Inside the Biggest Retail Reinvention at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

Luxury retail in Singapore did not simply evolve in 2025. It recalibrated. Over the past year, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands quietly executed one of its most ambitious transformations to date, layering art, culture, craftsmanship, and technology into an experience that goes far beyond shopping.

From immersive flagship reopenings and couture-level temporary boutiques to a food court that feels closer to an art installation, the waterfront destination has positioned itself as a place to linger, explore, and return to. Here is a closer look at the brands and concepts that defined the year.

Gentle Monster ushers in a new era

2025 marked a pivotal chapter for Gentle Monster in Singapore, with the unveiling of renewed flagship spaces at Marina Bay Sands and ION Orchard. The dual reopening underscored the brand’s long-term commitment to the market and its belief in physical retail as a creative medium.

The highlight came on August 1, 2025, when Gentle Monster hosted an exclusive reopening event at its newly expanded duplex flagship at Marina Bay Sands. The evening drew media, fashion insiders, and cultural tastemakers, with Korean celebrity Kim Min-gyu making a special appearance.

Now occupying a larger, more immersive duplex space, the Marina Bay Sands flagship invites guests into Gentle Monster’s world with renewed intensity. Visitors are immediately met by the Giant Head Kinetic Object, an arresting installation engineered by the Gentle Monster Robotics Lab. Three monumental sculptural heads move continuously, each expressing subtle emotional and cognitive shifts. The piece reflects the brand’s fascination with perception, technology, and storytelling, setting the tone for a store that feels closer to a contemporary art space than a traditional boutique.

In parallel, Gentle Monster also reopened its ION Orchard store, its first-ever location in Singapore. Following a complete renewal, the refreshed space offers a more streamlined yet equally compelling retail journey, serving as a counterpoint to the theatrical Marina Bay Sands flagship while honoring the brand’s local origins.

Global firsts and regional debuts

Among the most talked-about openings of the year was Laopu Gold, which selected The Shoppes for its first boutique outside China. Revered for its dedication to traditional Chinese gold craftsmanship, the brand showcases jewelry and decorative objects created using intangible cultural heritage techniques such as filigree, engraving, inlay, and high-temperature enamel. The pieces carry strong cultural symbolism, offering a distinctly Eastern aesthetic that resonated with local and regional shoppers from the moment the boutique opened.

Wellness-forward fashion label ALO also made its Singapore debut at The Shoppes, opening a 280-square-meter flagship designed as a sanctuary within the city. Warm oak finishes, ambient lighting, and curated greenery create a calming environment that reflects the brand’s holistic philosophy. The space houses an extensive range of men’s, women’s, and unisex apparel, footwear, and accessories, alongside ALO’s Asia-exclusive Wellness System, a clean beauty line developed for skin, face, and hair.

Italian luxury shoemaker Rene Caovilla further elevated the mall’s footwear offering with its first Southeast Asian boutique. Known for crystal embellishments, snake motifs, and silver star-dusted soles, the brand presented iconic designs alongside selections from its Spring–Summer 2026 collection. Personalized services and a boutique layout designed to highlight craftsmanship added a layer of intimacy and exclusivity to the experience.

For something more grounded, Birkenstock introduced its Urban Birch Forest concept store. Designed to evoke serenity and simplicity, the space features birch logs, preserved moss, tree-trunk stools, and forest-inspired lightboxes. Classic silhouettes such as Arizona, Madrid, and Boston are displayed alongside the premium 1774 collection, reinforcing the brand’s philosophy of natural movement and mindful living.

Local contemporary label Beyond The Vines also expanded with the opening of the Beyond The Vines Design Post, its seventh location in Singapore. The store is anchored by a bold orange spiral column showcasing the brand’s best-selling bags, while functional features such as a dedicated phone strap bar and easy-access drawers reflect its minimalist, everyday design ethos.

CHANEL, redefined through heritage and scale

Luxury took on a more intimate form with the unveiling of a temporary CHANEL fashion boutique spanning over 900 square meters at The Shoppes. Located just steps from the original CHANEL Fashion boutique, which is currently under renovation ahead of its 2027 reopening, the temporary space is dedicated to the House’s latest Ready-to-Wear, bags, shoes, costume jewelry, and eyewear, alongside an exclusive selection of Watches and Fine Jewelry.

The boutique’s design reflects a careful dialogue between heritage and modern elegance. CHANEL’s signature palette of black, white, and beige, accented with gold, is paired with refined furnishings and fabrics to create a luxurious yet welcoming environment. Every detail pays tribute to the legacy of the House, drawing inspiration from Gabrielle Chanel’s legendary Parisian apartment at 31 rue Cambon.

Mirrors in the private salons echo the iconic mirrored staircase, allowing collections to be viewed from multiple perspectives. Bespoke lamps by Goossens recall the furniture created for Gabrielle Chanel herself. Guests enter through the world of bags and accessories, including the latest CHANEL 25 handbag, before moving into salons showcasing the 2024/25 Métiers d’art collection inspired by Hangzhou, China. The journey continues through a dedicated shoe salon and culminates in an intimate Watches and Fine Jewelry space presenting Coco Crush, N°5 Fine Jewelry, Première, J12, and BOY·FRIEND timepieces, alongside exceptional High Jewelry and Haute Horlogerie creations.

When dining becomes immersive

Dining saw its own transformation with the reopening of Koufu’s Rasapura Masters, beginning with the first phase of a multi-stage renovation. The redesigned food court blends gastronomy with immersive technology, anchored by a striking 3D digital feature wall that surrounds diners with animated landscapes of lush greenery and blooming flora. The visual spectacle pays tribute to Singapore’s identity as a Garden City.

With Phase One now open, Phase Two renovations are underway ahead of the fully revamped Rasapura Masters launch in mid-November. The refreshed concept reflects Koufu’s ambition to elevate everyday dining into a multisensory experience that combines comfort, design, and culinary diversity.

The lineup is extensive and deliberately eclectic. Michelin-recognized and heritage stalls sit alongside international crowd favorites, including Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang with its bold Singaporean-Indonesian fusion, Indian Express serving dishes like Kashmiri lamb rack and chicken dum biryani, and King Grouper Fish Soup known for its long-simmered, collagen-rich broth. Other highlights range from Korean street food at Myeongdong Bunsik and Ipoh-style Hong Wan Kei Chicken Rice to Shanghainese dumplings at Dingtele, Padang classics at Pondok Nasi Padang, Japanese comfort food at Chirashi-Tei, and Western grill favorites at Ali’s Grill. Thai Dynasty, Pepper Lunch Express, Guan Chee Roasted Delight, and Ampang Yong Tau Foo and Odeon Beef Noodle round out the offering.

Sweet endings come courtesy of R&B Tea, which marked the reopening with a refreshed space and a limited-edition Lustre of Golden Matcha drink topped with matcha cheese brûlée and edible gold, and Nine Fresh, beloved for its Taiwan-inspired taro ball desserts served over grass jelly, bean curd, or ai-yu jelly.

The takeaway

From avant-garde eyewear flagships and couture salons inspired by Parisian apartments to food courts powered by digital landscapes, 2025 confirmed that The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands is no longer simply a luxury mall. It is a destination designed for discovery, immersion, and return visits. With more openings and expansions on the horizon, this evolution shows no signs of slowing down.