ETHEL NEO, 32 Eclat by Oui founder Tell me or tell us more about this particular business of yours. 00:00:14 SPK_2 Agency founder started out working for others for free So this business actually started when I lost my engagement ring. 00:00:18 SPK_2 The one that he gave me was a five figure engagement ring when we were in Hong Kong.
00:00:22 SPK_2 So I think this got me quite traumatized. 00:00:26 SPK_2 And that was when we decided to go down to a jewelry street in Hong Kong to go and, like, find a diamond alternative. 00:00:35 SPK_2 Yeah.
00:00:35 SPK_2 So that's what really sparked it. 00:00:37 SPK_2 La. 00:00:37 SPK_2 Oh, yeah.
00:00:37 SPK_1 So interesting. 00:00:38 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:00:39 SPK_1 So in that sense, which part of Hong Kong? 00:00:42 SPK_2 There's this jewelry street.
00:00:43 SPK_2 I can't remember. 00:00:43 SPK_2 What's the name of the jewelry street? 00:00:46 SPK_2 Hang Google. 00:00:48 SPK_2 But it's a very famous, like, a jewelry street because Hong Kong is very.
00:00:51 SPK_2 It's known for their. 00:00:52 SPK_2 I like craftsmanship. 00:00:54 SPK_1 And this was in which year? 00:00:56 SPK_2 2017.
00:01:00 SPK_1 And then. 00:01:01 SPK_1 So you went to look for something and then. 00:01:04 SPK_1 So when you say, it's just.
00:01:06 SPK_1 That was how it started off. 00:01:08 SPK_1 What was that particular. 00:01:10 SPK_1 What was the catalyst? 00:01:11 SPK_1 What was the thing that, oh, maybe we should do this.
00:01:14 SPK_2 I think it's more of, like, friends because, like, I wore it for a couple of months and no one knew that it wasn't my real engagement ring. So then, like, when I finally, like, told them the truth, then they're like, oh, you know, so fun, you know, that kind of thing. So actually, I started selling to friends.
So I was, back then, I was still teaching and it was like my side business. 00:01:35 SPK_2 And then, because I'm. 00:01:37 SPK_2 I don't know if I can say that I'm not a very organized person.
00:01:40 SPK_2 So, like, I got, like, some of the orders mixed up when it was, like, friends of friends. 00:01:43 SPK_2 Then he told me that, like, you know, maybe it's time that I should have a system to kind of track the orders and who purchased from us, blah, blah, blah, then. 00:01:52 SPK_2 Yeah.
00:01:53 SPK_2 So it was his idea to come up with. 00:01:54 SPK_1 We started something like, maybe more like a home base. 00:01:58 SPK_2 Yeah, yeah, correct.
00:01:59 SPK_2 Home base. 00:01:59 SPK_2 There was a very up to what said, you know, there was, like, no proper system for us. 00:02:03 SPK_1 Yeah, this was all in.
00:02:06 SPK_1 Do you remember which month you say 2017, or do you start to. 00:02:21 SPK_2 Then. 00:02:23 SPK_2 Yeah, after that, we started having, like, a website, then we website, then we need, like, photos.
00:02:29 SPK_2 And then it kind of got quite real. 00:02:31 SPK_2 You know, we really had to answer to customers, people that we don't have any relation, because we went website already. 00:02:37 SPK_1 So once website, you were collecting authors.
00:02:39 SPK_2 From people that I don't know. 00:02:41 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:02:41 SPK_1 You don't know.
00:02:41 SPK_2 Yeah, correct. 00:02:42 SPK_2 So the one was quite, of course, quite new la for us. 00:02:50 SPK_1 So you went from home base and then you went onto the website, how long was it that you were dabbling before you decided to have a bigger moki after school? 00:03:04 SPK_2 How long? 00:03:05 SPK_2 Maybe about a year.
00:03:06 SPK_2 Yeah, about a year. 00:03:07 SPK_1 I mean, in terms of the dates, if you are not too sure, we can always come back because it's not video, so you can always come back. 00:03:12 SPK_1 Let me.
