A New Breed of Museum Retail in Singapore

As a museum store, Gallery & Co. is quite unlike any other in Singapore to date, and understandably so, being the result of a partnership between the National Gallery Singapore and interdisciplinary collective & Co. The latter comprises industry movers and shakers in the form of hotelier and restaurateur Loh Lik Peng; creative designers Yah-Leng Yu and Arthur Chin, and Luxasia managing director Alwyn Chong.

Heading the retail strategy is Chong, who worked with Yu to drive merchandising, brand curation and exclusive collaborations. The culinary direction is helmed by Loh; Yu and Chin lead the branding, space and product design.

Across the varied categories of fashion, design collectibles, home decor, publications and more, all the objects elected as part of the store selection come with creative appeal. Brands carried in-store include Maison Kitsune, Smile Q&Q, Garance Dore, Marou, Supermama, General Object and Matter Prints. As Chong commented, nothing in this “living and evolving space” is permanent. “We do not want to be a museum store that just accumulates, but rather one that truly curates our offerings.”

With the museum’s Southeast Asian art focus, the space will merge artisanal design with artistic encounters in the museum itself. Products inspired by current artworks on display, as well as of the heritage building’s architectural features, will be part of the retail offerings. Collaborations between regional and international creatives are in the pipelines; in the works are a capsule collection by Matter Prints and artwork-inspired candles by Mud Rock and Candles of Light.

There are also plans to introduce limited run menus inspired by the museum’s blockbuster exhibitions at the all-day dining cafeteria. Not that the contemporary Southeast Asian menu by Restaurant Ember chef Sufian Zain — including the Green Curry Seafood Pasta and the Otah Stack, a sandwich with grilled mackerel fish cake — is lacking at all.