Chandreyee Ray

2 weeks ago | vogue.sg | Chandreyee Ray

Elevator pitchIt might surprise you to learn that one of Singapore’s most hotly anticipated hotel openings of the year is situated far from the ever-growing hospitality enclave of Orchard Road. In fact, it isn’t located near the densely populated city centre at all, but thronged in wilderness—in the heart of the sprawling Mandai Wildlife Reserve.

2 weeks ago | vogue.sg | Chandreyee Ray

As one of South Korea’s top artistic institutions, Leeum is, in itself, an architectural marvel—designed by Mario Botta, Jean Nouvel and Rem Koolhaas. Inside, a 12th-century celadon sits metres away from Yves Klein and Suki Seokyeong Kang; gold-threaded ritual robes glow under the same light as a Louise Bourgeois spider. The museum’s curatorial approach transcends both country and era, privileging nuance over narrative.

2 weeks ago | vogue.sg | Chandreyee Ray

When Cheek by Jowl received a Michelin star in 2017, chef Rishi Naleendra made history as the first Sri Lankan recipient in the guide’s history. Nearly a decade on, the Colombo-born chef-restaurateur is one of the most prolific figures in Singapore’s dining scene. At the heart of Naleendra’s portfolio—spanning the two-Michelin-starred Cloudstreet, vibrant Kotuwa and the newly launched Station by Kotuwa—is a throughline of narrative depth reflecting personal heritage with a touch of irreverence.

3 weeks ago | vogue.sg | Chandreyee Ray |Maya Menon

“Even as you grow older, you have to keep the sexiness in you,” says Chuando Tan with a quiet certainty. “Not for others, but for yourself.”Model, photographer, viral sensation and one of the most recognisable faces of Singapore fashion, at 59, Tan is the very epitome of empowered ageing. First rising to fame in the ’80s and ’90s as one of the city’s top male models, Tan graced magazine covers and campaigns across Asia.

3 weeks ago | vogue.sg | Chandreyee Ray

Does the great Singapore novel exist? If you ask Jemimah Wei, the answer is that it doesn’t matter. “I don’t believe that there has to be one defining Singaporean novel,” she says. “That type of thinking is competitive and not generative. It leaves no space for anyone else. It also reflects a Western obsession with hierarchy and power that I don’t believe we need to subscribe to.