00:03:14 SPK_1 So it was about a year that. 00:03:15 SPK_2 You decided to get. 00:03:16 SPK_1 And then.
00:03:17 SPK_1 So maybe take us through the process. 00:03:18 SPK_1 What made you decide? 00:03:20 SPK_1 So from the time you say, let's go and look for it, do you have to weigh the hooks and horns? 00:03:28 SPK_1 And then what? 00:03:29 SPK_1 How do you decide? 00:03:31 SPK_1 This has been your. 00:03:32 SPK_1 Was this where you first started your shop? 00:03:35 SPK_1 Oh, no, I thought it was somewhere else.
00:03:38 SPK_2 Yeah, we didn't start a shop until, like, maybe 2019. 00:03:42 SPK_1 And it's been here? 00:03:43 SPK_2 Yeah, it's been here all the way. 00:03:45 SPK_3 We renovated.
00:03:48 SPK_1 Okay. 00:03:48 SPK_3 So initially we started it off as a pop up. 00:03:51 SPK_3 Then when the demand grew and customers keep coming back, then we decided to just treat it as a permanent shock.
00:03:59 SPK_3 So we did a major rental after Covid. 00:04:08 SPK_1 And then how did you. 00:04:10 SPK_1 In terms of.
00:04:11 SPK_1 We just go with, like, first of all, like, how. 00:04:13 SPK_1 How did you publicize. 00:04:14 SPK_1 I mean, how did she sit by word.
00:04:16 SPK_1 And now, because I also understand initially, I mean, when I was having some chat with your mum, she mentioned that, oh, actually, your parents tell your teachers and what she calls the book working professionals. 00:04:29 SPK_1 So they're definitely not, like, friends of your parents. 00:04:32 SPK_1 Yeah.
00:04:32 SPK_1 So you're very independent. 00:04:34 SPK_1 So maybe you can share with us what were your, like, marketing strategy and then how did you do publicity for your. 00:04:45 SPK_1 So that people are aware that this designer that.
00:04:51 SPK_2 So through word of mouth, I think it reached stagnant point because there's just, like, so many. 00:04:57 SPK_2 So many people we can, like, spread over to then. 00:05:01 SPK_2 So when we started the website, we had a lot of.
00:05:03 SPK_2 We have high hopes that, oh, you know, you know, we are going to, you know, start, like, this business, blah, blah, blah. 00:05:09 SPK_2 But then when it actually came down to it, we both quit our jobs. 00:05:13 SPK_2 Then the demand actually went down.
00:05:15 SPK_2 So I think we were quite worried at that point of time. 00:05:19 SPK_2 And then we decided that maybe we can partner in with flowers. 00:05:26 SPK_2 So we started to target men.
00:05:31 SPK_2 So we did flowers, and then we say, oh, you know, you can put it as, like, a proposal ring or, like, you know, as a gift to men. 00:05:38 SPK_2 But what we didn't realize was that for men, it's a very one off purchase. 00:05:43 SPK_2 It's not repeat purchase, and it's bad for our business.
00:05:46 SPK_2 So every single time the guys, like, buy one time, then maybe, like, you know, after that, they're not going to buy it again. 00:05:53 SPK_2 But what we did realize was that their partners actually came back to us buying, like, necklace, buying, like, earrings. 00:06:01 SPK_2 Yeah.
00:06:01 SPK_2 Other accessories. 00:06:02 SPK_2 So we thought, okay, I think, guys, is definitely not, like, our target audience. 00:06:07 SPK_1 So you shifted.
00:06:08 SPK_2 We shifted to, like, woman all the way. 00:06:10 SPK_2 Then we wanted to get. 00:06:12 SPK_2 So then, like, I think maybe the Instagram scene, like, was just, like, starting when it wasn't as, like, as big as what it is now.
00:06:21 SPK_2 And then I started reach out to, like, different kols. 00:06:23 SPK_2 But I think there was a stigma with this diamond alternative. 00:06:27 SPK_2 Like, a diamond simulant is like, they would think that, oh, you know, it's faked up and I'm nothing going to, like, wear it, you know, so it was very hard to get them to actually publicize for us, you know, even though we said, I know we're going to, like, pay you, but, you know, they don't really want it.
