As the pilot edition of NHB’s Craft X Design programme, an Open Call was launched in 2021 to invite local designers to submit a proposal for the co-creation of contemporary products for the local market, in collaboration with traditional craft practitioners in Singapore.

The first edition of Craft x Design culminated into a showcase held at various venues – National Museum of Singapore, Design Orchard and National Design Centre from 2022 – 2023. The showcase presented the completed works co-created by four pairs of local craft practitioners and designers, which range from furniture to fashion to metalware. These works highlight the possibilities that emerge from intersections of craft and design, culture and creativity, as well as tradition and modernity.
   

PARTICIPANTS

1. Traditional Chinese Lantern 

Jimm Wong x Melvin Ong and Xu Xiao of NOK

Jimm Wong
Jimm Wong is one of the last traditional Chinese lantern makers in Singapore and specialises in making Foochow lanterns. He has also been continuously innovating, by incorporating modern technologies such as 3D printing into his lantern-making process.

Melvin Ong and Xu Xiao of NextOfKin Creatives
NextOfKin Creatives (NOK) is an award-winning cross-disciplinary branding and industrial design firm. Melvin Ong is currently Senior Designer at NOK. Prior to that, he was part of the team behind the Singapore Icons porcelain produced by Supermama and Kihara, which won the President's Design Award in 2013, and he was named ‘Rising Asian Talent’ by Maison et Objet Asia in 2014.

Xu Xiao is currently Industrial Designer at NOK. He graduated from LASALLE College of the Arts with Honours from the University of London. He previously won a China Red Star Design Award, and two of his designs are recent finalists for the Red Dot Design Award.

2. Rangoli

Vijaya Mohan x Jarrod Lim of Jarrod Lim Designs

Vijaya Mohan
Vijaya Mohan has been practicing rangoli since the age of 5 and now has over 55 years of experience in the craft. She has actively experimented with using new materials and contemporary designs for her rangoli works, such as the 2016 Rangoli Radiance exhibition at Gardens by the Bay, where she incorporated glitter and over 15,000 glass marbles.

Jarrod Lim of Jarrod Lim Designs
After spending years as a designer in Milan and London, Jarrod Lim established his own studio, Jarrod Jim Design, in 2011, and garnered a variety of projects from major international brands such as Habitat, Herman Miller, Zanotta and Royal Selangor. His furniture designs feature in many five-star hotels from Singapore to Shanghai and Mauritius to the Maldives.

3. Peranakan Beadwork and Embroidery

Raymond Wong x Joanna Lim and Joanne Quak of Aller Row

Raymond Wong
Raymond Wong has been practicing Peranakan beadwork and embroidery for more than 16 years and is one of the last few Peranakan kebaya makers in Singapore. He is the co-owner of boutique shop Rumah Kim Choo, where he also conducts classes to teach and promote Peranakan beadwork. In addition, he has been a part-time Fashion Design and Textiles lecturer in LASALLE since 2013.

Joanna Lim and Joanne Quak of Aller Row
Aller Row is a Singapore-based fashion label founded by fashion and textile designers Joanna Lim and Joanne Quak. Heavily inspired by local culture and heritage, the label features fashionwear with timeless silhouettes, and their works have been featured with H&M, in the ASEAN Fashion Designer Showcase, and on online and print platforms such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue Italia.

4. Ketupat Weaving

Anita Tompang x Andrew Loh

Anita Tompang
Anita Tompang started learning the skills of ketupat weaving at the age of 9, and now has nearly 50 years of experience with it. She had been featured in Berita Harian for her commitment to this tradition, having woven ketupat by hand every Hari Raya for over 20 years. Although ketupat weaving has become less common, she has persisted in her efforts to promote and pass on this craft in Singapore.

Andrew Loh
With more than 20 years of experience, Andrew Loh’s design sensibilities have been finely honed over his career spanning both User Experience and Product Design. He has worked both locally and abroad to create a wide variety of design solutions, across multiple industries including consumer electronics, household appliances, sports equipment, design education, and digital products.

The second edition of Craft x Design demonstrates the potential for prototypes created by traditional craft practitioners and local designers to be commercially viable and suitable for daily use. Designers were invited to submit a proposal to design, prototype and retail craft products through close collaboration with local traditional craft practitioners

This edition saw designer Nathan Yong working with three crafts practitioners over a period of 6 months to bring 3 design concepts to life through prototyping, experimentation and innovation.
   

PARTICIPANTS & Prototypes

Nathan Yong
Nathan Yong is a designer known for his thoughtful approach to furniture and product design. His work balances modern functionality with Asian sensibilities. Yong is the founder of Nathan Home and co-founder of Grafunkt, and is an educator at LASALLE College of the Arts.
   

1. Rattan

Chen Foo Kee x Nathan Yong

Chen Foo Kee
Chen Foo Kee is one of the few remaining rattan furniture makers in Singapore, and is the second-generation owner of Chun Mee Lee Rattan Furniture. Mr Chen inherited the trade from his father, who learned rattan furniture making in Hong Kong before transmitting it to his son.

2. Wood-Carving

Francis Tan x Nathan Yong

Francis Tan
Francis Tan is a craftsman that has forged his own path from the very beginning. Self taught since young, Francis calls his journey “the long way round” but his varied experiences in construction mean that he brings new techniques and perspectives to traditional craft. He is frequently called upon for his many skills – from paper effigy making to woodcarving and lantern-painting.

3. Embroidery on Peranakan Kebaya

Heath Yeo x Nathan Yong

Heath Yeo
Heath Yeo, a fashion design graduate from LASALLE College of the Arts, worked with established local designers before discovering his passion for traditional Kebaya embroidery. Learning Sulam from a renowned Singapore Kebaya maker, he now dedicates himself to preserving this fine craft.