Daniel Loh, 27. Nic Wong, 37.
New label Saturday might not ring a bell, but you may well have heard of Nicholas, the five-year-old local label known for its structured silhouettes and crisp styles.
The two labels share the same designers – Nic Wong and Daniel Loh, who will preview Saturday’s fall/winter collection, the label’s second offering, at Blueprint.
The second label is “less structured and serious than the first” and is targeted at
fashionistas who want weekend wear that is fun and relaxed, say the designer duo.
Saturday’s blouses, pants and dresses sport draping and panelling, and are rendered in soft jersey fabrics. They will be available in late July at the Nicholas boutiques at Marina Square and Stamford House.
Prices of the current spring/summer collection range from $49.90 for a tank top to $499.90 for a trench coat.
What do you hope to achieve at Blueprint?
As a label that is only two months old, it will be good to increase awareness of the brand locally and get an idea from buyers of where we stand regionally, in terms of design and quality. Hopefully, we can improve and set a higher standard for following collections after exchanging pointers with regional labels.
What can buyers and the public expect from Saturday at Blueprint?
Saturday is more organic in terms of shapes and silhouettes. The whole look is more weightless and relaxed. Nicholas, on the other hand, is more sombre, crisper in fabrication and more structured in silhouettes.
Why is Carole Lin your muse?
Carole has been a loyal supporter of both Nicholas and Saturday since day one. Her carefree attitude inspired the garments’ seeming weightlessness and her versatility as an actress inspired the complex panels and draping of our dresses.
Carole Lin, 36
The actress got to know Wong 20 years ago while she was studying at Singapore
Polytechnic. “He was not a student but used the gym with friends who were students,” Lin recalls.
“I thought the boys were quite crass at first, but one of them became my boyfriend. The guy and I broke up, but Nic and I had become good friends.”
Their friendship, she says, has been “a rocky road”.
“We were both hot-tempered when we were younger. There were times when we
stopped talking to each other for months after quarrelling. But once I had problems with anything, I would call him again. He is like family.”
Through Wong, Lin met the label’s co-designer Loh, whom she describes as “quiet and not the rah-rah (noisy and dramatic) kind. He is very productive and industrious”.
The designers’ togs have garnered Lin numerous compliments, she says.
“Recently, I wore a Saturday dress to a photo shoot. My friends there were amazed that the dress could be worn in three different ways. One of them purchased the
same dress and wore it to her company dinner party.”
>> Goh Lai Chan