Why Singapore Was Chosen to Illuminate Dior’s Legacy in Asia
Asia has long been described as “the future,” a label that feels suspiciously late when you walk into the Singapore edition of UBS House of Craft and realize the future is already hosting guests and checking that the lighting flatters the gowns. The exhibition, staged in the New Art Museum Singapore, showcased Asia as an accelerating heartbeat in the global conversation. And Jin Yee Young, Managing Director and Country Head of UBS Singapore, knows exactly what that beat sounds like.
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Asia Is Establishing the Standard
Ask Young what the wildly successful Singapore edition signifies, and she doesn’t hesitate. The exhibition’s impact—locally and globally—rests on something deeper than attendance figures or photo ops. “It demonstrates the international resonance of UBS House of Craft and the growing appetite for meaningful cultural experiences,” she says. In other words, Asia sets new terms for what culture can look like when excellence is treated as a baseline.
Bringing the initiative to Singapore meant staking a claim. The city is a nexus where capital, creativity, and curiosity collide with almost scientific neatness. The response from the culturally fluent signaled that the region is no longer “catching up” to global taste. And if Asia is the growth engine, Singapore is the dashboard—a gleaming display of ambition calibrated in both numbers and nuance.
Dior, Decoded
A curator who can turn archival couture into a conversation was the main pull. Legendary fashion editor Carine Roitfeld and photographer Brigitte Niedermair cut through their creative eye sharp enough to slice through 80 years of Dior history and reveal its essence.
“Dior opened its archive to UBS House of Craft,” Young notes, referring to the rare access granted to Roitfeld and Niedermair. Their selections illuminated the Maison’s legacy. Couture, under their gaze, became a story told in gestures and shadows.
Exclusive to Singapore, the exhibition added a room dedicated entirely to Christian Dior himself, complete with sketches and artifacts from the atelier. There’s also a dialogue with Asia threaded throughout—designs informed by regional silhouettes, artisanal techniques, and even sketches referencing Singapore directly.
Craft as the Thread Linking Continents
What does Young hope people carry with them after stepping out of the exhibition’s last room? Not a souvenir, but a reorientation. Fashion’s highest craft often looks effortless, but this showcase made its labor and its brilliance visible. “It has been incredibly rewarding to witness both the public and our clients immerse themselves in UBS House of Craft x Dior,” she reflects.
According to Young, the exhibition’s power lies in how it bridges seemingly distant worlds. “In collaboration with Dior, we are proud to have shared this unique experience with audiences in Singapore and the region, highlighting how the universal language of craft transcends industries, from finance to fashion, while inspiring conversation and a deeper appreciation for the enduring dedication to one’s craft that drives us all forward.”
Young positions the entire project as a convergence point: finance and fashion as parallel universes built on unseen decisions, quiet precision, and a near-spiritual respect for detail. Both, she suggests, thrive when institutions like UBS treat longevity not as nostalgia, but as the ongoing discipline that holds an idea — or an industry — together.
Mastery, Momentum
If the Singapore edition marked anything, Asia’s audiences are always hungry for cultural experiences that require contemplation. In a landscape often flattened by digital pace, UBS House of Craft x Dior stood out by insisting on slowness and attention.
As Young puts it, craft transcends industries. And in Asia—what with the appetite of sophistication and the innovation of heritage—that transcendence feels right at home.
Photos courtesy of UBS: HOUSE OF CRAFT
The post Why Singapore Was Chosen to Illuminate Dior’s Legacy in Asia first appeared on MEGA.
Why Singapore Was Chosen to Illuminate Dior’s Legacy in Asia
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