00:06:39 SPK_2 So back then, it was hard, but I think we somehow, like, even started. 00:06:43 SPK_1 Thinking of using influencers. 00:06:45 SPK_3 Yeah.
00:06:45 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:06:46 SPK_2 So we were using. 00:06:47 SPK_2 We were trying to reach out to influencers, but then it was.
00:06:50 SPK_2 Yeah, it was hard. 00:06:51 SPK_2 But then I think we just, like, somehow managed to, like, pull through. 00:06:55 SPK_2 Yeah.
00:06:55 SPK_2 I still don't know, like, what we did. 00:06:57 SPK_2 And then, um, I think I was very sensitive. 00:06:58 SPK_2 I was, like, telling Peter, I don't want to, like, use, like, you know, my dad's name.
00:07:02 SPK_2 I don't want anybody to know, like, who I am at all. 00:07:04 SPK_1 But, yeah, I mean, at least you. 00:07:06 SPK_1 You build your own success, or even you learn through your failures all by yourself.
00:07:11 SPK_1 So you don't have to do that. 00:07:13 SPK_1 Because if you have been successful, then you. 00:07:15 SPK_1 At the back of mind, we wonder, hey, are these people.
00:07:17 SPK_1 Yeah, because of my dad, because of what I'm operating. 00:07:22 SPK_1 All because of the debt. 00:07:23 SPK_1 Right.
00:07:23 SPK_2 Hello. 00:07:24 SPK_2 So I told him. 00:07:25 SPK_2 So I think even though we were.
00:07:29 SPK_2 We were quite popular on social media, like, maybe in 2018, 2019, no one actually knew, like, who I was until. 00:07:36 SPK_3 I think, we opened the shop. 00:07:38 SPK_2 Until we opened the shop.
00:07:43 SPK_1 He's bragging, right? 00:07:48 SPK_2 Like, you know, those, like, congratulatory flowers, just to check whether we were okay or not, you know, what is Jane Doe in your shop? 00:07:56 SPK_2 You know, I was like, oh, dear. 00:07:59 SPK_3 When we started, for two, three years, nobody knew. 00:08:02 SPK_1 Oh, it was really only when y'all had the shop.
00:08:05 SPK_3 But it's just a very simple post, so it's not, like, very editorial kind. 00:08:11 SPK_1 Yeah, I faintly remember, but I say it's the bragging rights as the dad, you know, the sense of pride. 00:08:19 SPK_2 Right? 00:08:19 SPK_1 Yeah.
00:08:20 SPK_2 So. 00:08:22 SPK_3 Yeah, I think. 00:08:23 SPK_3 I think before that, because all along, when she.
00:08:26 SPK_3 Even when she was studying, right, she actually had failed. 00:08:28 SPK_3 She has different businesses that failed her to this. 00:08:31 SPK_3 So this is not her first business.
00:08:33 SPK_3 So for her, I think I respect her tenacity, determination to follow through, even though she failed to, of times, I think she found something that works. 00:08:43 SPK_3 Then she continued. 00:08:45 SPK_3 So I think that failure experiences helped her.
00:08:48 SPK_1 It helped. 00:08:48 SPK_2 Right. 00:08:48 SPK_1 Okay, so maybe you can share with us a couple of the stuff that you dabbled in and then you didn't.
00:08:55 SPK_2 When I was studying in Australia, so I'm not sure if you're familiar with workshops in Singapore. 00:09:01 SPK_2 Yes. 00:09:02 SPK_2 Live journey.
00:09:03 SPK_2 So there was a lot of. 00:09:04 SPK_2 It was, like, very hot in Singapore, but then it was. 00:09:07 SPK_2 There was nothing in Melbourne in Australia.
00:09:10 SPK_2 So I said, you know, I want to be, like, maybe the first block shop there, and I want to, like, target, maybe the asian students. 00:09:16 SPK_2 There were a lot of singaporean, like, Malaysians there. 00:09:18 SPK_2 So I brought, like, I bought stocks from City Plaza and then, like, in my luggage, I bring, like, two luggages, but everything was out of stocks.
