Full Transcript for From Decorative Ceramic Homeware to Sustainable, Unisex Fashion – Made in SG spotlights three female designers

wardrobe, and that's the direction that I actually headed towards. So therefore, there's a lot of pieces that's in our collection now that actually everybody can actually 00:06:08 Speaker 1: Wear daily and then she can style them up or after them down depending on what events they're going for. Yeah, OK. So the thing is that it's it's it's more or less called a unisex label, right? But, but is, am I right? Do you have sports bras or that was just the model? Oh, that was just the pieces, yeah. So she was wearing the nice pair of shorts, yeah. OK. Are those cargo shorts or? 00:06:33 Speaker 1: Our unisex cargo shorts. Ah, so that means men and women can wear it because there are drawstrings there. Yes, correct. And then we also customize the rice, so actually it fits both men and women pretty well. And even women who are more generously uh made in the booty department still can, right? OK, because you thought this through very, very well. There's a nice t-shirts that all of us can wear too. OK. Now, Rachel. 00:07:01 Speaker 1: Where did you and when did you envision women can wear your the rock daisy outfits? I can picture them at conferences, at the office, and then when they, when they're done with everything, they can go out drinking with their pals. It's very versatile. Yes, that's a perfect description of where you could find it. Um, I think, I think, well, the way that I see it is that um I wanted to create Rock Daisy to offer something different in the market. 00:07:28 Speaker 1: Um, because I think that there is um an association sometimes with sustainable fashion being linked to florals or really bold prints or, you know, almost something, maybe even bohemian chic, um, but for this to really work, it has to be integrated into our, our lives, our everyday lives, and so. 00:07:45 Speaker 1: Um, Rock Daisy is, uh, intending to offer minimalist straightforward pieces that are in our everyday lives that are everyday garments. So yes, we'll go to conferences, we'll go to lunches, we'll also go to your Pilates class or your travel or anything. It really should be something that follows your life. 00:08:03 Speaker 1: You're a PR, yeah, I'm a PR but you're originally from, I'm originally from America, so I was born in the US. My mother is Singaporean and my family is Singaporean. So we moved here when I was 10 and I went to school here. Then after that I went back to school in the US and stayed there for 8 years and then Europe. 00:08:23 Speaker 1: 7 years and then 2 years ago I finally moved back to Singapore and I'm I'm staying here. Which, which part of the US and Europe were you mostly based? I was in Boston and then I was in Antwerp, Belgium. you see another another life that has has been led so richly and still very, very young. OK. Genevieve studio is self-explanatory, but what about Atom and Rock Daisy? Tui, what why Atom? 00:08:52 Speaker 1: Um, firstly, I got inspired by the science atom, like the particles, yeah, so actually what

I um envisioned in my head was actually like 00:09:03 Speaker 1: The pieces that we wear every day is like part of us, right? So it's just it's like atoms in like a science form like the particles, you know, just joined together, so I feel that it is a good name to represent the brand itself. OK, it looks very catchy because the way you design the logo, I saw the guy's shirt is very nice. 00:09:22 Speaker 1: Nice placement of the logo just center in the front and very clean design in caps because we focus more on like minimalist and like quality over like anything else, so therefore that's why we hit it with like basics or so. 00:09:37 Speaker 1: Very nice. Then Rock Daisy, where did that come from, Rachel? Yeah, so Rock Daisy, um, it is actually a real flower. It's a flower within the daisy family, um, and it's something that I saw when I was hiking a few years ago in the Alps, and I was like really high altitude, I think, oh, I don't know, 2000 m up, and I was exhausted and um I just sat down and I saw this rock daisy and it was just growing up out of nothing without any water or care. 00:10:03 Speaker 1: And it was a beautiful moment and I thought, OK, this, this is, this is what fashion should feel like. It should be resilient and it should be natural and it should be easy. So for me, seeing that daisy in its existence, purely in these mountainous conditions was something that I really resonated with me and I wanted to bring into the brand. When you say resilient, do you mean that 00:10:24 Speaker 1: The material itself should be resilient and tough or the very fashion of it can be resilient through the years of fast fashion. It's that's a great question. So resilient in terms of the design, it should be resilient away from trends. It should be a part of you and your unique voice, um, and also it should be resilient in its craftsmanship. It should be durable, it should last, it should, you know, exist for more than 3 times in the wash. So it's definitely something that should be integrated into the way that you create clothing. 