6 Unexpectedly Fun Things To Do At This Year’s GSS: Experience Singapore

Shopping season is here again, and this time, the rebranded Great Singapore Sale (GSS) puts a spotlight on all the wonderfully artistic and cultural things this little city has to offer, beyond mega sales and discounts.

Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) joins forces with One Kampong Gelam (OKG), Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA), Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS), Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC), and Textile and Fashion Federation (TAFF) to celebrate homegrown talent with a vibrant retail experience that integrates fashion, entertainment, lifestyle design, technology and art.

Take home a slice of Singapore from June 21 – July 28 as GSS: Experience Singapore embarks on a six week-long retail adventure that kicks off at the main shopping belt, featuring a fashion show cum flash mob called the Orchard Road Fashion Scramble, and pop-up container stores along Orchard Road. Then, enrich your soul with film, food and music at The Great Singapore Street Pop Up, and immerse in a little culture at Kampong Gelam, featuring a Vespa-led tour, car boot sale, fashion show, lifestyle bazaar, farmer’s market, outdoor performances, and more!

Shopping also got a little more exciting with new digitally-led retail concepts. Design Orchard, for example, is fitted with interactive mirrors and allows one to check items out using a mobile application. The Commune Life has a three-dimensional floor planner and virtual reality simulation that allows shoppers to recreate their home and visualise how the furniture will fit inside it. More tech magic can be found at the Under Armour brand house at Orchard Central, with its Wynist Cyber Runner, the first of its kind in Singapore, and at Atomi Lifestyle & Furniture boutique at Mandarin Gallery, as it brings products to life via Augmented Reality (AR) technology. Over at The Shirt Bar, the use of AI driven technology with Inspify will deliver an immersive experience in-store through edutainment and entertainment.

Let’s not discount the attractive promotions we’ve been waiting for all year: GST Absorbed Day on July 7 (7% off everything) and TGIF deals every Friday, which includes one-for-one flash deals, storewide deals up to 80% off and complimentary gifts with purchase, only during the GSS period at participating outlets.

With so much bang for your buck, plus a thrilling line-up of local designers, style creators, gastronomic experts, artists and designers, we can’t think of a better time to go out there and enjoy some much-needed retail therapy. So, mark your calendars and make time to check out the key events listed below.

Fashion scramble? You heard right! To kick off GSS: Experience Singapore in true urban bustling style, there will be a mega fashion show along Orchard Road that deserves a special feature on your ’Gram. Jointly curated with the Textile and Fashion Federation (TAFF), this interactive runway will feature 200 flash-mob dancers and models — showcasing the handiwork of local and international designers, as well as outfits created by budding designers from La Salle College of the Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Raffles Design School and Temasek Polytechnic. Watch the dancers and models strut and gyrate their way across one of the busiest junctions in Singapore. A total of 200 fashion looks will be presented over nine sequences.Traffic-stopping, literally!

Check out the list of participating brands and designers here:

Local Designers: Akosee, David's Daughter, Depression, Dotted Line, Echo of Nature, Fatimah Mohsin, Graye, Pedro, Trilogie, Utopia, Weekend Sundries

International Brands: Aape, Adidas, Cmeo, Denizen, Dockers, Dorothy Perkins, G2000, Izzue, Jigsaw, Levi’s, Maison Kitsune, Manisfesto, Matinique, Paul & Joe Sister, Reiss, See By Chloe, Selected Homme, Shouten, Suncoo, Supplies & Co, T.M. Lewin, Topman, Topshop, Under Armour, Warehouse, Whatwomenwant, Whistles

Local Fashion Design Schools: Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Raffles Design Institute (RDI), Temasek Polytechnic (TP), School of The Arts (SOTA)

Artistic Team: Fatimah Mohsin X The Golden Rule Barber
Make-up: Cosmoprof Academy

Pop-up stores in air-conditioned containers along Orchard Road, anyone? This unique event features a mix of apparel and accessories, specialty gifts, furniture and furnishings, beauty products and F&B at the main shopping belt from ION Orchard to Mandarin Gallery, plus Robinsons The Heeren and Grange Road Carpark.

Prepare for Orchard Road to be transformed into a retail and F&B wonderland. Go on overdrive with retail therapy and gorge on the goodies at the food outlets. Instagram up a storm with the various pop-up art installations ‘littered’ along the pedestrian path. Chill out on ‘air sofas’ and picnic benches while listening to jazz bands. Watch full length movies and short films produced by students from Temasek Polytechnic. And don't forget to redeem your GoSpree tote bag with just $100 spent at any pop up store!

