Who says women can’t wear men’s clothing? Local fashion label Graye, for instance, has no gender-appropriate style rules. Everything on sale is perfectly unisex, exhibiting a minimalist and modern Zen aesthetic that champions sustainability and inclusivity with a focus on fabric and cut. Think roomy bottoms and well-engineered tops with straight silhouettes — ideal for days when you feel like a Japanese hairstylist, disgruntled artist, or are just heading to a buffet.
Galvanised by the philosophy of slow living, Graye’s chic coordinates and accessories are designed for versatility and hyper functionality while converging Eastern and Western elements. From vests that transform into tote bags to a utilitarian kimono jacket, Graye’s measured and thoughtful approach to design is what has garnered itself a niche, fashionable following. For Japanophiles, that loose laidback Shibuya aesthetic is a real bonus, too.
Founded in 2016 by husband-and-wife Calvin Sim and Xie Qian Qian — a Nafa degree scholar and finalist for the i-D International Emerging Designers — Graye started as an online menswear brand. But over the years, its minimalist, versatile and functional style has appealed to both genders, young and old.
Not enslaved by trends, this conscious clothing brand is all about functional pieces that will withstand all fashion seasons and the seasons of one’s life. Xie shares her creative process with every collection to bring about transformative designs. All its merchandise is designed in-house and created to endure the test of time in quality and style. Signature designs include the stark kimono coat, Cupro tees, relaxed elasticated trousers and vest tote — a two-way utilitarian vest that transforms into a tote with a single zipper.
Graye moved into a physical brick-and-mortar retail space within the hip Joo Chiat enclave in 2020 and, a year later, relocated to its current flagship premises at Wheelock Place. In 2021, the brand became a Made with Passion honoree — recognised by the Singapore Brand Office and the Singapore Tourism Board, with support from Enterprise Singapore — and that was when business took off.
Growing up
As a couple in business, Xie and Sim, both graduates of Temasek Polytechnic, are a match made in heaven. The creative head, Xie, handles all design aspects of the brand and leaves the business and operational matters to her husband. She says: “Generally, we have great compatibility in our work and personal lives. We enjoy spending most of our time together. It’s not always easy to balance our feelings between work and life, but we have grown to deal with and value them. Working closely has helped us better understand each other and strengthen our bond as a couple.”
Married for four years, they are parents to two-year-old son Xander. Tapping into her experience as a first-time mother — and the frustrations that come with having to buy new clothing to accommodate a growing child constantly — Xie launched Young by Graye early this March.
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Designed for babies and children up to eight years old, the collection features a genderless and timeless aesthetic designed for extended wear. The first drop consisted of three essential items: onesies, T-shirts and three-quarter trousers. In line with its sustainability ethos, Graye provides complimentary services to transform its onesies into tees to accommodate a growing child. The onesies and tees can also be customised with patchwork and prints for a small fee.
The big revamp
Graye made a significant leap in its brand progression plans with a revamp to its flagship store this April. Renamed Graye — The Lab Store, the refreshed space inspired by the vibrant streetwear scene of Shibuya strongly underscores the brand’s sense of responsibility towards living a more sustainable lifestyle.
One of its highlights is the “make and mend” corner to promote its design philosophy, which emphasises the importance of a product’s journey, from its design development to completion. The artisanal workshop-like setting displays finished products and flip-charts with mood-boards to inspire and excite customers on the wide range of customisation options available. Pegboards hold various accessories and tools for customer use, while a sewing machine is available for on-the-spot use. With a large countertop to gather around, workshops will be held regularly for customising, repairing and upcycling activities.
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You can customise your newly purchased merchandise or revamp old Graye items here. The team also upcycles or repurposes old garments or unused fabrics into one-of-a-kind pieces, giving them a new life and extending their life-cycle. These are presented in the current Spring-Summer 2023 Artefact Collection of three accessory items: a multi-purpose rope strap, upcycled elasticated strap and knotted keychain or bracelet.
Expanding locally
This June, Graye opened its second outlet in the district of Tiong Bahru, sparking a return to the standalone shophouse retail concept. Called The Studio Store, this shop offers customers tailoring services to customise its ready-to-wear collection and made-to-measure services.
Very different from the workshop vibes of its Wheelock Place flagship, this calming cocoon-like space at Eng Hoon Street has more of a Zen feel with its nature-inspired materials and organic shapes. The Atelier takes centre stage here, where customers can view and experience the intricacies of modern tailoring.
