SPREADING THE WORLD OF AKINN WITH GERMS

What do fashion and digital marketing have in common? Both are very fast-paced industries that require dedicated creatives to keep the fire burning. It is at this crossroads that AKINN and GERMS found themselves in; the former being Singapore’s newest fashion label, the latter an award-winning marketing consultancy. 

Like most relationships, it took a while for this one to bloom. Wykidd Song, internationally acclaimed fashion designer and founder of AKINN, shares, “I knew that with the proliferation of fast fashion in the industry, there’s no better time than now to disrupt the scene with something that makes everybody slow down and appreciate the finer details of apparels. It was just a matter of finding the right people to do it with, those who share the same passion for design and craftsmanship.” With this in mind, he commenced discussions with James Chua, founder of GERMS Creative Capital Pte Ltd, the creative investment arm of GERMS. 

“Beyond helping Clients market their products/brands, one of GERMS’ long-term goals is to also embark on our own journey of brand building. So we have been searching for the right opportunity. I have always admired Wykidd’s work since his days at Song+Kelly, so it was a no-brainer when he reached out to us with his idea for AKINN,” says James. Almost a year in the making, the two gentlemen worked closely to develop this new concept. While Wykidd focuses on his vision of renewed womenswear, GERMS’ young and energetic team navigates the brand with digital and social communications through the fickle fashion landscape. From James’ perspective, “we saw AKINN as more than just a label. We didn’t want to go towards the hype tactic. For us, it was about stripping design down to the basics: starting with stories.” So it is with this direction that AKINN took inspiration from individuals - their background, craft, passion and vision.

“The ideas that I had about AKINN - the GERMS team took it and made it even bigger than I had imagined. Because James and I are both design enthusiasts, we eventually want to expand the brand to other disciplines like art, jewellery, and home accessories. We want to find other creatives and bring their vision to life,” shares Wykidd.