Check out the list of participating brands here:

Shop: Aldo • Aldora Essentials • Cash Converters • Chomel • Downtown East • Evisu • Fatimah Mohsin • Punk Candy • Green Genie “The Concious Concept”• Haylee• Kampong Gelam Gallery • Melissa Shoes • Noir Hom • On Cheong Jewelry • Pick A Plant • Playdress • Reole • SingTel • Slesta • The Golden Rule Barber • The Kettle Gourmet • The Shirt Bar • Trove of Gaia • Under Armour • VT Cosmetics

Dine & Play: 25 Degrees • Ah Hoi’s & J65 • Alley SG • Asia Pacific Breweries • Beiruit Grill • Bodacious • Keisuke • Ooh SG • Oishi Taro • Quarters • Streetfeed.SG • TCC • The Claw • The 6ixes • The Flying Squirrel • Ugly Food • Wawa SG

You don’t just get to enjoy 10 days of retail therapy and culinary delights, but also immerse in a heavy dose of the arts in the form of The Great Singapore Stories, a collection of local films, music and stories by Singaporean filmmakers, musicians and students. A curated selection of ten short films made by students of Temasek Polytechnic will be screened at ​Design Orchard Rooftop ​(June 22) and​ Grange Road Carpark (June ​21 - 23, 28-30).

Check out the synopses of short films below…

​Asam Pedas by Liv Rianty,​ is about a Malay mother who struggles to come to terms with her son’s Californian fiancé.

Azza by Eleaner Choo Kai Xin is a touching drama about a young girl who struggles to come to terms with the fact that her father is the culprit behind a bomb scare incident at an MRT station.

Buying Back Grace by Grace A. Tay, is the story of a husband who, after learning that his wife has sold their baby to pay off her gambling debts, attempts to forgive her and rebuild their lives.

Gallant by Muhammad Bahajjaj, ​set in World War 2, tracks a man desperate to flee Singapore with his pregnant wife. The film picked up a Silver Medal at the New York Festival Awards.

Hero by Kee Swee Sun​ sees a father caught in the crossfire between gang life and giving his daughter a better future.

​Longevity Peach by Ng Xinmin, is a funny and evocative story of a young girl who struggles to communicate with her Teochew-speaking grandmother over the course of a three-week stay in Singapore.

Lying Theory by Lauren Teo portrays a cynical protagonist who is able to “see” the number of lies people tell — until she meets a boy with “zero” lies.

Nina Bolboi by Victoria Elizabeth Scully ​is about a Eurasian woman who, during World War 2, is left to struggle when her partner, a British soldier, leaves her to fight for the freedom of Singapore.

SQ117 by Rudy Tan Jun Liang is a docu-drama based on a real-life terrorist attempt to hijack the flight of the same name and tells the story of elite commandos who carry out a rescue operation.

Calling happy homeowners: Spruce up your pad with chic furniture and lifestyle items at Robinsons The Heeren, Level 3. Curated by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council, the household department will be showcasing limited edition furniture and furnishings by local designers that are available for purchase. Some interesting finds include unusual stools, rocking chairs, copper cups and a decorative stature cemented with ice-cream scoops. Participating design studios include 11H, Creativeans, Fraction Design Studio, Modu Designers, Nextofkin Creatives, and OON.

Slow your pace down at one of Singapore’s oldest urban enclaves and get to know the rich heritage and national significance of this beautifully preserved community, which has planned a very packed 10-day calendar of activities. From July 5 – 14, partake in a Kampong Gelam’s Precinct Tour (on a chauffeured Vespa!), visit a Home & Lifestyle Bazaar on Baghdad Street, plus surround yourself with music, arts and food at KG SOUQ in Kandahar Street.

Get ready for some fierce fashion on July 6 when Arab Street turns into runway for ProjeKGlamway – a one-of-a-kind fashion show that taps onto the expertise of five local designers who will produce chic creations using traditional fabric from textile stores and other ethnic materials in the Kampong Gelam area.

Love a good bargain? Then head to the public carpark at Baghdad Street from July 6 – 7 for KG Nostalgia, a car boot sale filled with pre-loved clothing, old-school collectibles and antiques. When you’re done rummaging for fabulous finds, head on over to the farmer’s market to explore local produce and tuck into delicious nosh from the food trucks nearby.

If you’re planning a major shopping expedition, we recommend downloading the GoSpree app to enjoy additional savings and member exclusives during the 38-day long GSS: Experience Singapore. This e-coupon app by Singapore’s Retail Association allows users to take advantage of special incentives and extra goodies, receive shopping recommendations, plan your shopping trips, make extensive wishlists and be the first to know about a new discount. Shopping aside, it’s also an informative tool to search for the best dining outlets, attractions, leisure venues, hotels and more!

Here are some tips: Find GoSpree eCoupons offered by retailers near you (up to 5km). Don’t miss $5 Under Armour GoSpree eCoupons for the 1st 500 redemptions exclusively on 7.7 GST Absorbed Day, and $5 Robinsons GoSpree eCoupons (500 redemptions every Friday from June 28 to July 26). Wait, there’s more: Check out offers from Benny’s Gems Creations, Criss Cross, Eu Yan Sang, GinLee, Kidstyle, OG, Peach Blossoms restaurant, Singapore Cable Car, Takashimaya, T Galleria by DFS, Tissot and Topshop. You can also EGift GoSpree eCoupons to friends, and scan QR Codes off GoSpree rovers at the GSS Pop-Up for great gifts! Download the app now for more deals and discounts!

For more info about the exciting activities at this year’s GSS: Experience Singapore, go to https://gss.sra.org.sg/