Day | orchardtowers

The Towers

By Day

"I clothe them,
they (the sex workers) take off their clothes.
In the end,
we both just want money."

The Towers have a certain smell. A smell that every Singaporean knows and associates with old shopping malls. It is a stale, familiar scent. Something else hangs alongside this familiarity in the air. Tension.

Despite its reputation, regular hair salons food stalls and boutiques do continue to exist in Orchard Towers. However, the weight of the building's bad name has taken its toll over the years. Too many shutters are closed for good, glass doors shut and locked with a roughly torn up piece of cardboard -"For Rent".

The reputation of a red light district has eroded and strangled the decent businesses in the building. Most 'regular' shops have vacated the building for greener pastures, while those that cannot flee are chained to the towers by their property. They are slowly starved as their customer base is reduced to only their regulars of years gone by.

As the day begins to fade to night, the owners prepare to make their leave. Their shutters close as the neon lights of their neighbors come on. The ladies of Orchard Towers come out to play.

Above is a photo gallery of the Towers by day, followed by interviews from the owners of 'decent businesses' in the building below.