00:09:25 SPK_2 And I would bring all the way to, like, Melbourne and then, like, I would take photos over the weekends and then, like, try to sell it to, like, my friends, but it didn't work out, I think. 00:09:34 SPK_2 I also don't know why it didn't work out. 00:09:36 SPK_2 La probably because of the taste of australian taste is very different from Singapore.
00:09:42 SPK_2 And I think people, or maybe like, Singaporeans and Malaysians, they were not keen to be paying australian price for, like, a Singapore, like, product, you know? 00:09:49 SPK_2 So we were trying to target to, like, Australians, but it wasn't their style. 00:09:54 SPK_2 So in the end, I had to sell it off at, like, a flea market. 00:09:57 SPK_2 So every weekend we were carrying, like, me and my friend, we were just, like, carry, like.
00:10:00 SPK_2 Like, lots of, like, stocks to sell that flea market. 00:10:04 SPK_2 And even though it was, like, heavily discounted, it was also, like, maybe you sell, like, one two piece only, and then we are bringing, like, more than 50 pieces there, you know? 00:10:11 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:10:12 SPK_2 So it was like, it was tough for us, like, because we both, like, putting our savings inside.
00:10:16 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:10:17 SPK_2 But I think, like, that really, like, taught me that, you know, every market is. 00:10:21 SPK_2 Is different.
00:10:22 SPK_2 You know, it's like, there's no one size fits all because that was what I thought. 00:10:27 SPK_2 Whatever it was in Singapore, you know, it's gonna work in Australia. 00:10:29 SPK_2 So now I think we try to buy that in our business as well, that, like, you know, we're very careful when we try to step into the new markets, and that is, like, what's a painful, lesson learned.
00:10:40 SPK_1 Experience. 00:10:41 SPK_1 But it was that kind of experiencing the best. 00:10:43 SPK_1 And you didn't because of this, like, felt a setback.
00:10:47 SPK_1 And then you decide that, no, I'm not gonna try. 00:10:51 SPK_1 So this enterprising spirit, do you think you got it from. 00:11:07 SPK_1 Anyway, FYI, I will try.
00:11:10 SPK_1 I'm just trying not to bring in mention I may have to. 00:11:14 SPK_1 No choice but just say, you know who you are. 00:11:16 SPK_1 Otherwise, I won't go into.
00:11:18 SPK_1 Yeah, I won't that connection any much more because it's really about you and your business and nothing about. 00:11:25 SPK_2 Okay, thank you so much. 00:11:26 SPK_1 Appreciate that.
00:11:28 SPK_1 So we talked about that then. 00:11:31 SPK_1 Covid hit, of course, what was the biggest challenge that we faced day to day. 00:11:38 SPK_2 Yeah.
00:11:38 SPK_2 So definitely our sales, like, was hit because there were no events, there were no weddings. 00:11:44 SPK_2 So, like, our business people deep. 00:11:46 SPK_2 But very interestingly, we realized that our.
00:11:49 SPK_2 The sales of our earrings, like, shot up. 00:11:51 SPK_2 So I think it's because people had to do zoom. 00:11:54 SPK_2 Oh.
00:11:57 SPK_1 And then. 00:11:57 SPK_1 And then it's not like this thing where it went off because, like, people. 00:12:00 SPK_2 Yeah, that's interesting.
00:12:03 SPK_2 So our earrings, I shut down. 00:12:04 SPK_2 We were like, you know, so we were busy, like, restocking on our earrings. 00:12:08 SPK_1 So you say shocked up.
00:12:09 SPK_1 Can you. 00:12:09 SPK_1 Are you able to, like, give maybe a rough. 00:12:12 SPK_1 You know, you used to sell how many in a month? 00:12:15 SPK_1 And then you realize that during COVID.
00:12:17 SPK_2 You get the sales double, I think. 00:12:21 SPK_2 Okay. 00:12:21 SPK_2 Maybe from, like, a double digit.
