Mandai Wildlife Group stages Singapore’s first runway show in a cave setting
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Alzahra Begum Ali
- Mandai Wildlife Group staged Singapore’s first cave runway show at The Cavern, with 10 models showing local brands and drawing cheers from the crowd.
- The show launched Wildly Curated, a new retail platform, and marked Mandai’s second tie-up with the Singapore Fashion Council after a 2023 collaboration.
- Designers used animal and nature themes from Mandai’s parks, and the collections will be sold in stores and online, with some ranges available until end-January 2027.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – It was drizzling outside, but inside The Cavern at Rainforest Wild Adventure West, the crowd was buzzing.
On Nov 5, 10 models walked through The Cavern in Singapore’s first fashion show in a cave setting. Guests cheered and held up their phones to take photos and videos.
To upbeat runway music, the models walked out one by one under bright white spotlights that cut through the cave’s dim lighting. At the end, all 10 stood together.
They wore apparel and accessories from five home-grown brands – Extra Noodles, Sabrinagoh, Momiji, Strait Lights and Singlapa – as well as National Geographic Apparel and Batik Label by KrisShop.
The pieces are part of Wildly Curated, Mandai Wildlife Group’s new platform for retail and lifestyle collaborations across a range of brands.
Mandai Wildlife Group’s newest retail collaborations with local designers and global brands at The Cavern at Rainforest Wild Adventure West on Nov 5.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
“Who would have thought that we could turn it into a fashion walkway right here in the cave?” said Daisy Tan, vice-president of retail and lifestyle at Mandai Wildlife Group. “We can offer a lot more things beyond what you imagine.”
The reserve draws different kinds of guests with different needs, she said, adding: “That’s when we see the opportunity to create a lot more things beyond just plushies.”
(From left) Kimberly Sim, Grant Kother, Abdul Muttalib, and Illysha Natasha of Mandai Wildlife Group taking part in Singapore’s first runway show in The Cavern at Rainforest Wild Adventure West on Nov 5.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Four of the models were Mandai staff members, including Kimberly Sim, 38, manager of indoor attractions and experiences. Her day job involves creating experiences that tell the stories of the animals under Mandai’s care.
“This is my first time being on a runway, and in this cavern setting, it’s very special for me,” said Sim. “I felt immensely proud.”
She wore an Extra Noodles T-shirt featuring a Francois’ langur, a species she said guests can spot hopping around the cliffs at Rainforest Wild Adventure West. “They look like they have a white moustache, which is very cute to me,” she said.
Mandai Wildlife Group’s Kimberly Sim, one of four staff members who walked the show, in an Extra Noodles T-shirt featuring a Francois’ langur.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
The show marked Mandai’s second collaboration with the Singapore Fashion Council (SFC), after a first round in 2023 with local labels such as Reckless Ericka and Pearly Lustre.
At Sabrinagoh, known for its minimalist, architectural cuts, the Silent Giants range is inspired by Chawang, the Asian elephant at the Night Safari.
Managing director Jason Fu, 44, who is designer Sabrina Goh’s husband, said the couple often took their son to the Night Safari.
Seeing the elephants up close from the tram inspired the collection’s name. “They don’t make loud noises, but they are giant to us,” he said.
Jason Fu, managing director of Sabrinagoh, in the brand’s seersucker elephant shirt, with the convertible denim vest bag from its Silent Giants range.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
The collection’s blue elephant motif came from those night visits. “Under the moon, when you see the elephant, you have that silhouette, but it’s not really grey in colour, it’s just a dark shade of blue,” Fu said.
Keeping the references subtle was a challenge. “We don’t want it to be too in-your-face, but at the same time, we have to maintain how the brand looks,” he added.
Patchwork on the denim pieces mimics the rough, uneven texture of elephant skin, while the elephant prints are kept to small spots such as the pockets.
The convertible denim vest bag ($100) can be worn as a vest, or unzipped and zipped back the other way to become a bag. The range also includes a denim jacket ($139) and a seersucker elephant shirt ($119).
Extra Noodles, the streetwear label by husband-and-wife duo Skyy Chong and Esther Chua, both 39, took a more playful route. The penguin tee ($69) carries the brand’s signature Chinese characters on the back.
Extra Noodles co-founders Skyy Chong (left) and Esther Chua with T-shirts from their collaboration with Mandai Wildlife Group.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Chong said: “Practically all these designs are hand-drawn. The idea behind it is to stop chasing perfection. The beauty of life is imperfection.”
The tees are made in limited runs. “We have a lot of ideas, and we want the design and the graphic to be fresh,” he said. “Every time a design sells out, there will be something else.”
The other designers turned to accessories and homeware. Momiji handcrafted an otter rattan basket ($85) and Ishta wall hooks ($175), Strait Lights made sunbear and orangutan bracelets ($48 each), and Singlapa printed its watercolour illustrations onto coasters ($39 for a set of five) and shopping bags ($35).
Mandai is the exclusive retail partner for National Geographic Apparel in Singapore. Its Singapore-exclusive range, featuring the coordinates of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, includes T-shirts ($39) and camping cups ($49).
National Geographic Apparel’s Singapore-exclusive range is available at the Rainforest Wild Adventure shops, and at a pop-up at Tangs Orchard until Nov 11.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Batik Label by KrisShop’s travel accessories ($55 to $75) pair the Singapore Airlines batik motif with five South-east Asian species found in Mandai’s parks.
The SFC collection, called Wildly Designed in Singapore, is available online and in-store at Mandai Wildlife Reserve, as well as at DORS at Design Orchard and its online store, until end-January 2027. The National Geographic Apparel range is sold at the Rainforest Wild Adventure shops, with a pop-up at Tangs Orchard until Nov 11. The Batik Label by KrisShop sets are available in-store at Mandai Wildlife Reserve and online.