Nala Design New Collections Brutal TImes May 2026

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Latest issue on 7 Sept 2025. Update every Saturday.

Thursday Show
The Atas Magic Show – Nala at Great World

The Atas Magic Show – Nala at Great World

5 min read

The Atas Magic Show Nala at Great World

Opening a shop sometimes feels like staging a magic show.

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When we arrived at Great World in Singapore to set up our new pop-up, the team looked at us with a little concern.
“Are you sure you can do it?”
 
We had three days for the fit out, which in retail terms is actually very comfortable. But the truth is that at TANGS we are used to something quite different. There, we sometimes have two hours to set up a store before the doors open.
 
So the answer was simple. Of course we could do it.
 
And we did.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The night before opening turned into one of those beautiful, slightly mad retail nights that only happen when a team decides to make something work. We painted, installed, arranged, adjusted and re-arranged until nearly four in the morning. Billy painted the mural, I finished the paintings, and slowly the shop began to come alive.
 
By the time we stepped back, it felt like a small magic show.
 
The result is a store that is unexpectedly elegant. Nala goes a little atas at Great World. The space is light, refined and joyful, filled with new pieces we were excited to introduce. Our yellow fan home print made its debut, along with new T-shirts, and a small series of beautiful leather coasters.
 
But what makes the store special is the atmosphere that the team created together.
 
I want to give a very special thank you to Charlotte, who believed from the beginning that Nala should open at Great World. Her confidence made this possible. Together with Billy and the entire Singapore team, she stood there quietly through the night, smiling and helping to make the store happen.
 
No drama. Just dedication.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
FREE T-SHIRT DIPLOMACY

FREE T-SHIRT DIPLOMACY

5 min read

Free T-shirt Diplomacy

Some research happens in boardrooms.

We prefer the street.

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Armed with a pile of Nala T-shirts, we headed into Chinatown with a very simple proposal for anyone who crossed our path: choose a shirt, put it on, let us film you for a moment, and you can keep it.
Instant participation.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
Within minutes the pavement turned into a spontaneous fitting room. People were changing shirts, laughing, asking questions, and suddenly we had a little international cast standing right there in the middle of the street.
Some people recognised Nala immediately and were clearly longtime fans, which is always the nicest surprise. Others had never heard of us before but were curious enough to join the experiment.
And the mix of people was wonderful. Malaysians, of course, but also visitors from China, Denmark, Finland, Turkey and a few others we probably forgot to ask because everything was moving so quickly.
The universal truth was confirmed once again: when something is free, people become extremely cooperative. Cameras? No problem. A quick interview? Sure. A little walk down the street in your brand new shirt? Absolutely.
 
But what made it special was the warmth of it all. Nobody rushed off. People stayed, talked, laughed, and for a few minutes a simple T-shirt became a small bridge between strangers.
 
Everyone left with their shirt.
 
The T-shirts featured in this little street experiment come from our PUNQ T-shirt collection. PUNQ stands for Pattern, Unique, Nature and Quality, which pretty much sums up what we believe good design should carry.
 
And the good news is that you do not have to chase us down in Chinatown to get one.
The PUNQ T-shirts are available in all Nala stores in Singapore and Malaysia.
 
If you want to see the results of this very scientific street experiment, watch the episode this week. It turned out to be one of the most joyful ones we filmed.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
A few Cheongsams still in Bloom

A few Cheongsams still in Bloom

5 min read

A few Cheongsams still in Bloom

Chinese New Year may have passed, but the beauty of the Cheongsam continues to blossom.

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This season was a joyful one, and many of our Cheongsams have already found their way into new wardrobes. A small number are still available in stores, waiting for their moment.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
For this weekend, we are offering 10% off on the remaining Cheongsams. If you did not pick one during Chinese New Year, or if you were dreaming of a second favourite, this is the perfect opportunity.
 
Elegant, feminine and timeless, the Cheongsam is a piece that never belongs to just one celebration. It moves effortlessly through the year.
 
Please note that only the Cheongsams are included in this weekend’s offer, and quantities are very limited.
 
Available in all Nala stores in Malaysia and Singapore.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
Singapore: A Third Chapter

Singapore: A Third Chapter

5 min read

Singapore: A Third Chapter

We are very happy to share that NALA is launching at Great World in Singapore.

