21 Micron range, which stands out for its crease resistance and production from South American wool.
“What captivated me about this fabric are its dry touch — which (means it) remains comfortable to wear even in Singapore’s high humidity — its excellent breathability, and its durability,” Kawamura explains. He adds that he also likes 21 Micron’s “unique and beautiful colour usage, as well as patterns and textures that are classic and fresh".
Describing the collection, Franco Brovelli, VBC’s head of sales for Asia, tells Options: “I think the collection is pretty smart and appropriate for this climate … without giving up on elegance.”
Colony’s second decennial collaboration was with Beams, the iconic Japanese clothing brand.
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This tie-up was a bit of a homecoming for Kawamura, who worked at Beams for 17 years. The experience of working with Tatsuya Nakamura — the brand’s creative director — was also a learning opportunity for him. “Last year, I invited Mr Nakamura to Singapore and introduced him to the city and its people. He understood the concept of our brand and shared his experience with me, which I did not have, and I believe that is how the product evolved.”
A strong 90’s inspiration comes through in the collection; bright colours and eye-catching patterns are interspersed with more modest, muted pieces, giving an eclectic vibe. Kawamura explains that the design process began with looking at archival fabrics from the decade. He says he was surprised to see how well these materials worked when made into modern pieces, including one of Colony Clothing’s signature poolside shirts.
In the collection, clothes are made with Japanese fabrics produced in Hamamatsu and Ichinomiya. Speaking on the choice of materials, Nakamura tells Options: “In order to reproduce the 80’s- and 90’s-style fabrics that are rarely seen in the market today, it was necessary to reproduce them with the high quality of Japanese fabric makers’ techniques.”
For Kawamura, one particular fabric in the collection stands out — a cotton madras check, dyed using the traditional “ikat” technique. “To me, this particular fabric captures elements of my life up till now,” he says, adding that it combines “traaditional Southeast and East Asian fabric-making techniques and (enriches) it with modern Japanese fashion design sensibilities”.
In many ways, working on the two collaborations has been a retrospective for Kawamura. “This has made me reflect on my own experiences and thoughts about fashion over the past 25 years,” he says.
As he looks to the decade ahead for Colony, he says further expansion to Indonesia and Taiwan may be on the cards. Yet it seems he is pacing himself — perhaps to maintain that laser focus on special products that simply make sense for the consumer. “We hope … to grow little by little as a small global brand.”