00:12:22 SPK_2 I think it shot up to, like, I can't remember, like, maybe got three digits. 00:12:26 SPK_2 So for a small business like us. 00:12:30 SPK_2 Yeah, it was quite.
00:12:33 SPK_2 We were quite happy la back then because it was really taking a deep. 00:12:37 SPK_2 So I think any, like, good news work. 00:12:39 SPK_2 Yeah, it's great for us.
00:12:41 SPK_1 Kind of motivation. 00:12:42 SPK_2 Yeah, it is, actually. 00:12:44 SPK_1 Never mind.
00:12:45 SPK_2 You know, that's correct. 00:12:46 SPK_2 And I think back then, during COVID we didn't know, like, when was the end. 00:12:50 SPK_2 So, you know, if still kept continuing this way, you know, we might actually have to, like, close it down.
00:12:55 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:13:00 SPK_2 Oh, yeah. 00:13:02 SPK_3 2020.
00:13:03 SPK_1 So during that period, you also cannot come down. 00:13:06 SPK_1 The shop is also, like, close. 00:13:07 SPK_2 Yeah.
00:13:08 SPK_1 So you did, like, delivery. 00:13:10 SPK_2 Yeah, had to do delivery. 00:13:11 SPK_2 Wow.
00:13:15 SPK_1 So that is. 00:13:16 SPK_1 That was the challenge. 00:13:17 SPK_1 And then you guys got over it.
00:13:19 SPK_1 Now, tell me, what's the most rewarding aspect of your work? 00:13:22 SPK_1 Is it the. 00:13:22 SPK_1 Okay, sorry, I may be backtrack first. 00:13:25 SPK_1 So whatever you're doing is, do you do the designs yourself? 00:13:29 SPK_1 Is it very spoke to.
00:13:31 SPK_1 I mean, that I can come to you and say, hey, look, can you do this for me? 00:13:34 SPK_1 I want a design like this. 00:13:36 SPK_1 Can you just take me through the design part? 00:13:39 SPK_2 So actually, our pieces are very classic pieces. 00:13:42 SPK_2 They are not like overly complicated.
00:13:44 SPK_2 I wouldn't say like, we don't really focus a lot on customization because very classic. 00:13:51 SPK_2 So it's like really everyday wear that suits every woman for like, you know, movie or night, that kind of thing. 00:13:58 SPK_2 Yeah.
00:13:58 SPK_2 So, like, design, the design process is not too hard for us. 00:14:04 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:14:05 SPK_3 So she does the design and the marketing and everything that's aesthetic, customer facing.
00:14:11 SPK_3 She does the shot layout, you know, even the website, how the pictures and the color scheme. 00:14:17 SPK_3 Everything she does last is the more beautiful aesthetic for me. 00:14:21 SPK_3 I do the back end, all the Saigon, all the other things that we have different roles.
00:14:31 SPK_3 So for her, the reason why she wants to do the classic design is because we don't want to complicate the sales process. 00:14:37 SPK_3 So, of course, if we do bespoke or we do customization, it will take a longer time. 00:14:42 SPK_3 You need really a dedicated salesperson to talk to the person, to customize, to see exactly what she want, what she don't want.
00:14:47 SPK_3 So that one will take a long time. 00:14:49 SPK_3 So of course, as a small business, the important thing is that we can move the business fast. 00:14:53 SPK_3 So that was the main intention.
00:14:56 SPK_3 So that was how it started. 00:14:57 SPK_3 And it's easier to put it on a website, also people to click and check out rather than too many options. 00:15:03 SPK_3 But maybe in the future we will consider, depending how fast we go along.
00:15:07 SPK_1 And right now it's really still just the two of you. 00:15:11 SPK_3 We have a team. 00:15:15 SPK_2 Five people.
00:15:16 SPK_3 We have five in the office, two in the, in the shop. 00:15:19 SPK_3 Yeah. 00:15:19 SPK_3 So about seven, seven to eight.
00:15:21 SPK_3 Headcount. 00:15:21 SPK_1 Hey, more impressive than mine. 00:15:23 SPK_1 Okay, I'm only a team of six, including myself.
