When Taboo of The Black Eyed Peas played Pangaea nightclub at Marina Bay Sands on Wednesday, 24 October 2012, he made time to visit Singapore label Depression’s store at Cineleisure Orchard. It was a repeat visit. He had found the label on an earlier trip to Singapore and bought heavily then, too.
This time he again bought from the latest collection. The store staff were thrilled, and he posed for photos with them.
A label built on an unlikely name
Depression was started in 2006 by Kenny Lim and Andrew Loh. The two co-founders wanted to break away from their corporate jobs in advertising. Lim has explained the name as a reminder that if you are unhappy with your life, you have the power to change it.
The clothes are dark in palette and mood. Each collection was presented as a black comedy based on medical themes. Titles included AW12 Plastic Surgery, SS13 Blackout and AW13 Dysmorphia. The autumn 2011 collection, Birth Defects, drew attention for its tailoring and its deconstructed brogue. At that time prices started at S$95 for menswear, S$99 for womenswear and S$220 for shoes.
The designers were in Seoul
Lim and Loh missed Taboo’s visit. They were in Seoul for the city’s Spring/Summer fashion week. Depression was one of a handful of Singapore brands invited to a dedicated showcase there for the first time.
They were excited about the invitation. They were also disappointed to miss a fan who had come back for more.
The store was then at Cineleisure Orchard, unit #03-05A. In October 2012 it opened from 12pm to 10pm, Sunday to Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays it opened from 12pm to midnight.
A star fan among several
Taboo was not the label’s only high-profile customer. A Singapore shopping guide listed Randy Jackson, pop star Derrick Hoh, actor Andie Chen and actress Michelle Chong among the fans of the label. The same guide said the label was sold overseas in more than 20 multi-brand shops in places including Hong Kong, Tokyo, the USA and Paris.
The label also had a cheaper line. Lim and Loh created Antidepressant, a younger line of graphic T-shirts and basics, and a streetwear brand called Not Cool Enough. By 2014, a fashion magazine was still describing Taboo as a customer who comes to shop at the designers’ own store when he is in Singapore.
Where Depression stands now
The founders have been through several shop locations since 2012. By 2014 the label had a store at Orchard Gateway, described by one visitor as spacious, with a warehouse feel. A fashion stylist who visited noted that it mainly featured their menswear collection, though it felt quite unisex.
Tatler Asia, in a feature on gender-neutral fashion in Asia, traced how the label’s shapeless, drapey silhouettes became a natural fit for genderless dressing. Lim told the magazine that there is no need to distinguish the male form from the female form. The same feature reported that the duo owns Sects Shop, a multi-brand retailer carrying avant-garde and streetwear brands.
The label was founded in 2006, so it is now 20 years old. Its address is depression.com.sg.