Presented by global design practice Anak, Hot Bodies asks a clear question: what role can fashion play in a world that’s getting warmer by the year? The exhibition brings the conversation into the design space, framing heat as a condition that shapes daily life. With Singapore as its backdrop, it looks at how the city’s climate and creative landscape can inform new ways of dressing for warmth.
And where better to have this conversation than right here on our tropical island? With rising temperatures already shaping how people dress, Anak recognised that the city’s humidity and density offer a natural setting to explore climate-aware design. In places like this, style often takes a backseat, with comfort being prioritised, but what if we bring it to the forefront, using apparel not just to combat the issue, but to rethink the design process entirely?
The exhibition gathers designers who each approach heatwear from their own angle, through material research, cultural reference, construction or movement. Some examine how clothing sits on the skin, while others think about airflow or adaptability. Each designer brings a distinct response to the table, offering a glimpse into just how open-ended this conversation can be.
Together, these works point towards a growing space for climate-conscious design and show how Singapore, with heat baked into its everyday reality, can act as a testing ground for this kind of thinking. Through Hot Bodies, dressing steps into the climate conversation as something active—shaped by the environment and the daily reality of living in high temperatures. It gestures towards a future where design plays a bigger role in how we navigate warmth and where clothing becomes part of the larger dialogue of how we live through change. Here, we spotlight four designers from the exhibition whose pieces continue that conversation—each offering their unique perspective on what it means to design for heat.
Jaimus Tailor
Designed by London-based designer Jaimus Tailor, this modular piece treats warmth as something that requires flexibility and release. “The modular jacket was designed to keep you cool and agile in hot environments,” he explains. Linen was used for airflow and the pale palette reflects sunlight. Instead of standard zip-off panels, he worked with subtler openings that shift how heat escapes as the wearer moves. “The piece evolves as I sew and construct, allowing the design to take shape organically”, a rhythm that helped refine features responding directly to warm conditions. The process also expanded his self-assurance. “It’s given me the confidence to push my abilities”, a direction he plans to carry into future climate-aware work.
Tanchen Studio
Co-founders Amber Chen and Sanchia Tan approached cooling through materials that stay close to warm skin, letting jade and beading techniques guide the form. They were drawn to the way tassels “are widely regarded as talismanic”, while their strands also “allow for more skin contact, which in turn cools the body”. Working with jade meant sourcing beads of different shapes and weights—a process they described as “lots of trial and error”—to find versions that wouldn’t feel heavy in humidity. Techniques like tubular peyote stitching, tassel beading and knotting helped them build a piece that can be looped or adjusted, increasing exposure to airflow. Designing in Singapore shaped their instinct for this. “Almost all our collections are created in the spirit of summertime,” they share. And this project reinforced their belief that “good design can break down that binary between style and sustainability”.
Buj Studio
Buj Studio’s piece studies how plant surfaces regulate temperature, using those systems to imagine cooling as something embedded within the garment. The founder, Raquel Buj, describes it as “a second skin inspired by the functioning of the ‘hair’ of other non-human species”, a porous structure shaped from biomaterials that react to moisture and warmth. Her research drew her to species like cacti, whose trichomes can “trap dewdrops and create shade”, informing layers that respond to perspiration, ventilation and exposure. The concept grew from climate discussions in Berlin, where she explored the idea that “the more, the cooler”, treating clothing as part of a shared environment rather than insulation. She hopes the piece sparks curiosity. “I would like people who see the piece to ask themselves questions about our relationship with plants.”
Harri KS
Harri’s design responds to what heat does to the body, which is why air circulation sits at the centre of this inflatable form. His silhouettes, they say, “respond to imagined states of heat: swelling, collapsing, expanding, constricting”, turning airflow into structure. Kerala’s climate shaped their early understanding of warmth. “Heat was constant: thick, humid, inescapable. It made you hyper-aware of your body.” That memory informs how this garment holds pressure while still allowing air to move and release around the wearer. Play becomes a method for rethinking climate design, as Harri explains. “Playfulness isn’t a distraction from seriousness, it’s a strategy.” The result is a sculptural piece that treats heat as a design force, using airflow and pressure to show how construction changes when the body becomes part of the design process.
Photography Zantz Han
Styling Lance Aeron
Hair Christvian Wu
Make-up Sarah Tan
Photographer’s assistants Tan Peng Sheng and Michelle Yap
Stylist’s assistant Shavita d/o Rajendran
Model Rose L/ Now Model Management.
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