Kevin Seah Bespoke
Internationally renowned — and deservedly so — Kevin Seah is widely regarded as Singapore’s top bespoke tailor. From his riverside atelier in the central business district, Seah purveys authentic handmade, fully bespoke and made-to-measure tailoring in a range of British and Italian cloths so vast as to be unrivalled in this city. Within the atelier’s clubby confines you’ll also find a variety of Seah’s new ready-to-wear garments (think handmade linen safari jackets and guayaberas, sharp chinos and jeans, luxurious button-down polo shirts, and boxer shorts in top Italian shirt cloth), shoes from leading cordwainers including Vass, Foster & Son, Edward Green and Gaziano & Girling, and the ever-present services of footwear care and shine maestros, Mason & Smith. Drop in for a discussion of your any and every sartorial need, lubricated by a whisky or two from Kevin’s extensive stash of single malts. www.kevinseah.com.55B/C Boat Quay Singapore 049844.
Ed Et Al
Trained in Budapest by a master of old-school Austro-Hungarian shoemaking, Ed Et Al’s Edwin Neo hasn’t only won the attention of the global #menswear intelligentsia, he’s also caught the eye of Singapore’s ruling elite, being cited in parliament by the Finance Minister as a sterling example of local business bootstrapping (if you’ll forgive the pun). Starting out in 2011, today Neo sells more than a million dollars in shoes per year — though that’s not to say his stuff will cost you an arm and a leg. Top-of-the-range, fully hand-crafted, hand-welted bespoke creations come in around the £1300 mark, semi-bespoke shoes go for the equivalent of about £600 a pair, while ready-to-wear and made-to-order range from £175 to £400. Go to him for serious bang-for-buck, world-class handmade cordwaining. www.edetal.sg. 120A Telok Ayer Street. Singapore 068589.
Vanda Fine Clothing
The words ‘artisanal’ and ‘small-batch’ are bandied about a lot these days, but in the case of Vanda Fine Clothing, they legitimately apply. The five-year-old men’s accessories brand’s ties (mostly six-fold, or four-fold for heftier cloth), bow-ties, scarves and pocket squares are all individually hand cut, rolled, folded, stitched and crafted by the ‘mom and pop’ founders of the brand, noted menswear enthusiast Gerald Shen, his wife Diana Chan, and their back-up team of two supplementary craftspeople. Materials are top-notch, with silks sourced from the likes of Vanners, Adamley and Fermo Fossati, and designs such as Chinese zodiac animals and illustrations of local culinary delicacies add a distinctive touch. There’s no better sartorial souvenir of ‘Uniquely Singapore’ than a handcrafted Vanda item, available worldwide through their website. http://vandafineclothing.com.
Colony Clothing
Multi-brand boutique Colony Clothing is run by two alumni of Beams Tokyo, who set up shop in Singapore three years ago. In addition to stocking a range of tailoring, attire, shoes and accessories (from brands such as Camoshita United Arrows, Alden, Paraboot, Drake’s, Ring Jacket, and their own house label) specifically aimed at catering to the heat-resistant needs of the equatorial gentleman, the store regularly holds bespoke trunk shows with leading international houses including George Cleverley and Huntsman. Visit for tropical-friendly business and resort / casual wear, a beautifully curated collection of gentlemen’s accouterments, and cool curiosities like hand-shaped Jeff McCallum surfboards. www.colonyclothing.net. 83 Clemenceau Ave, Singapore 239920.
