Singapore-based watch strap company Delugs has a clear mission – they want to make strap changing a lifestyle. “Oftentimes, people change their watch straps only when they’re broken or need a replacement. But that doesn’t have to be the case,” said Chia Pei Qi, co-founder of the company.
“You can change it based on occasion, what you’re wearing. Like how we change our clothes every day, why not change our straps?” In a span of six years, Delugs has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Its straps even found its way onto the wrist of singer and prominent watch collector Ed Sheeran (more on that later).
Chia, 30, and her husband, Kenneth Kuan, 31, were civil servants before embarking on their entrepreneurship journey. As a side hustle, the pair picked up leather crafting in 2016, making small leather goods such as cardholders and key fobs, as well as watch straps. After honing their skill in the latter, they took in commissioned orders.
“We started as leather crafters who wanted to bring high quality leather straps to the watch enthusiast market,” said Kuan. It was then that the pair noticed a gap in the market. “People who wanted high quality straps often had to look for leather crafters like ourselves, but that often comes with a long waiting time and high prices.
If you wanted something that’s readily available, with a wide selection and high-quality production, there’s not really an option out there.” And so Delugs was born in 2018. As an o.