The story of DORS at Design Orchard, what makes it different and what to discover at 250 Orchard Road
DORS at Design Orchard is a curated multi-label retail destination and brand-development platform at 250 Orchard Road. Its name is shortened from Design Orchard Retail Showcase, reflecting its original role as the retail component of the wider Design Orchard development.
Managed by the Singapore Fashion Council and supported by Enterprise Singapore, DORS brings together more than 80 Singapore designers and brands across fashion, jewellery, accessories, beauty, food, home and lifestyle.
DORS is built around one clear idea: making original homegrown design easier to discover while giving independent brands a prominent platform on Singapore’s best-known shopping street.
For local shoppers, it offers a way to explore Singapore design in one place. For visitors, it provides an introduction to the country’s creative scene that extends well beyond the familiar souvenir shelf.
Photography: Courtesy of DORS at Design Orchard
What Can You Find at DORS?
DORS presents Singapore design across multiple categories, making it possible to discover an outfit, gift, accessory or everyday object within the same store.
Singapore Fashion
The fashion selection includes contemporary womenswear and menswear, tropical-ready silhouettes, activewear, statement pieces and modern interpretations of heritage clothing.
Some designers revisit forms such as batik, kebaya and cheongsam, while others focus on modern tailoring, gender-inclusive design, experimental construction or clothing made for Singapore’s climate.
Jewellery and Accessories
Visitors can discover fine and fashion jewellery, bags, scarves, eyewear, socks and smaller accessories from independent labels.
These pieces range from understated everyday designs to jewellery and accessories inspired by Peranakan patterns, orchids, architecture and familiar parts of Singapore life.
Beauty and Wellness
DORS also carries skincare, body care, fragrance and self-care products created by Singapore brands.
The category shows another side of local design—one shaped not only by visual identity, but also by ingredients, formulation, sensory experience and the needs of tropical living.
Home and Lifestyle
The home and lifestyle selection includes candles, stationery, tableware, decorative objects and practical everyday products.
Some pieces make direct reference to Singapore places or culture, while others express a local point of view through materials, function and contemporary design.
Food and Gifting
Locally created pantry products, treats and giftable items add another dimension to the DORS collection.
For visitors looking for something to bring home, DORS offers an alternative to the conventional souvenir shop: products that feel connected to Singapore but are also designed to be worn, used, shared or kept.
The exact brand and product line-up changes as new collections, campaigns and seasonal activations are introduced. Visitors can check the current DORS brand directory before their trip.
What Makes DORS Different?
1. Local Design Is the Starting Point
At DORS, Singapore design is not a small local section within a larger international assortment. It is the organising principle of the entire store.
Emerging designers sit alongside more established Singapore names, allowing shoppers to compare different approaches to materials, craftsmanship, function and identity in one visit. This concentrated presentation makes DORS a useful starting point for anyone who wants to understand Singapore’s contemporary design landscape.
2. It Is a Platform, Not Only a Shop
DORS operates as both a retail destination and a platform for brand development.
Its collective retail model gives independent brands access to a prominent Orchard Road audience without requiring every label to operate its own standalone store. It also creates opportunities for products to be introduced through changing displays, collaborations, workshops and thematic campaigns.
The result is a space where shoppers can discover new brands while participating designers gain visibility, customer feedback and exposure to both local and international audiences. Current campaigns, promotions and events also give visitors reasons to return beyond a single purchase.
3. The Curation Moves Between Heritage and the Present
Singapore identity appears at DORS in more than one form.
Some designers reinterpret batik, kebaya, Peranakan motifs, orchids, shophouses or familiar food culture. Others focus on modern tailoring, gender-inclusive design, tropical practicality, experimental accessories, skincare science or more responsible materials.
Presented together, these different approaches show that local design is not defined by one visual style. It is a living practice that can draw from heritage while continuing to respond to contemporary life.
4. Discovery Continues Online and In Person
Visitors can explore the physical store or browse products online to learn more about individual designers.
This connection between physical and digital retail gives smaller brands a broader discovery surface. It also allows travellers to continue exploring Singapore labels after leaving the country.
How DORS Grew from a Local-Design Experiment
DORS did not begin as a conventional retail brand. Its history is tied to a wider effort to give Singapore designers greater visibility, business support and a permanent presence on Orchard Road.
2014–2016: KEEPERS Tests the Idea
Before Design Orchard was built, KEEPERS: Singapore Designer Collective operated as a pop-up at the same site.
The initiative presented more than 100 Singapore designers and artisans from September 2014 to January 2016. A later government speech noted that 77% of surveyed respondents wanted a similar concept to become permanent.
That response established the opportunity: shoppers wanted a central place to encounter local design, while emerging brands needed more than a short-term market or occasional pop-up.
2017–2019: Design Orchard Takes Root
Design Orchard was conceived as a joint initiative involving JTC, Enterprise Singapore and the Singapore Tourism Board.
Its purpose was to place a retail showcase, incubation facilities and communal space under one roof, creating a structure through which local brands could be discovered, tested and developed.
Design Orchard opened on 25 January 2019 with 61 new, emerging and established brands in its ground-floor retail showcase.
2020: Retail and Incubation Come Together
From 1 August 2020, the Textile and Fashion Federation—now known as the Singapore Fashion Council—became the operator of the Design Orchard retail showcase, as well as its co-working and incubation spaces.
Bringing these functions together created a more connected path between creative talent, business development, industry programming and customer discovery.
2025: Design Orchard Retail Showcase Becomes DORS
In 2025, the Design Orchard Retail Showcase was reintroduced as DORS, with a shorter name, refreshed identity and redesigned retail experience.
The new identity made the destination easier to recognise while retaining its original purpose: championing Singapore creativity and helping homegrown brands reach wider audiences.
Today, DORS refers specifically to the retail destination on Level 1. Design Orchard is the wider development, which connects DORS with incubation, programming and public space.
Planning Your Visit
Where Is DORS?
DORS is located on Level 1 of Design Orchard:
250 Orchard Road, #01-01
Singapore 238905
What Is the Nearest MRT Station?
Somerset MRT is the nearest station. DORS is within walking distance of the station and is located close to 313@somerset and Orchard Central.
What are the Opening Hours?
DORS is currently open daily from 10.30am to 9.30pm.
As operating hours, events and special activations may change, visitors should check the official DORS website before travelling.
Can You Shop DORS Online?
Yes. The DORS online store includes products, collections, a brand directory and information about current campaigns, workshops and promotions.
Tourist Tax Refunds
DORS currently promotes tourist tax-refund shopping and asks eligible visitors to present their passport at checkout.
Refund eligibility is governed by Singapore’s electronic Tourist Refund Scheme. Under the IRAS tourist refund rules, qualifying visitors must request an eTRS transaction at the time of purchase and present their original passport in person. Minimum-spend requirements and other conditions apply, and handling fees are deducted from the final refund.
Visitors should confirm the current process with DORS staff and review the latest IRAS requirements before departure.
In a shopping district known for international names, DORS creates space for something more specific: the ideas, materials and stories shaping design in Singapore today.
Visit DORS at Design Orchard at 250 Orchard Road to explore Singapore fashion, jewellery, beauty, food and lifestyle in one curated destination—and to discover what homegrown design looks like beyond the familiar souvenir shelf.
