Singapore Fashion Star Grace Ling Opens Her First Store In New York City
Making it big in the Big Apple
Grace Ling, one of the buzziest Singaporean fashion designers working today, has opened her first permanent store in New York City, where she and her namesake brand are based.
In attendance at the opening party on Feb 5 were laurelled designer Zac Posen, up-and-coming designer Andrew Kwon and supermodel Alex Consani, reported industry publication WWD.
The menu leaned bespoke: Chinese New Year-themed Hennessy cocktails, Marky’s caviar and a three-tiered black sesame Lady M cake, made-to-order in the colour of concrete – “so Grace Ling” was the feedback, said the 28-year-old designer on Instagram.
It was catering suitably couture for Ling, who has dressed Ambani bride Radhika Merchant and pop star Katy Perry in custom, sculptural looks.
Since the launch of her label at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the Parsons graduate has made a name for herself in sensual yet highly technical pieces.
Her signature 3D-printed metal breastplates and structural gowns staked claim to A-list wardrobes early, worn by stars like singer-actress Jennifer Lopez since 2022.
Ling’s garments can finally be tried on in her own store, when the 185 sq m shop opens to the public on Feb 7.
Though the brand’s ready-to-wear line is stocked at major luxury retailers like Bergdorf Goodman and Nordstrom, the boutique near Hudson Yards is a four-cornered, full-throated Grace Ling experience.
Jennifer Lopez graced the red carpet in Los Angeles in 2023, wearing a bold design by Grace Ling.
The hanging lamps look like spaceships, the mannequins are stone, not plastic, the seating is a cluster of onyx-black poufs, some flat, others upright, pushed together like space rocks – custom-made, naturally.
Ling told WWD: “In the store, we’re going to be exhibiting artistic craft-based pieces, almost like exhibition style.
“People can come in and see the custom pieces up close for the first time because we don’t really show these to the public. With our garments, there’s a lot of engineering and details that go into the garments that you really don’t experience the full extent of until you’re there in person.”
In 2024, the brand became profitable for the first time, which made taking on a lease less of a financial risk, Ling told Business of Fashion.
“The economic landscape is not great, but what keeps the business afloat is that I’m really on top of it with my budgeting and expenses,” she said.
That same year, she won a US$100,000 (S$135,000) grant under the inaugural AAPI Design and Innovation Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Genesis House, and made the finals for the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund.
She also bagged the CVFF x Gap Inc award, and was most recently named a finalist for the 2025 Fashion Trust US.
Grace Ling’s flagship store is at 240 West 40th Street, Suite 603, New York, NY 10018.
This story first appeared in The Straits Times