2025 is a big year for Leica for a multitude of reasons. For starters, it marks 100 years since the Leica I first debuted in 1925 at the Leipzig Spring Fair, eventually going on to become the first 35mm camera to be mass-produced. A century on, it’s easy to call that historic. But to really feel its weight, you have to ask why it matters.
If you’re unfamiliar with 35mm film, here’s a shortcut: it made photography faster, cheaper, and lighter. The format was so impactful that even modern digital sensors are built on that same 35mm standard. And while Leica didn’t create the film itself, it popularised it by stuffing it into a case you could carry in your coat pocket. Essentially, without the groundwork laid down by the Leica I, we might’ve never seen the rise of chonky cat videos on our Instagram explore page. So thank you, Leica.
But it’s worth remembering that Leica’s story didn’t start with the Leica I—or even with cameras. Leica’s roots lie in the Optisches Institut founded by Carl Kellner in Wetzlar, Germany, in 1849, which later became Ernst Leitz GmbH. It was here that the company initially specialised in microscopes, not cameras.
In fact, as Sunil Kaul, Managing Director of Leica Asia Pacific, tells me, "we [Leica] started making binoculars even before we made cameras."
But even with such a deep heritage, Leica isn’t just looking back—they’re pushing forward. Earlier this year, they opened a new flagship store at South Beach Quarter. It’s their biggest one in Southeast Asia, though classifying it as a store feels wrong considering the space functions more as a hub for art and photography than a store that simply sells stuff. What Leica has built is more of a breathing thing: a place where you can drink a coffee, join a workshop, lose track of time in an exhibit. But of course, cameras are sold too on top of offerings spanning watches to sport optics.
Fittingly, the space lives inside a restored colonial building that resonates symbolically with the brand. Rooted in Singapore’s own history, the South Beach Quarter sets the stage for Leica to anchor its heritage for its SEA community.
Building on this momentum, 6 June sees the grand relaunch of Leica's ION Orchard store in a shinier, more central location. "It's a small, modest space," says Sunil Kaul, Managing Director of Leica Asia Pacific. "But in that limited space, we have created what we call in German Das Wesentliche—which basically means the essentials." If you're familiar with the brand, you’ll recognise that this philosophy extends to the products themselves, where features are rarely overcomplicated.
"Leica as a brand goes back 170 years," Mr. Sunil adds, "but our retail journey only began 18-19 years ago globally."
The back-to-back openings in Singapore—first the South Beach flagship, now the revamped ION boutique—signal a strategic shift. Leica is evolving from a purely product-driven company to one deeply invested in retail as an experience.
"We’ve moved from a ‘don’t touch’ mentality to a more open environment," explains Mr. Sunil. "Now, there’s space to touch, feel, and truly engage with what we offer."
To celebrate the reopening, Leica has introduced special edition colourways of the Q3 and Q3 43, drawing direct inspiration from ION’s signature purple hue. These exclusive models blend Leica’s minimalist design with a bold, contemporary pop.
As the third outlet to open in Singapore, the decision to relaunch the store in ION was key for the brand, as it introduces Leica to a completely new audience—those who may have an interest in photography, but wouldn’t have thought to visit the flagship store. “We wanted to attract younger generations who might not have Leica in their consideration set, but who see and discover us as an open-minded brand,” explains Kurt Doyran, Vice President of Global Sales.
To tie both the Leica I’s centenary and the ION store’s relaunch, Leica has teamed up with BE@RBRICK and Royal Selangor to release a special edition collectible: the Leica BE@RBRICK Royal Selangor 400%. The piece pays tribute to Oskar Barnack's groundbreaking 1914 Ur-Leica prototype—the experimental camera that inspired and preceded the legendary Leica I by over a decade.
The birth of the Ur-Leica prototype essentially spelt the beginning of the company’s photographic legacy. This revolutionary design used 35mm cine film run horizontally, allowing for a larger image frame and laying the foundation for modern 35mm still photography.
Now reborn in the shape of a swaggy bear constructed entirely of pewter, many of the Ur-Leica prototype’s distinct elements persist. A sphere on its chest represents the camera’s lens, while its right leg features an exposure counter dial etched into it. Signs of wear—scuffed edges, worn corners—capture the passage of time, evoking a century of photographic history. Look at its wrist—there’s even a Leica ZM 1 watch playfully sculpted on there, a nod to the brand’s evolution.
Leica will debut the BE@RBRICK Royal Selangor 400% on 6 June 2025, available exclusively at the newly unveiled ION Orchard boutique, and later at Leica Store Singapore.
