Luxury Meets Passion: Inside the Inaugural UltraLuxe Festival in Singapore

It’s not every day that you get to say that you saw your friends strutting the runway. However, some of us from the Tatler community had the opportunity to do so recently. And it was all thanks to the return of JeweLuxe, Singapore’s preeminent jewellery fair. This year, it made its glorious comeback in an evolved and expanded form under the new aegis of UltraLuxe.

On its opening night on October 21, the event kicked off with a fashion and jewellery presentation that included a number of familiar faces as models—Tatler friends Chermaine Pang, Frances Low and Elaine Lim surprised everyone when they closed the show. Needless to say, the audience was thrilled, especially since there were several others from the Tatler community in attendance that night.

In addition to JeweLuxe forming the marquee event, there was also The Advocacy Show, which focused on purposeful luxury, and the Singapore Watch Festival—a curated showcase of independent watchmaking and vintage timepieces.

Held from October 21 to 30 in the heart of Singapore’s Orchard Road shopping district, UltraLuxe presented a sweeping panorama of over 90 international brands including jewellery houses, watchmakers, fashion designers and lifestyle labels. Like previous editions of JeweLuxe, UltraLuxe was also supported by the Singapore Tourism Board.

Back for its sixth edition, JeweLuxe showcased over US$200 million worth of gems and jewellery pieces. As the anchoring event for UltraLuxe, it retained signature elements from previous editions such as the highly anticipated shopping experience—unlike typical trade shows and exhibitions, the pieces on display at JeweLuxe could be purchased from the designers themselves.

Besides international brands, a wide range of homegrown brands were also represented; Singapore brands such as Poh Heng Jewellery, Caratell, Flower Diamond, Infiniti Jewels and more were featured prominently this year.

The second chapter of JeweLuxe took place from October 26 to 30 through the launch of the inaugural Singapore Watch Fair. Just like at JeweLuxe, the products on display by the manufactures were all available for purchase, with many of these brands’ founders and watchmakers present to interact with connoisseurs and collectors.

The Advocacy Show was also a resounding success as it showcased fashion, jewellery and lifestyle brands that focus on value and meaning as part of what they do. This year, there was an emphasis on local brands to support UltraLuxe’s philosophy of supporting homegrown talent. Among the various themed runway presentations held was Urban Manifesto, which featured brands that have worked to promote and sustain the appreciation of nature and culture.

Click through the gallery below to view photos from the event.