It’s heartening to know that it’s not all gloom and doom for homegrown retailers during the pandemic.

One silver lining has been design store Beyond The Vines, which recently unveiled a sprawling 2,216 sq ft flagship boutique in the heart of Orchard Road following a rebranding exercise.

“We felt that with the rebrand, it was the perfect time for us to create the Beyond The Vines Design Store – a place where our customers would literally be able to step into our new vision for the brand and be completely immersed in our world,” shared 34-year-old Daniel Chew, who co-founded it with wife Rebecca Ting.

The rebranding had been a year in the making, Chew explained, adding that they were offered a space at Takashimaya in early 2020 – right before the pandemic.

The design store not only houses the brand’s staple line of womenswear, it also features a newly added menswear line, as well as lifestyle products ranging from AirPod cases to stationery and home furnishings. 

But it’s the novel Bag Bar at the front of the store that’s the real crowd-pleaser. The mirror-lined bar serves up fashionable Dumpling bags in 12 assorted colours (of which many are sold out) and sizes.

Said 33-year-old co-founder Ting, “This store opens a new chapter, as we rebrand and progress from a ready-to-wear label for women and into a design studio".

In an email interview, the couple shared their plans for the new space – and whether they think Beyond The Vines could very well be our homegrown answer to Muji.

Read more here.