Pl. I · The Atelier
Founded in 2014 above a shophouse on Duxton Hill. Twelve hand-pressers, four press rooms, one register of work — performed slowly, returned discreetly.
Anselm trained in the pressing rooms of a grand European hotel between 2002 and 2009, then ran the linen room at a private members' club for five years before returning to Singapore. He opened the first press room on Duxton Hill in 2014, with one hand-presser and a single brass valet.
The atelier has grown to twelve pressers and four rooms. Anselm still chalk-marks every shirt that comes through Press Room 04. The house's standing instruction is unchanged: we do not press anything we have not chalk-marked first.
"The wardrobe is a long correspondence," he says. "We hold our end of it - quietly, and on time."
Shirts are pressed in the front room beneath the windows. Suiting takes the long bench in Room 02. Eveningwear has its own cool room. Linen is calendared at the back.
Six dedicated shirt presses set beneath tall east-facing windows. Cotton, poplin, voile and oxford are sorted by hand against the morning light before they reach the press. The room runs from 06:30.
A single uninterrupted bench, fitted with tailor's hams of three sizes. Wool, flannel and tropical-weight cloth are blocked here. The room is kept dim and cool; warm pressing happens in passes, not bursts.
Held at twenty degrees year-round. Silk crepe, satin and beaded work are addressed here, on a brass-trimmed valet rather than a press. Beading is individually wrapped before any iron passes near the cloth.
No. 01
Every garment is examined at intake. Cloth, weight and construction are noted on the docket. The press is then chosen for the cloth.
No. 02
Finished garments are returned in breathable unbleached cotton, on slim wood hangers. Linen comes wrapped in paper, tied with twine.
No. 03
Membership is private. Dossiers are kept under lock at the showroom and are not duplicated outside the house.
No. 04
If we find or cause damage, we will write the same day, with a photograph and our recommendation. We do not return a piece without your knowledge.