It sounds so simple; creating a shop with all the things you would love to buy yourself. Singaporean duo ‘Nana & Bird’ made a business out of it, using good taste as their trump. Representing a fine range of European brands along with their own line of handmade one-of accessories is only the start of it. For their travelling pop-up store, ‘Nana & Bird’ love to collaborate with talented designers they discover where putting up a shop.

written by Esther Muñoz Grootveld

 

Ok, so you’ve seen pop-up shops before, but this one kind of touches your heart. ‘Nana & Bird’ was started by Singaporean Chiewling ‘Bird’ Tan and Georgina ‘Nana’ Koh, and is not a designed concept by just another cool brand or curator. ‘Nana & Bird’ solemnly swear to never sell anything that they would not otherwise buy for themselves. So, you could consider the travelling store as a peak into a stylish friends’ closet. Besides offering different pieces by brands like Minimarket and Opening Ceremony, ‘Nana & Bird’ is very keen on collaborating with local designers. Like crafty Singaporean leather brand The J. Myers Company or illustrator Celeste Anning. And even more interesting are the handmade pieces created by the shop owners themselves. The duo loves to treasure hunt on markets and turn their findings into great necklaces, bracelets, beau-ties and brooches.

Neither for Tan nor for Koh, ‘Nana & Bird’ is a full-time job. It is rather their creative outlet, or a very successful hobby, although serious plans for a permanent base in Singapore are in the making. But first up is a six months pop-up shop in Shanghai. And who knows afterwards. Shanghai is ‘Nana & Birds’ first pop-up internationally, but with connections in both New York and London, you might run into them somewhere around there soon. Until then, they have an online shop to keep impatient buyers happy.

Esther Muñoz Grootveld is strategic consultant in design and fashion and will be living in East-Asia for the next year.

visit the website:
http://nanaandbird.com/