How a former high school became this Asian city’s coolest design hub

At Make by Ginlee at New Bahru, I’m folding and tying fabric into a pleat-shaped corrugated cardboard mould that will be steamed in a special oven in the wall. While waiting for the oven to do its work, I start browsing the boutique’s sculptural clothing and homewares. It’s all very atas (elegant) as the locals might say. When the fabric is ready, we’ll punch holes for straps and decorate it with 3D-printed bag charms made from offcut materials. I could be in an art class at high school.

That actually doesn’t take much of a stretch of the imagination, because the sleek studio I’m in was once a classroom at Nan Chiau High School. Now it’s part of a hip new “creative community”, and although the studios and stores are sleekly contemporary, the classroom-sized spaces, stairs and corridors are a giveaway that it once had a different use.

A transformation project that feels like it might have come straight from a contemporary textbook on urban renewal, the former school’s modernist facade in the affluent River Valley neighbourhood is now painted in tones of Wes Anderson blush pink and terracotta, its former classrooms have been repurposed into independent boutiques, studios and cafes, and the school hall is now used for exhibitions and events. The aim was to keep a little of the building’s soul, while bringing the look and infrastructure up to date. In a city that regularly pulls down old buildings to maximise land use, New Bahru is a welcome surprise.

It’s also a good place to hang out. As well as studios, boutiques and pop-ups and places to do workshops, there are bars, cafes and food stores on the ground floor. That there’s specialist coffee and an intimate, gorgeously designed Italian-focused cocktail bar is a given. The team behind the project, Lo & Behold, are also responsible for some of Singapore’s most successful and innovative hospitality ventures, and their Coconut Club Singaporean restaurant (go for the nasi lemak, stay for everything else on the menu) has an outpost here too.

Exploring New Bahru offers just a tiny insight into the world of independent Singapore style, but it’s an appealing one. As I wander the corridors I come across House of Joy, a pop-up featuring clothes by Dear Samfu, a local brand inspired by traditional Singaporean women’s clothing. Here there are racks of elegant, contemporary cheongsam, slip dresses and colourful samfu (matching sets) inspired by the favourite clothing of the designer’s grandmother. At Good Addition, there are timeless cotton basics perfect for Singapore’s sticky climate. In another fun store, I find tiny Fuzzy Feelings dim sum bags crocheted by popular local radio presenter Juliana Yeow just for Lunar New Year (she makes crochet vegetables year round).

Back at Make, my mould is pulled out of the steam oven and cooled. When I slowly pull back the cardboard, the pleats on the fabric of my bag are as sharp as can be. Now I have to painstakingly thread cord and decide how to decorate it. It’s harder than it looks, but fun. As a group, we’re bonding over fashion choices and colour blends. Making the bag is a slow, careful process that’s as far away from the luxury malls and street market hustle Singapore is known for as you can get. But that’s the point. In this enclave of independent designers and makers, small coffee shops, studios and galleries, appreciating how things are made, and making them with others, is all part of the experience.

DETAILS New Bahru, 46 & 58 Kim Yam Road, Singapore, open daily. The Make Pleat bag experience at Make by Ginlee is $S70 ($78) a person, see newbahru.com, makestudio.sg; the Standard Hotel is located close to Orchard Road, a 10-minute drive from New Bahru, rooms from $S300 a night, see hyatt.com/the-standard; Singapore Airlines flies direct to Singapore from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Darwin, Adelaide and Cairns, see singaporeair.com, visitsingapore.com.

The writer travelled as a guest of the Singapore Tourism Board