00:15:29 SPK_1 We're revamping the website, so we moved out straight times. 00:15:34 SPK_1 So we're revamping the website, so. 00:15:36 SPK_1 But we are currently producing for two websites, PMP and strong.
00:15:54 SPK_1 How many pieces do you sell? 00:15:56 SPK_1 Generally in a month? 00:16:00 SPK_1 And then what's your popular regulator? 00:16:02 SPK_1 We can also, or you can send me visuals of it, actually, so maybe you can share. 00:16:08 SPK_1 Like what, what you notice is that, hey, this is so popular. 00:16:15 SPK_1 So this is so popular.
00:16:16 SPK_1 And this, this type of design is very popular. 00:16:21 SPK_2 I think most Singaporeans, we like to humble brag. 00:16:26 SPK_2 So we don't want to wear things that are very, like for Indonesia, right? 00:16:31 SPK_2 Like maybe I, you know, the ladies like to wear like very loud, very huge diamonds, coloured diamonds.
00:16:36 SPK_2 Singapore like, men, we don't like, we just want to wear, like, you know, a diamond stud, but the diamond stack maybe must be bigger than usual. 00:16:41 SPK_3 Yeah. 00:16:42 SPK_1 Yeah.
00:16:42 SPK_2 You know, that kind of. 00:16:43 SPK_2 So these are the pieces that were really, like, move. 00:16:46 SPK_2 That moves quite fast for us.
00:16:47 SPK_1 Okay. 00:16:48 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:16:48 SPK_1 And that would be more earrings.
00:16:50 SPK_2 Yeah, earrings, bracelets and necklaces. 00:16:53 SPK_1 Okay. 00:16:54 SPK_3 Yeah.
00:16:54 SPK_2 For rings, I think people don't really change their rings, like, as much. 00:16:58 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:16:58 SPK_2 So especially if it's like, you know, an engagement ring.
00:17:02 SPK_3 So I think the pivot from the men started targeting the men to women. 00:17:07 SPK_2 Right. 00:17:08 SPK_3 Actually help a lot because women actually have a lot of repeat purchase.
00:17:12 SPK_3 So, of course, I mean, marketing cost, it's easier to retain a customer. 00:17:15 SPK_3 Right. 00:17:15 SPK_3 Than to acquire the customer.
00:17:16 SPK_3 So we like that repeated purchase from. 00:17:19 SPK_3 From the ladies. 00:17:20 SPK_3 So before COVID events or even like, insurance agents, housing agents, or bankers, they want to show.
00:17:26 SPK_3 So they were wear, and then they were soap it up. 00:17:28 SPK_3 They got dinner, they got. 00:17:30 SPK_3 I don't know.
00:17:30 SPK_3 Yeah. 00:17:31 SPK_3 So it's not just weddings and all. 00:17:32 SPK_3 So it becomes a very regular kind of thing.
00:17:35 SPK_3 So, actually, we had a very good regular pool of customers. 00:17:39 SPK_1 And that so called nature of events has become more diverse. 00:17:43 SPK_1 If you're talking wedding, how many weddings can you see one person have? 00:17:48 SPK_3 So when you appeal to that female audience, that working ol kind of segment, I think, really worked for us.
00:17:55 SPK_3 And the first sale actually, that we made in 2017. 00:17:57 SPK_3 Right. 00:17:58 SPK_3 Was the happiest moment because can you imagine? 00:18:03 SPK_3 Even if we talk about diamond simulator, it's not real diamond.
00:18:06 SPK_3 It's 300 over dollars. 00:18:07 SPK_3 But you will check out $200 of a diamond, and you haven't wear that. 00:18:09 SPK_3 You haven't looked in the mirror how I look on you.
00:18:15 SPK_3 Let's check out online like that. 00:18:17 SPK_3 So that was the point where we were confident that give us the confidence to say that this one can. 00:18:24 SPK_3 I mean, it's like, usually you try my $300 and even it's a shirt you also try.
