Fast Track Fashion

High pitched whistling, loud clattering and screeching brakes. Reading books and magazines, having discussions, or playing with phones and other smart devices. These are just some of the sights and sounds commuters expect to encounter during their daily travel on various forms of MRT, such as trains in this instance. That is, until the Malaysian branch of Japanese retail giant – AEON – decided to funk things up in the capital on June 30.

With the easing of pandemic restrictions, commuters were pleasantly surprised when their typical, average Thursday proved to be anything but. In a riotous display of colour and style, 36 models quite unexpectedly suddenly began strutting their stuff down MRT stations and trains travelling along the Kajang Line between Surian and Maluri Station. A bold demonstration of the AEON principle of making fashion readily accessible to people from all walks of life; men and women patrolled the two carriages rented for the event against a ceaseless barrage of smartphone snapshots. The publicity stunt success, which garnered 10.9 million views on its social media platforms, featured brands including Scar, Puteri, PlusCollection, Arcadia, M, Ti:zed, and Guys’ Vision. Time to engage in some Revenge Travel everyone, especially as this was just 1 part of a three-pronged offensive which also saw athleisure and bridal showcases taking place at other locations.

The InnerCasual (IC) athleisure clothing brand with its 3 distinct styles of ActiveWear, PeaceFit, and Sustainable, is a collaboration with British designer and activist, Katherine Hamnett, resulting in many IC shirts bearing the message ‘Saving the Planet.’ Highlighting comfort while opting to be versatile and flexible, its presentation took centre stage at the TRIBE Boxing Studio, in its capacity as a grouping of fitness advocates championing the same values.

With weddings and nuptial dinners making their return with a vengeance after almost 2 years of postponements, AEON’s budget-friendly and size-inclusive bridal and bridesmaid collections also garnered attention. This is just the advance elements though, as collaborations with designers Zachrin Jaafar and Kay Ibrahim, as well as bridal house Ivory Romance, are expected to yield gorgeous outfits in stores come September. Until then, well played AEON, well played.

aeonretail.com.my

focus

Flower

Rozman Mashor Power

What has more than 3,000 species of orchids, is 82-acres in size, and is 163-years old? As much as I would love for this to be an overlycomplicated dad joke that forces everyone to roll their eyes hard enough to scrape the bottom of their collective skulls, the reality is that the answer is something far better.

First founded in 1859 – Singapore’s Botanical Gardens is a gorgeous UNESCO World Heritage Site that ticks all the boxes in Mother Nature’s aesthetics column. The wellstructured and landscaped surroundings are serene, peaceful and calming, while also serving as a site for fruitful biodiversity research, recreation and education. This site of special cultural and physical importance, which is lauded as our planet’s largest orchid display, has consistently ranked as Asia’s top park attraction over the past decade, and since the introduction of the hybridisation programme in the late 1920s, has led to milestones both expected and unexpected.

A multi-million-dollar flower industry sprouted and bloomed from this research, gaining recognition worldwide. Very cool, but expected. Even the citystate’s national flower – Vanda Miss Joaquim – is a vibrant and pretty specimen that is a transition of whites and pale pinks to a rich purple as you move from petal to petal. Lovely hues, but expected. Growing beyond the confines of the metaphorical box however, allowed for a florally attractive approach to foreign relations that has come to be known globally as Orchid Diplomacy – Singapore’s gesture of friendship and goodwill with other nations on the international stage. Incredibly cool, and at the time of its conception, very unexpected. The National Orchid Garden – a smaller section within the botanical gardens – is home to more than 200 hybrids named after many heads of states, very important guests, and even celebrities. What a lovely legacy to have, knowing there exists a gorgeous, unique flower named after you.

As I continue my stroll along numerous winding paths I find myself wondering how lovely it would be to do a 5km jog here during both day and night. Admission to the gardens is free after all, and with 5am-midnight business hours in place, there is a lot of flexibility for planning a visit here, regardless of what draws you to this natural haven. There is so much history here, and at the same time boundless growth as Singapore transitions from the City in a Garden, to the City in Nature. •• Singapore Botanical Gardens 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259569 Open daily: 5am-12am Discover our events at: Nparks.gov.sg/sbg