The revamp of H&M Singapore’s flagship store at Orchard Building brings sustainability to the forefront through 'The Veil'. A new tensile fabric façade made entirely from i-Mesh textile, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. Conceptualised and designed by RSP, the design goes beyond a simple façade, to acting as a dynamic interface that constantly changes. The use of the sustainable woven fabric was inspired by cinema projector screens, sculptor duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude's projects of wrapping public monuments in a large amount of fabric and even white lace food nets used for dining tables.
The existing shop had large windows that open up to the street but they were all hidden away by the old façade. The revamp aims to reconnect the shop with the iconic streetscape along Singapore's bustling Orchard Road. While The Veil looks like a deceptively simple white canvas when viewed at a distance during the day, it takes on a more translucent look when viewed up close and reveals the H&M experience hidden behind. The i-Mesh fabric has a woven pattern that is porous enough, natural daylight can also enter the store’s interior space. The fabric filters out the harsh Singapore tropical sun only allowing soft, natural daylight whilst keeping heat out from the interior space.
At night, The Veil becomes a dynamic membrane where vibrant colours and customisable lighting effects come together to create a different look and experience each time. During festive seasons, The Veil can position H&M to become a hotspot for spectacular night lighting displays along Orchard Road. It is an evolving fashion statement that not only embodies H&M's sustainability goals, but also expresses the fashion brand's relationship with textiles.
