In the Vitrine

Five years and 99 episodes later, Dani and Nadya reflect upon the journey of In the Vitrine. They reminisce while scrolling through the Instagram posts that document each recording, recalling the scripting of early chats, and observing a few themes that have re-emerged. They think about the value of talking with each other regularly, especially through the pandemic, and how their time in the vitrine has supported, in one way or another, their research interests in fashion.

Dani and Nadya ask ChatGPT for "help" to record this episode, and ruminate on the advantages and potential pitfalls of using artificial intelligence in thinking through, talking about and working in fashion. They discuss the use of data to artificially—but effectively—drive virality. They also consider the continued, even heightened value of human intelligence to navigate artificial intelligence.

Dani and Nadya talk about their recent exercise routines, and what they have worn over the years to move their bodies. From shorts to leggings, and from cotton to polyester, they look at the various options available to facilitate — and encourage — movement. They also look at athleisure offerings from smaller, niche businesses in Singapore, such as GLOWco (@glowco.shop), with the tagline "modesty in action" and Ika Dancewear (@ikadancewear),  and compare them to similar product categories from bigger, more established sportswear companies.

Daniela and Nadya reunite in the vitrine, and realise it has been a full two months since the previous episode. Here, they speak about Daniela taking part in PRESSPLAY with the National Library Board and Nadya working during Singapore Art Week. They ponder future identities, and Daniela introduces the idea that the future is already here; the futurists tell us that we only have to look for signals of what will be ways of the future. What is traditional can also be contemporary, even futuristic, and what is avant-garde can eventually become the norm. Time is relative! Wishing everyone a good Year of the Dragon.

Daniela and Nadya chat about all the things they have been to and seen in the past couple of weeks, which turned out to be quite a lot! They include Next in Vogue in Singapore (@voguesingapore), 'Gaba Kebaya' by @kebaya.societe, ACM (@acm_sg) Conversations: Fashion as Business, the PHx Fashion Conference (@phxfashiongroup) in Manila, and the 'Madame Song: A Life in Art and Fashion' at M+ (@mplusmuseum) in Hong Kong. As they talked, they considered the importance of telling one's stories to pave the ways for others to do the same.

Daniela and Nadya chat about all the things they have been to and seen in the past couple of weeks, which turned out to be quite a lot! They include Next in Vogue in Singapore (@voguesingapore), 'Gaba Kebaya' by @kebaya.societe, ACM (@acm_sg) Conversations: Fashion as Business, the PHx Fashion Conference (@phxfashiongroup) in Manila, and the 'Madame Song: A Life in Art and Fashion' at M+ (@mplusmuseum) in Hong Kong. As they talked, they considered the importance of telling one's stories to pave the ways for others to do the same.

Dani and Nadya reunite to talk about a few regional fashion brands that they enjoy. They reflect on how their love for fashion, especially for niche brands, brings them to cool places/neighbourhoods when they travel. They also discuss the differences between shopping online and in physical stores. Dani wears @ngaiofficial and Nadya wears @whimsigirldsgn.

Nadya recently read 𝘈 𝘝𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯 by British Vogue editor Edward Eninnful, and Daniela has been reading 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘢: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺 by Amy Odell, about American Vogue editor Anna Wintour. They discuss the texts, including the impact that an individual can have on the fashion system. In addition, Nadya has binge-watched 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘴 on Apple TV. She shares her takeaways, centred on enduring friendships and busting myths.

It’s been two months since our last episode! We talk about how we wrapped up the summer, and started the new semester, including exhibitions we visited! We chat about ‘Andrew Gn: Fashioning Singapore and the World’ at the Asian Civilisations Museum (@acm_sg) to ‘Her Kebaya’ at the Peranakan Museum (@peranakanmuseum), and ‘along the lines of—‘ by Berny Tan (@bernytlm), curated by Kirti Upadhyaya (@keyr_tea) at HEARTH by Art Outreach (@artoutreachsingapore). We also preview The Digital Multilogue on Fashion Education (@fashionmultilogues), in particular a walking tour of Kampong Glam to explore fashion beyond malls and skyscrapers by Daniela (@a_dna_lie), Weiqi Yap (@weiqi.yap) and Pixie Tan (@pixieinspace).

Dani talks about developing concepts for the costumes for A Closed System, an animated short film by Ken Kwek. She shares the process, from research to concept board, and her thoughts on the role that costumes can play in driving the plot forward. Nadya reflects on participating in the first Singapore Independent Media Fair, where FAM Marketplace was launched.