00:10:53 Speaker 1: So are you wearing one of your pieces now? I am on my skirt at the moment. Yeah, I saw that on your website that she's flashing her skirt. OK, very good, very good. It was a flash. I must say very classy and then it's white, is it off or white? So this is a this is a pure white. 00:11:13 Speaker 1: This one here. So it's a it's a midi skirt that has a split down the center and it has French themes on the side, it has bias binding on the inside. So just, just very, very thoughtfully crafted to really be durable and to last with you in the years to come. So that slit, when we sit down at meetings or when we go to conferences and we sit down on those high 00:11:32 Speaker 1: Um, chairs, let's say someone is, is, uh, at a conference and she's doing a speech or she's one of the contributors. Is that slit sexy? Is it risky risky slit? Well, let's say it definitely goes past fingertip length, so you know, nothing is going to be on display, but you will feel good, you will feel confident in it and it's something that will elevate your style. There you go. 00:11:58 Speaker 1: Now let's talk about your individual stalls at Boutique Singapore, which is, by the way, everyone, 21st to 23rd March. We begin with Genevieve. Genevieve studio will unveil its newest snack collection. I have seen it on your website. I am a fan of your Bitter God espresso cup. It's very cute, but of course. 00:12:18 Speaker 1: it's a work of art as well. When and where did the idea for snack collection come from? 00:12:25 Speaker 2: So snack collection is really inspired by my practice in floral design. So that's something I do a lot of as well and I feel like my floral practice and ceramic practice really are interconnected and influence one another. 00:12:39 Speaker 2: And in floristry, a lot of times we work with fruits and vegetables and you are making arrangements out of lemons, pumpkins, whatever you find that is beautiful at the markets, right, taking something ordinary and everyday and finding a new perspective on it and I loved doing that so much and wanted to make a more permanent version of that and started making fruit and veggie like ceramic sculptures, molding the fruits and vegetables and 00:13:07 Speaker 2: Then one thing led to another, I was so inspired by that, I made a whole series of, you know, all the snack designs, cups, vases, tableware for my wedding with my husband, we made little lemons for each guest to take home as door gifts, you know, we made vases that our florist friends then filled and friends and family could take them home and so it's something that's like really personal near and dear to my heart and everyone loved them so. 00:13:34 Speaker 2: and was like please make more, so you know we've added it to our permanent collection is available starting on our website soon. We have lots of new designs coming up exclusively at boutique, so I'm really excited to see how everyone receives that. So 00:13:47 Speaker 1: it's not 00:13:48 Speaker 1: just a bitter go we have lots more coming up. Give us a teaser of what else we can 00:13:54 Speaker 1: see. 00:13:54 Speaker 2: We're making some balls, 00:13:56 Speaker 1: some plates, 00:13:57 Speaker 2: a lot more usable functional wear that I think people really enjoy. 00:14:01 Speaker 2: And then also some sculptural pieces that are just there for you to look at and they're just beautiful objects for your table. 00:14:08 Speaker 1: Well, take her word for it because if you go to her website, you'll know what she's talking about. OK, so, let's talk about the atom swag we can get from you at Boutique Singapore. 00:14:19 Speaker 1: There's the one size fits all skirt to start with. Tell us to what extent it's versatile. Is it from XS to XL and how does it work? OK, so, um, firstly, we have it in two different colors, both neutrals, one in beige and one in a dark like chocolate

color. Yeah. Then secondly, it will be that um it's functional through like um drawstring. So it's actually. 00:14:43 Speaker 1: Toggle to for you to tighten or for you to loosen whenever you want. So it's good for like, for example, if you're going for a big buffet and you need a skirt that you know, for example, that after you eat, you can actually expand. Yeah, so that's one and then um if it's roughly from like I would say down to XXS to XXL actually because it's a very wide range and 00:15:06 Speaker 1: It can be drawstring accordingly to your specific size, but when you pull the drawstring, sometimes it bunches up. Then how? OK, so actually the material that we use is actually some, uh, is actually cotton, so therefore it's relatively thin, but it's also not too bulky. Yeah, so actually when you drawstring, it actually creates some gas and pleats that actually makes it into a like a cocoon shape itself. So it's actually um. 00:15:30 Speaker 1: Very, very versatile and super nice to look at once you actually cinch the elastic in