Homegrown Label Carrie K. Launches New Atelier At National Design Centre

The Singapore Fashion Award winning brand has also launched the brand new Modern Heirloom Collection, Carrie K.’s first fine jewellery line that tells the story of Singapore’s heritage through Carrie K.’s eyes.

Carrie K. already has a shop in the National Design Centre. But venture up to the second floor and you’ll find her all new boutique atelier, stunningly chic and impeccably classy. With two 2017 Singapore Fashion Awards under their belt (for the inaugural Bespoke Award and Best Collaboration of the Year), their winning streak looks to be going strong, with more exciting projects than ever coming their way in 2018.

Carrie is the kind of person who knows exactly how to set the mood and tell a story. At the opening reception of the atelier, the shop took on a Great Gatsby themed aesthetic, serving up tasty pies, sweet rolls and Mimosas while a playlist of jazz hits from the roaring 20s filled the background.

Besides the atelier’s opening, the celebration also marked the launch of the brand’s first fine jewellery line, taking on a uniquely Singaporean theme to showcase their take on ‘The Singapore Story’. Here, they’ve named it the Modern Heirloom collection, so named because, according to Carolyn Kan herself, she wants to write a new chapter in history, and for these accessories to last for generation after generation, something that ‘mothers will pass to their daughters and daughters will steal from their mothers for parties.’

The Modern Heirloom collection was developed after a 2 year process of research and conceptualization, finally arriving at the final set of designs you can see at the atelier. Here, Carolyn has taken inspiration from the traditional Peranakan tile, in particular the four points of the tile signifying harmony and perfection when four generations of a family all live under a single household. This is represented in her rings with a single precious gem as the centrepiece of the accessory, surrounded by four panels of semi-precious gems.

Said Carolyn: “The Peranakan culture also represents interculturalism between race and traditions, and I wanted to represent that in a unique way with my jewellery as well.” Beyond simply taking reference from the image, Carolyn has gone the extra mile and made each piece customizable, in that the rings are actually made of two interlocking parts, which owners can remove at will, depending on the occasion they’re wearing it for. For her earrings, which are deconstructed versions of the Peranakan tile, a simple stud can be extended with a silver chain, upon which a second piece can be attached at the end.

The Singapore Story doesn’t end here though – this is just the first chapter of many to come, and Carrie K even intends for future collections’ parts to be able to interact and be interchangeable with the Modern Heirloom one, setting the very foundations for a long line of designs to come.

Even with such a well-planned, intricate concept, Carolyn Kan still has plenty of new projects in the works, and the atelier is likely to stay bustling throughout the year. Said Carolyn herself: “It’s been very busy for us, all the way till July and I told myself I’d have to start saying no at some point. But every time I get a message from someone who has an interesting story to tell, I can’t help myself and always come up with so many interesting ideas when we meet up and bounce thoughts off of each other.”

With her wealth of stories and perpetual motion machine of a mind for ideas, there’s no stopping this woman and her brand at all, and we can’t wait to see what exciting new piece she comes up with next.

Carrie K. is located at the National Design Centre, 111 Middle Road, #02-02, Singapore 188969.