We Try On 5 Outfits At “China’s Zara” Aka Urban Revivo’s New Duplex Store At Jewel Changi Airport

While the rest of Jewel Changi Airport opened to great fanfare in early April, a few stores remained hidden behind hoarding. One of these was Urban Revivo, the fast fashion brand with hundreds of stores in China, whose first overseas outpost opened right here in Singapore in Raffles City in early 2017. Back in April, the Jewel store's massive duplex facade was not yet ready to meet the world. But the shutters were finally removed in late July, and you could say the Chinese Zara's third store in Singapore is worth the wait.

The store concept is a grandiose-sounding architectural reinterpretation of a forest inspired by the naturalistic elements of Singapore , but there's not a tree or hint of green in sight. Designed by Fabrikr, the Seoul-based artist duo behind many of Gentle Monster’s store art installations and some of Seoul's hippest spaces, the 9,139 sq ft, two-storey space is stark white and features a striking series of arches, which are meant to depict canopy-like foliage , which pay homage to Jewel's lush gardens and landscapes.

Floor-to-ceiling plasma screens play a hypnotising montage of blue water droplets tumbling and crashing, inspired by none other than the ever-mesmerising Rain Vortex. It's supposed to create a sublime and multi-sensory retail journey.

That's all good, but how are the goods? After all, you walk into a shop not just to gawk at its amazing interiors, but also to buy stuff, right? How do the dresses, shirts, bags and shoes in China's Zara compare to the real Zara in terms of price, quality and style? 8days.sg investigates. By shopping, of course.

Those aren't just arches, okay? They're canopy-like foliage as you walk through a jungle of, not exotic animals, but the season's trendiest fast fashion styles.

The massive blue plasma screens are artistic digital projections of water droplets — a tribute to Singapore's most amazing indoor waterfall.

The duplex store, one of 11 in Jewel, is two floors of fast fashion, with clothes for women from $29.90 to $89.90, clothes for men from $29.90 to $79.90, shoes from $49.90 to $79.90, accessories from $9.90 to $49.90, and bags from $39.90 to $79.90. Seem more affordable than Zara, if these prices are an indication, no?

Fashion's obsession with the '80s continues, and the era takes centrestage across the label's Fall/Winter 2019 collection. Expect exaggerated shoulders, high waists and bursts of colour, along with oversized silhouettes, and neon hues and bold prints so loud, your mother would tell them to shut up. (FYI: The clothes you see here are from the previous collection, although we did already spy lots of '80s love when we hit up the store in late July).

Unlike many fast fashion stores which pack as many goods and racks into the shop as sardinely possible, Urban Revivo's Jewel store is spacious and comfortable, and merch is properly laid out with respect, and not squeezed onto a rack or thrown into a bin.

Simple, chic and '80s on-trend. The clothes all fit well and feel — not exactly luxe — but certainly sturdy and comfortable. Not bad at all for the price.

Neon tee is fun, and the skirt feels really well-made. Defo comparable to Zara in terms of price and quality. Does $79.90 for a pair of chunky sneakers seem a tad on the expensive side? Maybe for a non-sports and non-designer brand, but these shoes got a lot of positive comments on an Instagram pic we posted (but no, we didn't end up getting them lol). The bag's cute, but a little generic and not exactly cheap.

Love this men's shirt, which feels really luxe. Not cheap, but we'd pay for quality.

Sorry about the annoying pose (we were goaded on by the in-store stylist. Ask one of the stylists for help if you want a lot of stuff brought to you which you're gonna be tempted to buy). The tee won't last many washes without its collar stretching out of shape, but then again, it isn't too pricey. The skirt is on-trend and comfortable but a little on the thin side. The bag is cute, a trendy mini that's currently the rage with designer labels.

We feel like we've bought something like this from Zara before at pretty much the same price and with comparable quality. Summer feels.

One of the items that came home with us was this pair of kitten heels. They're very comfy and the quality is pretty good, but its real power is its leg-elongating properties. Thanks to the pointy design which lengthens your feet and your legs, it gives the illusion of longer gams. We'll be wearing these often.

Pics: @celine_tan_

A hint of retro, a dash of street and a sprinkling of office elegance — is this Urban Revivo's recipe for success? The Chinese brand has plans to open hundreds of stores worldwide by 2020. Watch out Zara, Topshop, Mango and H&M.

Urban Revivo is at Jewel Changi Airport #02-230/231. The other two stores are at Raffles City and Plaza Singapura.