cream and chocolate brown, yeah. OK, very nice. Rachel, what about Rock Daisy? I hear the signature boxy top and dress will have new colors. Yes, there will, um, so for us this edition, um, it's really a color story. So we're bringing in um a couple of seasonal colors that I think represents sort of the continuity of of Rock Daisy, which is, you know, fun and and quirky sort of. 00:16:00 Speaker 1: Uh, colors. So it's a cool lavender. Um, we're bringing some of our bestselling styles in this color as well as, um, a charcoal gray that kind of has green undertones. So I'm actually thinking about calling it Sestone. I don't really know yet. We'll kind of see eventually what land, uh, name I land on, but 00:16:19 Speaker 1: Um, yeah, I'm really excited about these two colors and then of course there will also be a new style, uh, a new tank top that comes out which will just be really easy, um, and hopefully an everyday garment. Very, very nice. All of you care about the sustainability of your brand and how earth friendly you aim for them to be. Can you tell us about that and give us examples? 00:16:40 Speaker 1: We know what to look out for when we come face to face with you at Boutique Singapore. Let's begin with to see how sustainable is your brand? Tell us more about that. So actually, our left fabrics that we have, I actually use them to create like a pouch called micro hexagon. So we have um at the back of the pouch, we actually have our origami, our like um. 00:17:02 Speaker 1: The piece that we always use for our back pockets. Yeah, so that's actually functional for like lighters or like lipsticks, like little small items, and then um the pouch itself you can actually use to put your cash and cards at anything small basically. So it's a multifunctional pouch. Yes. Then the material that you use or the material used is our leftover fabrics from our garments. Oh leftover fabrics, I see I see, I see. So let's

say you make one of your, your lovely skirt. 00:17:28 Speaker 1: and the leftover fabrics you make into these so that's how we can repurpose and actually also like some of the items we actually give on like um like uh if you buy something like when you reach a certain amount and you actually give it to you like complimentary on the house as well. Very nice. Genevieve. 00:17:46 Speaker 2: Yeah, so I think the bare minimum minimum that we have is 100% paper packaging, right, like that is non-negotiable for us. If you 00:17:55 Speaker 2: never received anything from us in plastic or bubble wrap, it's because it's recycled, you know, we received a package in studio that's in bubble wrap we then don't want to toss it out, we're reusing it as we send something else back out, you know, and lots of other ways I think we are trying to walk sustainability long term into our brand is how to recycle ceramics. Ceramics once you fire it becomes very durable and so it becomes very hard to recycle. 00:18:21 Speaker 2: To see other things and so we're doing lots of R&D on how to mill that down and use it as a glaze for like a small capsule collection and things like that, but it's a lot of work and the machinery can be quite expensive, so I think the mill the mill it really only makes sense at scale, so it's something I'm hoping to incorporate when the brand gets to grow. 00:18:45 Speaker 1: Yeah, OK, so future plans in mind there, Rachel. 00:18:48 Speaker 1: Um, yeah, so I think that um it's great to see that there's already a shift towards more thoughtful consumption, and I think that it is instinctual, you know, we all want to survive and with all the news that we have today, um, people are really aware of the climate issues that were around and also about how we got there and over consumption is a really big part of that. So. 00:19:09 Speaker 1: Rock Daisy does is it tries to really slow that turnover down and we do this by making things highly wearable and durable, um, and, uh, and yeah, just being able to use natural materials and things that are designed for Singapore's climate. It's so hot here that like you want to wear things that are comfortable and you'll wear it more if it is suitable for the humidity. Um, so this is what we're trying to do. So much thought put into all of your products and uh design features and the the future you see for your brand as well. 00:19:39 Speaker 1: But then what would each of you say would be some of the more challenging realities of being a new designer that wasn't taught in school or university, but you learned the hard way, but these lessons made you grow. 00:19:56 Speaker 1: Um, so, well, I went to school actually for business and finance, so something completely different, you know, definitely not really entrepreneurship, so, um, I think something I didn't notice until I was really in it was just how competitive things are here in Singapore and specifically because Singapore is a hub for Southeast Asia. It's not just local competition, it's really international and like globally established brands that are all fighting for the same space here. 00:20:21 Speaker 1: Um, and it happens with everything. It's not just with clothes, it's, it's with coffee, you know, you have your copi, your local coffee roasters, but then, you know, you also have your Starbucks, and when we are so spoiled for choice, I think it makes things really hard to be noticed as a small brand, um, and so I just have to be really persistent and to keep, you know, thinking. 