Aside from size adjustments to tweaking off-the-rack pieces to suit one’s taste, customers can also collaborate with the designers to build a bespoke outfit from scratch. Using 3D design tools, they can create an avatar of the customer’s body dimensions to visualise the style and fit. “By going fully digital on the design and sampling process, we can reduce waste while providing our customers a personalised tailoring experience with a modern twist,” explains Xie.
Displayed on the racks is Graye’s latest apparel collection, Zen Out, built around the modern Zen lifestyle with a series of easy breezy silhouettes and unobtrusive designs that are layerable and suitable for everyday wear. It comprises oversized linen shirts, wrapped button kimonos, harem pants, high-collared Shan shirts, straight-cut pants and a crossed-body Tsuno bag.
“Living amid an overstimulated society, we can easily get caught up in the various roles we play in our day-to-day lives, sometimes losing our sense of self, leading to questioning our purpose. Like everyone else, as we rapidly transitioned into a period of opportunity and growth, there were times when we felt the need to reconnect with our inner peace. Zen Out focuses on the importance of slowing down and taking a breather. This cool-toned capsule brings us full circle to when we first started in 2016.”
In an interview with Options, Xie shares her journey thus far and her hopes for the brand.
Can you share what it was like starting out?
Our journey has been full of ups and downs. We started with limited resources and faced many challenges in finding a reliable factory that could meet our standards of quality and quantity. I often felt like giving up, but my loyal customers always reminded me of what they love about Graye and why I should persevere. The friendships that we forged with customers and business partners are invaluable. And the joy of reaching new milestones keeps us motivated.
Why are you drawn to a relaxed minimalist Japanese aesthetic?
Graye is inspired by the philosophy of slow living, celebrating diversity and pursuing a sustainable lifestyle in the modern world. Our menswear and unisex apparel are designed with simplicity, innovation, comfort and functionality in mind. These principles guide our creative process and style. We believe in creating genderless designs that can fit different body types and genders. That’s why our style is usually relaxed, minimal and stylish.
How has your collection evolved over the years?
We used to launch two major collections per year, but since the pandemic, we switched to smaller season-less collections. Our brand’s focus is not on following trends, but on creating garments that offer comfort, functionality and quality. This way, we can avoid overproduction and reduce waste. Our products are designed to be timeless, not bound by seasons or trends. They have a longer shelf life and never go out of style. We have also gradually expanded our product range to include accessories and a kids’ line in the past few years.
Why have you launched kidswear?
When I became a mom, I had to constantly buy new clothes for my growing child as he outgrew them every few months. I found the repeated need to organise and swap out clothes to be tedious and unsustainable, and the differing size measurements of brands rather confusing. So as a designer, I created Young by Graye with reduced sizing and for extended wear. With this line, we aim to eliminate the issue of over-consumption and the confusing sizing of kids’ wear. There could be up to seven different sizes for a child before reaching the age of two!
With Young, we would like to focus on the necessary functionality with pieces that are made to last and grow with your child. For babies and toddlers, we created an oversized onesie that caters to different baby body types. With a roomy cut of the right proportions, only two sizes are needed before the baby reaches the age of two.
Was it pure coincidence that 2023 became the year of expansion and reinvention?
It wasn’t planned that way, but somehow everything seemed to fall in place perfectly. We decided to revamp The Lab Store at Wheelock Place as it had been more than a year since we opened it. We wanted to change the layout, to keep things fresh and offer new experiences for our customers.
We had been looking for a new space to expand since December 2022. We found the Eng Hoon unit when a friend showed us the space in March 2023. It was a perfect location to host our atelier and retail concept because of its layout. It is also an ideal space for us to kickstart our bespoke service, Envision with Graye.
What else do you have in the pipeline?
One of our goals for the near future is to use digital technology to create and market our designs. We want to test the market demand for our designs before we start producing them, so that we can plan our inventory more effectively and avoid overproduction. This will help us to save costs, resources and the environment.
What is your hope for Graye?
Our vision is to remain faithful to our goals and values as a design-led brand. We aspire to grow and expand the brand across the region, but we also want to avoid becoming too commercialised. We want to keep exploring various opportunities that interest us and maintain the consistency of our brand’s values with the products and messages we share with our followers.
