The best local brand collaborations right now

Sit on this
The humble stool ($290-$380) gets an upgrade thanks to this collaboration between furniture lifestyle brand Grafunkt and Lasalle College of the Arts. Working with renowned Swedish product design studio Staffan Holm, Level 3 Product Design students from the art school have fashioned their own interpretation of the stool using simple geometry, basic joinery and natural materials. The result? Aesthetically pleasing yet functional stools with a Scandinavian flair.

On the edge
Pras The Bandit is not afraid to push the boundary and it shows. Joining forces with department store Robinsons for the second year running, this edgy homegrown clothing brand’s newest collection ($59-$250) is inspired by aircraft nose art designs from World War II. Titled Creature from the Navy, this exclusive collection’s main pieces are t-shirts and Hawaiian shirts emblazoned with nose art-inspired designs.

Artfully yours
Forget about hanging pieces of art in your home and wear them on your body instead. Design studio and art gallery Kult’s ongoing collaboration ($45-$60) with local production house Design and Print International translates street art by artists around the world into wearable pieces, cleverly blurring the line between art and fashion. Kult Kollab, as it’s called, doesn’t shy away from bright colours; instead it embraces the boldest and most outrageous artworks and turns them into dresses, tees and caps you’re bound
to stand out in.

Easy, breezy, beautiful
Local fashion label Matter sees itself as a ‘socially motivated brand’. It works with skilled artisans living in rural parts of Asia to make products from heritage-based fabrics in a sustainable and thoughtful manner – so it’s no surprise that they have teamed up with New York-based eco-friendly and ethically made company Miakoda to create a curated collection of everyday loungewear (from $80). Handcrafted in batik, the black bralette and bodysuit are finished with a blend of pomegranate peel and fermented iron while the dusty pink robe is naturally dyed with the common madder plant.

Words of affection
How are you today? We probably don’t ask that question enough. Keep a little reminder on your wrist in the form of a minimalist bracelet ($39) by local jewellery brand The Mindful Company and Samaritans of Singapore (SOS), a non-profit suicide prevention organisation. The words are crafted into a delicate circular loop that comes with a ‘cheat sheet’ of six tips on how to start a potentially life-changing conversation with others. For every bracelet sold, $10 goes to SOS to fund its community outreach initiatives and programmes.

Too cool for school
Calling all skater boys (and girls) to the ramp. Local sock brand Freshly Pressed partners skateboard label Chplco to put out some cool skating gear. The t-shirt ($59) features reflective 3M taping around the hem of its longer-than-usual shirt, with eye-catching Chplco branding running vertically down the back. The matching combed terry cotton skate socks cushion your feet through any daring flip.