Designer Kavita Thulasidas revisits Stylemart’s roots in Changi Village to recharge

Who: Singaporean couturiere Kavita Thulasidas, 51, is the creative director and third-generation owner of Indian fashion house Stylemart, which she has helmed since 1999, when she was 24. The Selegie Road boutique traces its roots to its first store in Changi Village in the 1950s and has evolved into a destination for multi-ethnic bridal and heritage wear.

The Stylemart brand has been embedded in sustainability since before the word became a marketing tool. Its design philosophy is focused on preserving at-risk crafts such as intricate fabric weaves and embroidery techniques to ensure their survival in an industry rife with mass-produced throwaway fashion.

The mother of two – a daughter, 27, and a son, 22 – is known for her luxe couture pieces sought after by brides, politicians and royalty in Kuala Lumpur, Colombo and Paris. She launched her fusionwear line called Asian Woman in 2003 and opened a high-end boutique in Colombo in 2019.

In 2022, she won the national design competition Singapore Stories, organised by the Singapore Fashion Council, which provided the platform for her to debut at Paris Fashion Week in 2023 with her Spring/Summer 2024 collection titled Heritage Reinterpreted And Beyond.

In 2025, Stylemart was recognised under the National Heritage Board’s SG Heritage Business Scheme for its role in preserving craft and culture.

“My place of the heart is Changi Village, where it all began more than half a century ago for my family and Stylemart.

In many ways, Changi Village’s urban design resonates with my idea of how something rooted in the physical can evoke a profound emotional response.

Take my approach to fashion, for instance. For me, design is more about cultural continuity than responding to fashion trends.

I started designing at the age of 18 and presented my debut collection with a fashion show in 1993. That was my first big break and I’ve not looked back since.

To think of it – from sleepy Changi Village to the uber-chic runways of Paris Fashion Week – Stylemart has certainly come a long way.

I believe fashion should carry an emotional relevance and a human connection, as it can be a memory, an identity or a language that shares a message.

The core of my work stems from the notion that heritage is not static. Traditional silhouettes, textiles and craftsmanship are not mere museum pieces, but meant to be reinterpreted to fit contemporary lives. Which is why I enjoy revisiting Changi Village whenever I can.

This is where my India-born grandfather Gobindram Baxani started Stylemart in the 1950s, specialising in suitings for British officers during the Royal Air Force (RAF) days.

Everything feels almost untouched in this urban quarter, apart from the nearby Sree Ramar Temple, which is hoarded up for renovations, and new chalets and hotels that have sprouted up in recent years.

My grandfather’s shop stood across the road from the temple. He and my grandmother lived in an apartment above the shop.

Back in the 1950s, Sree Ramar Temple was much smaller. My grandmother visited it every day to give offerings to the deities.

It was routine for the family to visit the temple on Sundays and later spend the rest of the evening with my grandparents.

From my grandfather, I learnt the importance of hope.

After the RAF left Singapore, business in Changi Village plummeted, but my grandfather persevered, opening the store every day until he died in 1983, aged 64.

My mother, Madam Huri Baxani, continued the family legacy, relocating Stylemart to Selegie Road, where she made a name for herself as the first to bring in high-end, trending Indian fashion to Singapore in the early 1980s.

She taught me the importance of hard work in the fashion retail line and that there are no shortcuts to success.

Changi Village is where I feel rejuvenated after a stressful week. Working in the creative industry, I find that taking time out to be in touch with nature and appreciating the beauty of the surroundings helps to expand my mind.

This is important in avoiding burnout. It is also slower, softer and seemingly oblivious to the city bustle with its kampung vibe, which I find deeply soulful.

The familiar red-bricked Housing Board buildings and shops are still there.

Bicycles passing by remind me of my first tentative rides with old aunties and uncles from neighbouring shops cheering me on.

I treasure the aroma of my favourite nasi lemak dish wafting from the nearby hawker centre, the salt on the sea breeze and the idyllic sight of the jetty as the sun sets on fishing boats, with Pulau Ubin in the distance.

These memories keep me humble and grounded. But they also help in lighting a fire in my belly – to continue the family legacy and to take it to new heights.

In this fast-paced world, it is important to find time to ‘just be’ – to stop, find repose and reset for clarity and direction.

I wish we retained more places in Singapore like Changi Village, where the past feels so close you can reach out and touch it.”