00:18:28 SPK_3 Right. 00:18:28 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:18:28 SPK_3 That doesn't have maybe the virtual reality thing, but I mean, you still look at the mirror, how it suits your face, your fingers, you know, that kind of thing.
00:18:35 SPK_1 Yeah. 00:18:36 SPK_2 Do you think? 00:18:37 SPK_1 Okay, but that was in 2017. 00:18:39 SPK_1 That was even pre Covid.
00:18:40 SPK_1 It wasn't like because Covid sort of because Covid changed a lot. 00:18:45 SPK_1 Changed a lot in the way how people shot in January. 00:18:49 SPK_1 But this has nothing to do because it happened before that.
00:18:54 SPK_3 And of course, the reason why we didn't have a physical shot at the pilot, because we wanted to start small. 00:18:59 SPK_3 We don't have too many overheads so it's more of like an experiment kind of thing. 00:19:03 SPK_3 First fans say, okay, can do.
00:19:05 SPK_3 They encourage her. 00:19:06 SPK_3 They say, hey, really cannot tell the difference between real and diamond simulators. 00:19:09 SPK_3 Then we just do that.
00:19:10 SPK_3 We just set up a simple website and then we sell. 00:19:12 SPK_3 Then only when we have the confidence and say, okay, people want to try, people want to see, then we have a physical shock. 00:19:17 SPK_3 So that was how it moved.
00:19:19 SPK_3 But coming back to the COVID question, so, thank God. 00:19:21 SPK_3 The time we had two collagen. 00:19:24 SPK_3 So overall, the jewelry sales, deep asset for earrings.
00:19:29 SPK_3 But generally it's still slow during the COVID period. 00:19:32 SPK_3 So thankfully, we have two qualities. 00:19:33 SPK_3 Collagen that we started right before the circuit breaker in April.
00:19:37 SPK_3 So the actual collagen was our second business that was born. 00:19:41 SPK_3 But we didn't time it. 00:19:41 SPK_3 Like, it just so happened that after we do our R and D, the base was right.
00:19:44 SPK_3 And then we prepare the packaging, and we just launched then Covid. 00:19:47 SPK_3 So that was how that sustained us. 00:19:53 SPK_1 In terms of pro collagen that are you're still doing on a.
00:19:58 SPK_1 But if you have another team that's managing it. 00:20:02 SPK_2 Uh, true collagen is more. 00:20:03 SPK_2 It's more like auto run because we don't have new, like, flavors every month.
00:20:07 SPK_2 And like, it's very. 00:20:09 SPK_3 There's a very routine. 00:20:11 SPK_2 Very routine.
00:20:11 SPK_3 So the factory was. 00:20:13 SPK_3 Our factory was sent to NTUC warehouse. 00:20:15 SPK_3 Then NTUC will distribute to the different outlets, finance, finance outlets.
00:20:19 SPK_3 So we don't have to bother about that too much. 00:20:21 SPK_3 So it's only through fair price, currently fair price and one or two. 00:20:24 SPK_3 How much then, like this orchard they have.
00:20:29 SPK_3 Then the online sales, we have a regular pool of drivers that will deliver for us everywhere. 00:20:36 SPK_3 So we managed. 00:20:37 SPK_3 So they come and collect from our.
00:20:38 SPK_1 Office and they would just auto run then at least you don't have to really? 00:20:42 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:20:43 SPK_3 And then we just need to answer some customer queries. 00:20:45 SPK_3 Lahd, when is the delivery very strong.
00:20:51 SPK_1 I remember that during the time when that. 00:20:55 SPK_1 The last event. 00:20:56 SPK_2 Right.
00:20:56 SPK_1 I mean, I remember the two of you were headed off for the show. 00:21:01 SPK_2 Oh, yeah, sure. 00:21:01 SPK_2 The campaign shoot.
00:21:03 SPK_1 So maybe you can tell us, like, a lot while the business is here. 00:21:08 SPK_1 Have you first meet first? 00:21:09 SPK_1 Have you all, like, diversified into other countries? 00:21:12 SPK_1 And then the other thing is, of course, you are participating. 00:21:16 SPK_1 Are you participating in more related events to kind of, like, want maybe to get experience or to know what.