00:20:40 Speaker 1: About my core mission and my message um to try and really get out there and resonate with people. So you've got to get out there, you got to meet people, you got to go to boutique fairs like boutique Singapore, maintain your store, promote yourself on social media. It's many different hats that you have to do and they all require different, you know, um, headspaces as well too. So then there's other things like storage in inventory, how to fulfill your orders at the back, and so many things. It's a, it's a whole chain, but 00:21:09 Speaker 1: You're doing this for a reason because of your love for what you do, then Tui, um, personally I feel it is the marketing aspect for me because I'm a kind of person that I prefer to be like more behind the scenes. Like for example, I study fashion in Temasek Poly previously, so I'm a kind of person that I just like to be by myself and just 00:21:29 Speaker 1: Sewing, you know, so it's hard to put myself out there as well. So therefore, I'm trying to learn to do more like TikToks and rails and stuff, so to put myself out there and also like the brand out there as well. What's your TikTok handle? I tried to search for you. Ah, it's actually basically my IG handle ATO.inus. OK, so ATO because I couldn't find you, you know, I found the other and said, where is this where is this atom? So it's at ATO yeah. 00:22:01 Speaker 1: I basically atom in us. Oh yeah, I like that too. OK, very good. Genevieve. 00:22:08 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think one of the main challenges I face, you know, pushing the creative direction for a brand is staying true to the vision. You know, when you're a young brand and designer, you're starting out, everyone has so much to see and sometimes it's it's really good to get feedback and even friends and family with the best intentions give you great feedback but it's not always applicable, right? 00:22:30 Speaker 2: You have to really trust your gut, you have to follow your instinct and build the brand for how you see it so that you stand out in the market. If you follow every piece of advice that you have, it kind of muddies the vision and you become like any other brand that already exists. So when you're trying to build something new, you really have to invest in that and trust yourself and that's something I try to do better every day and 00:22:52 Speaker 2: Something hopefully over time will grow stronger as well. 00:22:55

Speaker 1: OK, and do you envision people come, do you have a studio that is open to the public? 00:23:01 Speaker 2: not open to the public, but you definitely have a studio where I've had lots of meetings, friends come to visit, you know, I've had customers that have become friends over time that have come to visit as well and hopefully over time becomes like an open studio space where anyone can drop in as well. Yeah, 00:23:18 Speaker 1: that's right, I'm looking forward to that. 00:23:21 Speaker 1: Ladies, if you're shopping at Boutique Singapore, what would you want from each other? So that means you have to choose one item, each from your fellow designers catalog. For me, from Adam, I will get the multi pocket cargo shorts from Rock Daisy, the is it Ari or Ari? The Ari low waist cargo pants in black and from Genevieve studio, the mocha catch all bowl because it's a multi. 00:23:49 Speaker 1: Purpose bowl. What about you? We start with Genevieve. What will you get? 00:23:52 Speaker 2: This 00:23:53 Speaker 1: is 00:23:53 Speaker 2: the fun part, the shopping part, right? I already know exactly what I want from both of you guys. Eyeing the parachute skirt, you know, I love a versatile skirt that I can take with me even if I had a big meal, I feel comfortable in it, right? Make space for the baby, right? And then um I really love the Tasha shirt from Rock Daisy, especially in that trademark green of yours. 00:24:17 Speaker 2: Which now I've gotten to know that you've developed that just for you guys and it took so much work to get that green. Such an exquisite shade of green, highly recommend you guys go see it in person. 00:24:28 Speaker 1: Oh, so now I'm so intrigued. OK, for sure, for sure. OK, for me, I personally, um, I've already visited, um, Genevieve studio previously at boutiques. Yeah, so actually I love how Peter call espresso cup, yeah, and they're hoping that it will come in like a larger form of size, yeah. 00:24:45 Speaker 1: You want it to be a coffee cup, yeah, because it's espresso cup because I don't really drink coffee, so I prefer a bigger cup where I can drink like my green tea and others. OK, OK, that makes sense. And then from Rocky Rock Daisy it will be the Alex Boxy crop shirt, yeah, probably the new color, the lavender color. I also agree. I'm intrigued about the lavender color shade as well now, now that Genevieve mentioned the green. 