Come curious · Discover slowly · Find something you love · Come curious · Discover slowly · Find something you love · Come curious · Discover slowly · Find something you love · Come curious · Discover slowly · Find something you love · Come curious · Discover slowly · Find something you love · Come curious · Discover slowly · Find something you love ·
A closer look at the intention, curiosity and careful curation behind Scent, Style & Sips.
CULTURE · 5 MIN READ
Over the past year, Brunei has seen a wave of pop-ups ranging from various new trends and themes. But once in a while, we’d come across pop-ups that encourage us to slow down, wander and wonder, “Wait—where has this brand been all my life?”
With Scent, Style & Sips’ goal of offering something a little different, the organisers are bringing a twist to Brunei’s growing pop-up scene. “I’ve always thought it would be nice to have a curated pop-up specifically meant for lifestyle, wellness and fragrance,” one of the organisers shared. Instead of waiting for somebody else to create it, she eventually decided to take matters into her own hands. Upon successfully gaining Relilit as a co-host, the rest was history.
“We wanted a name that gave you a sense of what to expect straight away,” described the organiser. Visitors would immediately know to anticipate local scents they can sample, styles they can explore and, presumably, something to sip on while doing a bit of both. More importantly, the name captures the different pieces of everyday life that the organisers wanted to gather under one roof.
“There’s a different sense of appreciation and respect once you get to know them beyond their product.”
But Scent, Style & Sips is not simply about filling a room with products pretty to the eye. The organisers wanted to offer small-scale, independent and emerging local brands—which may still be unfamiliar to many—a platform to introduce their products and themselves.
Thus, brands need not conform to one rigid aesthetic to find a place in the Scent, Style & Sips community. What truly matters most is intention. From the product and its presentation to the story behind it, visitors should come away with a clear sense of who the brand is and what it wants to offer.
It also gives participating businesses something an online product listing cannot fully recreate. Within the first five minutes, the organisers hope visitors will think that everything feels “really considered and cool”, and then feel curious enough to keep looking. From clothing and accessories to scents, styles and refreshing drinks, everything is thoughtfully curated.
They have been especially particular about avoiding the familiar table-to-table trudge. Instead, SS&S is intended to feel unhurried: a place where people can browse, take their time and stumble upon something new to love.
That emphasis may be well timed. The organisers believe Bruneian consumers are becoming increasingly curious about smaller, more thoughtful brands—especially when they are given the chance to discover them properly.
“A place made for the curious.”
Scent, Style & Sips reflects an experience its organisers have imagined for years but had never brought to life until now. If they overheard one thing from visitors, they would want it to be that the care behind every detail was obvious, from the selection of brands to the atmosphere of the space.
So, come curious. Come thirsty. Perhaps you may leave with a new scent, a new favourite local brand, or even a bag full of wondrous goodies you did not plan to get.
