A multi-level retail space in Singapore is providing a unique platform for Southeast Asian fashion brands to showcase their collections, reflecting a growing interest in regional designers and bridging the gap between pop-up events and permanent stores.
With Love, located at 142 Neil Road, began in late 2024 as a four-week pop-up aimed at helping emerging labels test the Singapore market. Founded by 29-year-old Mary Knickrehm Kumar, an American who moved to Singapore in 2016, the concept was designed as a mid-term retail solution—longer than a weekend event but not as permanent as a traditional store.
The initiative quickly exceeded expectations, with sales doubling initial projections within the first month. Encouraged by this response, Knickrehm Kumar extended the operation for nearly nine months at an initial location on Keong Saik before securing a permanent space at Neil Road. This expansion allowed her to develop a more complex retail model. The first two floors are dedicated to rotating displays from 20 feminine Southeast Asian brands, offering a range of apparel including cocktail dresses, casual tops, and floral corsets. The third floor features showrooms for top-performing labels, providing dedicated spaces with fitting rooms—currently occupied by Ho Chi Minh–based brands Fig & Tonka and Clothes Bar. The fourth floor is occasionally used for events.
With Love has collaborated with more than 75 brands, sourcing initial inventories typically between 250 and 350 pieces per label. Its current roster includes designers from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Prices range from approximately S$35 for tops to S$260 for dresses.
Knickrehm Kumar’s involvement with fashion in the region began a decade ago during a summer internship at an online fashion rental platform in Singapore. She subsequently transferred her studies to Singapore Management University and started a marketing agency focused on independent fashion and alcohol brands in 2020. Observing difficulties that smaller brands faced in scaling beyond their home markets—related to high advertising costs and customer hesitancy around online purchases—she pivoted to creating With Love as a physical retail space designed to make buying and trying clothes easier for consumers.
“The purpose has always been the brands,” Knickrehm Kumar said, emphasizing that the store is an extension of her passion for supporting designers rather than simply merchandising apparel for customers.
Her decision to base the business in Singapore also carries a personal element. Having met her husband—a Singapore permanent resident—upon arrival in the city-state ten years ago, she cites Singapore’s strategic location and connectivity as key advantages for working with brands across Southeast Asia.
“It’s a really cool city to be in, live in, and work in,” she said. “Singapore allows those connections to happen.”
With Love continues to build on its success, providing a platform that reflects the growing appetite for diverse and authentic Southeast Asian fashion in the region’s retail landscape.