On the weekend of 22 and 23 February, visitors to the National Design Centre got to try locally made jams and catch hourly demonstrations on craft making from the likes of Weekend Worker, The Gentlemen’s Press and more.

TINKR – 3D printing

Called Made in SG Market, the project is the brainchild of Makers of Singapore, a new initiative set up by four final-year Communications undergraduates at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University.

Weekend Worker – pottery

Weekend Worker – pottery

The students say that through the Made in SG Market, they hope to shine the spotlight on independent local businesses (makers) whose products are conceptualised, designed and made locally from start to finish.

The Gentlemen’s Press

The event drew a good crowd and featured some 12 makers from diverse creative segments – leather-making (The J Myers Company, ForestChild), letter-pressing (The Gentlemen’s Press), 3D printing (TINKR), pottery (Weekend Worker), and more – who not only displayed their work, but also took visitors through the making of each product. There was even a short film-screening area where attendees could catch the craft processes of different makers and their thoughts on made in Singapore products.

GSH Conserves

Liberty Coffee

The organisers hope to continue this initiative beyond a one-off project. “The aim of this initiative is to kickstart a stream of consciousness about locally made and crafted products, to get Singaporeans to start considering and supporting the ‘Made in Singapore’ tag,” their press statement states.

Aside from the market/showcase, Makers of Singapore also recently organised a makers forum at Loof, a closed-door event that was attended by more than 100 industry people, makers, and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Future plans include developing the Makers of Singapore website into a comprehensive makers directory.

Makers of Singapore
makersofsingapore.com