00:25:11 Speaker 1: Alright, Rachel, what's on your shopping cart? Um, so for me, I mean when I'm looking at um the stuff, it's, it's really the pleated shirt that stands out to me and she's coming out with this really rich and deep brown that is obviously the color of the year. Thank you Pantone. So I definitely need to get my hands on that and 00:25:29 Speaker 1: Yeah, for Genevieve, it's it's hard to pick. I mean like I love the the the blue blue mug, but also this lemon thing that you're talking about, like I'm obsessed. I just can I shop more? Yes, anytime, come by anytime. I wanted to know, do you all take cashless payment or you all take cash also? 00:25:50 Speaker 1: What is it? Mainly cashless payment cashless card, no, because you're not you're not equipped for a for a small thing like that. There is a partnership that's going on actually. So if you partner with like Pay, for example, you can get the device where customers can actually pay by their credit cards. OK, thank you for pointing that out. 00:26:11 Speaker 1: And uh also I wanted to ask you things like boutique Singapore, uh showcases like they, because they're not just there once a year, several times, right? 00:26:21 Speaker 1: And event festivals like boutique Singapore, how do they help support you and promote you? So, um, in terms of, well, the three of us, um, we actually were recipients under the grant program of boutiques and we were, we actually just had coffee before this and we discussed how wonderful it was to have this because it's, it's a mentorship, you know, it's really a space where you as an emerging brand gets to figure out how you want to be and how to become a real brand fast um because it is. 00:26:48 Speaker 1: a biannual event and it is extremely intense. So you as a designer, you have to get disciplined really, really quickly on branding, on visual merchandizing, on management of stock, and all of this stuff is, it's really like an incubator, you know, helping you become a brand as quickly as possible and in a, in a, you know, a safe and supported way. OK, so it's not just a you rent a stall and sell stuff, they also help you behind the scenes, yeah. 00:27:15 Speaker 1: The mentorship program. Yes, yeah, we were lucky enough to get it um uh with the grant recipients, but yes, it's it's really a wonderful organization for this. I'm so pleased to hear that. 00:27:26 Speaker 1: In one sentence because I've got to go, where do you see your brand in 10 years? Online presence but only but thriving, brick and mortar store somewhere, retail distribution and malls here and abroad, Genevieve. 00:27:41 Speaker 2: I think my end goal is really flagship store, Singapore shop house, having a studio showroom, tea house under one roof, so you really get to understand what the 00:27:51 Speaker 2: Brand and our objects are about. 00:27:53 Speaker 1: I like that. I totally agree with what Genevieve says. So in future I will hope to have like a shophouse, yeah, so people can come in and view our items in store and then they can see me behind the scenes making the garments itself. So I feel that there's a part where we can actually connect with our consumers as well. OK, there's there's a there's a local designer. Her name is her brand name is Absence, and she has her own streetwear, urban streetwear, so she has her own. 00:28:19 Speaker 1: Shop at a shop house somewhere near the North Bridge Road area. The name of the brand is Absence also starts with an A, also in caps. She has a similar, she's living your dream right now, so maybe you should, I should, you should visit it. Yeah, she's a lovely lady. OK, Rachel, of course it's in the same vein. 00:28:38 Speaker 1: For me too, I want a flagship store would be wonderful. Um, it's just so difficult, of course, with, with costs in Singapore, the operational costs and overhead are so significant, but it is a dream to have your own space where you can build your own world and have people come in and really understand what you're trying to do. Um, so yeah, it's definitely a dream out there. Alright, I, I look forward to you fulfilling your dreams and I look forward to a lot more people supporting you and your brand and your creativity. Thank you, ladies. Thank you. Thank you. 00:29:07 Speaker 1: From design ongenouss to running their own brands, I've been in the talented company of Rachel Liu from Rock Daisy, Genevieve Voon from Genevieve Studio, and Gozi from Atom. These designers will be selling their hip and happening creations at Boutique Singapore, the spring summer edition from 00:29:26 Speaker 1: 21st to 23rd March at the F1 pit building, One Republic Boulevard, of course, we all know where that is. For ticketing prices and also opening times and what have you, go to boutiquefairs.com.sg. That is a wrap of Maiden SG and I'm Melanie Olivero for CNA 938.