★★★★★ Theatre Review: LACRIMA by Caroline Guiela Nguyen (SIFA 2026)

A searing commentary on the countless hours of tears and unseen labour it takes to weave a work of art. In the realm of fashion, haute couture (literally “high dressmaking”) exists as the pinnacle of craftsmanship: exclusive, custom-fitted garments made almost entirely by hand using some of the world’s most luxurious fabrics. It is legally protected in France, strictly regulated by the Fédération de la … Continue reading ★★★★★ Theatre Review: LACRIMA by Caroline Guiela Nguyen (SIFA 2026)

SIFA 2026: LACRIMA – An interview with director Caroline Guiela Nguyen on painstaking, invisible labour and craftsmanship

What fascinated French artist Caroline Guiela Nguyen about the fashion world was never the glamour of haute couture itself, but the invisible human machinery that sustains it. LACRIMA, which comes to Singapore this week as one of the opening shows of the 2026 Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), may begin with the commission of a royal wedding dress, the kind of object typically associated … Continue reading SIFA 2026: LACRIMA – An interview with director Caroline Guiela Nguyen on painstaking, invisible labour and craftsmanship