The Book of Do does fashion
SINGAPORE — During dinner at Gattopardo in Hotel Fort Canning, one Thai journalist commented: “I’ve been in Singapore for 48 hours, and I haven’t met any Singaporeans,” to which our Malaysian host Beatrice responded, “But you have!”
The global city is deceiving this way –– everyone seems Singaporean until they speak. Filipinos who have been in the country for a mere two years already have the singsong-y accent down and have learned to dress themselves so that they blend in.
Singapore, while known around the world as one of Asia’s high-end shopping capitals, has not always been the fashion mecca that it is hyped to be. There are a lot of pantsuits and, at the opposite end of the anti-style spectrum, rubber slip-ons or derivatives thereof, perhaps because people are either here to work or be tourists.
It was only recently that the city began to earn the respect of the fashion world, with a 2011 survey by Global Language Monitor declaring the city tres chic; the article came out in cnngo.com with the title, “Fashion World Shocker: Singapore is 8th Most Fashionable City on Earth.” On Earth!
Memories of Hong Kong commutes –– where the MTR is like a speeding, traveling catwalk –– come to mind, and I think, really? But during a recent trip to Singapore for the launch of Lenovo’s new line of game-changing Ultrabooks, ASEAN press representing possibly every shade of foundation ever made, were given a glimpse of the city’s true sense of fashion. Lenovo partnered with ERIIN, a burgeoning Singapore-based, multi-label online retailer, for “Streetcandy”, the ASEAN launch of the incredibly thin, light, and ultra-responsive IdeaPad U310 and U410 Ultrabook, last June 5 at the Arts Council building.
Lenovo X ERIIN
With nine-piece Singaporean festival band SIXX behind the evening’s beats (which sounded like a happy, snappy cross between The Roots and Sublime With Rome), ERIIN gave us a first look of the latest collections from Australian label Talulah, a brand created by award-winning designer Kelli Wharton, and Nikicio, the brainchild of Jakarta-born designer Nina Nikicio. The show also featured the international reveal of Hong Kong brand Hanalie’s Summer 2012 collection, local label Al & Alicia, as well as designs from Quainthood and Kae Hana, both from the second wave of Parco Next Next labels, a project launched in 2010 to help up-and-coming local fashion designers become viable business owners. Looks from menswear labels Mils and Sifr stole the show, presenting sharp, casual designs during ERIIN’s first venture into menswear. To top it off, Spanish label Soldati Coraggiosi presented a three-piece collection of Spain-made, impeccably crafted leather bags with gadget-friendly interiors.
“Streetcandy for Lenovo is a really significant day for us at ERIIN,” said Kate Tan, ERIIN co-founder. “For this show, what we had in mind was street wear, how a normal person would carry a laptop, so it’s not very high-fashion, it’s not couture. We featured designers from Asia and Australia and we put their designs in the context of the street, so people can wear them in their daily life.”
Koh Kong Meng, general manager and executive director for Lenovo ASEAN, shared with The STAR the logic behind this odd pairing, especially so for a brand like Lenovo. Well, actually, he asked me. The answer was on my back –– if the 13-inch laptop I carried around everywhere could speak, I would quote it. It would say, “I never go with anything you wear.” Kong Meng explains this more eloquently, “Lenovo is positioned as a Do company. We are willing and able to do things differently. Young people today live their social lives online. They are a very discerning group of consumers, very active, IT-savvy, inspiring young individuals. They are a very important set of customers and Lenovo has the right lifestyle accessory for them.” The U310 and U410 are affordable, stylish (they have one in Cherry Blossom, a pretty, desaturated metallic pink, among other colors), light (at 1.7kg, it’s lighter than the one on my back by .34kg), and ultra-responsive (it’s equipped with Enhance Experience 3.0 for Windows, which significantly reduces boot time from the average 40 seconds to 24 seconds).
“The introduction of IdeaPad U310 and U410 marks the miletstone where Ultrabooks become mainstream. We are the company that can offer the widest range of Ultrabooks, from entry level up to premium to suit the different needs of our customers. Never before have we been able to package so many smart advancements in style, design and user experience togather at once. We simply make great Do Machines that power great companies, great individuals and great ideas,” said Kong Meng.
The Ultrabooks may be light and they may come in colors with girly names like Sapphire Blue and Ruby Red, but they are no-nonsense machines that everyone, from the manliest executive to daddy’s little princess, will find useful. They are powered by 3rd generation Intel Core i5 Processor, 4GB DDR3 memory, 32GB SSD cache and 500GB HDD storage for the U310 and 750GB for the U410. The U310 features Intel GMA 3000 HD graphics, while the U410 features NVIDIA GeForce 610M 1GB graphics, for optimal visuals when consuming or creating content. Both come with Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) Technology, which connects your laptop to an HDTV without having to use cables.
At Streetcandy, it all came together. Putting the spotlight on the depth of local Singapore fashion and sending the message that technology is not all utility, not all accessory –– it can be both.
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Visit eriin.com for more about Streetcandy as well as Asia and Australia’s most sought-after labels, and Lenovo.com for the specs of the IdeaPad U310 and U410 Ultrabooks.
