Located in Scape, a designated community hub for youths in the city, A Curious Teepee (ACT) is getting some curious attention and here’s why: it’s a retail store, café/bar and social space rolled into one, the product mix and gallery layout constantly evolves, and it places equal emphasis on Singapore design and crafted objects from around the globe.
ACT has colour and quirk, and more than 80 curated brands encompassing fashion, homeware, stationery and more. Intrigued, we pose Tracy Phillips these questions.
How did A Curious Teepee come about?
We were initially hired by Scape to manage and curate one of their floors for young entrepreneurs but URA zoning restrictions prevented us from moving forward a year into the planning.
When we were offered a tenancy instead, we had to decide how to satisfy some of our initial ideals of developing, inspiring and working with the creative community while running a commercial business and A Curious Teepee began to materialise.
A lifestyle store where we could indulge our interests in design and support the people behind it, as well as an Food and Beverage component that could facilitate the programming we wanted to put out.
Why the name A Curious Teepee?
We wanted a whimsical name that worked on the imagination and picked the word ‘teepee’ because of its inferences to home, travel, craftsmanship and being part of a tribe.
What are some of the great finds that you’ve come across in your numerous travels?
I love Future Classics for their modern take on classic looks and impeccable draping when worn. Areaware from New York makes great contemporary objects that add personality and life to any room, or home.
Why the 50/50 emphasis on Singapore designs and overseas products?
As a Singapore-based store one of our priorities should be to support homegrown products, or else who will? We’d like to be a destination for thoughtful, well-designed items from around the world, and in that regard Singapore has more than its fair share of talent.
Lamps from Design House Stockholm
Umbrella stand from Design House Stockholm
Located in Orchard Road we also have to cater to the tourist market and it makes sense to offer brands they can’t get back home while sharing an insight into our culture and design aesthetic in the process.
What projects do you have in the pipeline this year?
We have several talks and art exhibitions planned in store throughout the year, as well as new brands and in-house products to launch.
We’re also working on our online sales platform and our blog – acuriousteepee.com/blog – will be up by the time this story goes out.
A Curious Teepee
acuriousteepee.com