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We are already present at Tanglin and at TANGS. This new address strengthens our presence in the city and allows us to explore a different rhythm and audience. The space will run for three months, during which we will introduce new work and continue shaping NALA’s Singapore story with focus and intention.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

To mark the opening, we are launching two new square scarves.

The first is the Firecracker Kuih scarf.

Kuih is an iconic Peranakan dessert loved across Singapore and Malaysia. Its sculptural form is instantly recognisable. For us, it becomes more than a cultural reference. It becomes a framework. The print is built around the elements we believe are essential for success: love, represented by a heart; grounding and substance, represented by a bean; precision and decisiveness, represented by a sharp blade; light; energy; courage. Each symbol reflects qualities required to build something meaningful and enduring.

This scarf will also be accompanied by a corresponding art piece, reinforcing our belief that our prints sit within a broader design philosophy.

The second launch is a square scarf inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe and our dandelion logo. The dandelion has always symbolised resilience within NALA. O’Keeffe’s work reminds us of strength through clarity and scale. This scarf brings those ideas together, balancing delicacy with presence.

Both scarves reflect where we are as a brand today. Structured. Intentional. Confident in our voice.

We would be delighted to welcome you.

3 March
10 a.m.
Great World, Singapore

We continue to design our universe carefully, one space and one print at a time.

The Daily Bloom – Pasar Raya

The Daily Bloom – Pasar Raya

5 min read

THE DAILY BLOOM - Pasa Raya

Our baju raya is not something we take out once a year and then carefully return to the cupboard.
It is part of how we live.

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This is Raya in real life. Worn in the market, among fruit, flowers and movement, the collection feels completely at home in the everyday. You can wear it to the bazaar, to open houses, to lunch with friends, and then again on an ordinary Tuesday with a pair of jeans. It is designed to move between occasions effortlessly, without ever feeling like it belongs to just one moment.

Inspired by our native Ixora, Iris and Passiflora, The Daily Bloom was printed in Malaysia using the traditional batik technique. I made this print at the very last minute because I wanted a collection that felt honest, rooted and timeless. Batik has that ability. The more you wear it, the more it becomes yours. It softens, it settles, it carries memory.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

Alongside the new batik, we are also releasing a small selection of our classic NALA prints as sarongs, pieces many of you already love, now reimagined for Raya. And for the very first time, we are introducing the batik with the red chair, a print I have kept close to my heart until now.

All pieces are produced in cotton voile and cotton satin. The voile is light, breathable and effortless, perfect for our weather and for layering. The satin has a gentle structure and polish, allowing you to dress it up beautifully for evenings and open houses.

This launch is extremely limited and available exclusively this Saturday at our Kasturi branch. Once it is gone, it is truly gone.

I wanted to create something that makes sense in the way we actually live, especially during Raya when we often invest in outfits that are worn once and then forgotten. This is different. This is something you can dress up with heels and jewellery, or dress down with denim and sandals. It is something you will reach for again and again, and perhaps one day hand down.

We believe women should feel comfortable and beautiful all the time, not only on special occasions. We make our universe beautiful in the way we dress, and in the way we live.

Pasar Raya is Raya. Open, practical and alive.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
Where It All Began

Where It All Began

5 min read

Where It All Began

While going through old boxes, I found a sketchbook from 1989. It was my first year at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, where I studied graphic design and illustration.

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Opening it felt like meeting my younger self.

This was completely pre computer era. The typography was handwritten. Layouts were drawn by hand. Text was applied manually or prepared for silkscreen. We were only just beginning to hear about computers, but they were not part of our daily practice at school. Everything required patience. Precision. Touch.

You can see it in the pages. The lines are not perfect, but they are intentional. The spacing is considered. The letters carry personality because they were shaped slowly, by hand.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

I had just left Malaysia, so naturally that was the theme closest to my heart. Distance has a way of sharpening memory. The tropical references, the textures, the cultural elements, they appear instinctively throughout the work. When you are far from home, you draw home.

One project featured an Aikido school. Another was a packaging assignment for fish. Of course I chose ikan bilis. It has always been my favourite fish, so even in Antwerp, thousands of kilometres away, that small anchovy made its way into my design brief.

Looking back at these pages now, almost three decades later, I see the beginning of everything. The love for typography. The fascination with culture. The instinct to connect story and design. The discipline of working by hand.

It is humbling and comforting at the same time. A reminder that the foundation was always there. Long before Nala. Long before stores. Long before social media.

Just paper. Ink. Ideas. And a girl far from home, drawing her way forward.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.