00:21:24 SPK_1 How the market industry is developing? 00:21:26 SPK_1 Or are you, like, you know, actively participating in more events? 00:21:32 SPK_2 I think, like, for that one, it's actually a campaign because we were launching our lap grown diamond. 00:21:37 SPK_2 So we engaged an influencer to do like a photo shoot, a video shoot basically. 00:21:44 SPK_2 So in Singapore because like I think our landscape is quite limited and like, I like, I like, I like landscape.
00:21:50 SPK_2 I like nature. 00:21:51 SPK_2 So that's why we went there to like shoot like that. 00:21:54 SPK_2 There were like sand dunes and very, very nice like beaches there.
00:21:57 SPK_2 So that's what we do like campaign. 00:21:59 SPK_2 I think it kind of grabs people's attention because, you know, cassia landscape is different. 00:22:04 SPK_2 And then like the Kol herself, you know, where she talked about, you know, her entire like travel and I know what she do.
00:22:11 SPK_2 So I think that was, that was generate some interest. 00:22:16 SPK_3 So that was a big campaign because from diamond similar. 00:22:18 SPK_3 This is right.
00:22:19 SPK_3 We go to rental diamond. 00:22:22 SPK_3 So actually lab grown diamond and natural diamond, they are the same chemical property. 00:22:25 SPK_3 It's just that one is man made, one is found in nature.
00:22:28 SPK_3 So that's the difference and the price point. 00:22:33 SPK_3 So for people who say, okay, got no budget, then go for diamond simulator, a little bit of budget, then you go for let go. 00:22:39 SPK_3 If you are super, super rich, then you won't bother about us anymore.
00:22:47 SPK_3 So we try to have two segments of the market right now. 00:22:50 SPK_3 So that is our, this year, our plan, our direction to go into labgirth. 00:22:55 SPK_3 Then for events.
00:22:57 SPK_3 Then we're gonna announce. 00:22:58 SPK_2 Announce, yeah. 00:23:00 SPK_2 So there was someone from Europe who was actually quite interested in our brand.
00:23:06 SPK_2 And I think they really like our design because I think they find it that it's very simple but it's elegant at the same time. 00:23:13 SPK_2 So they invited us to join like, Milan Fashion Week in September. 00:23:17 SPK_2 So we will be joining Milan fashion week.
00:23:20 SPK_2 Actually, we haven't told anyone about this year. 00:23:21 SPK_2 Like the first. 00:23:25 SPK_2 Yeah.
00:23:25 SPK_2 So we will be joining our Milan fashion week in two months time. 00:23:29 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:23:29 SPK_2 And we're very excited.
00:23:31 SPK_1 I got a hint of this. 00:23:33 SPK_2 Really? 00:23:34 SPK_2 My mom, she was very excited. 00:23:39 SPK_1 I think you can they allow you all up to five people or something.
00:23:46 SPK_2 Pass for them to like. 00:23:49 SPK_2 She was very happy because I told her, you know, it's, it's probably not like a super big thing because, you know, we are just like such a small bed. 00:23:56 SPK_2 But she's like.
00:23:57 SPK_2 She wants to be there. 00:23:59 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:23:59 SPK_2 So yellow.
00:24:03 SPK_1 Even when my son goes out, just take one simple. 00:24:06 SPK_1 I mean, you are now just a simple top of the grade. 00:24:12 SPK_1 I mean, top of the level.
00:24:19 SPK_3 Her dad actually pushed her filming by one week. 00:24:25 SPK_3 The two of them and one of her brothers. 00:24:27 SPK_1 Yeah.
00:24:29 SPK_1 Okay, maybe before I go to the next question, very quick one. 00:24:34 SPK_1 So your pieces are priced at from what the base, let's say for a pair of earrings, it could cost like. 00:24:40 SPK_2 What I call the lowest, 280 to 200, that's the lowest price.
00:24:44 SPK_2 And it can go up for about 1000 and 5008 thousand, 5008 la, depending on diamond simulants. 00:24:53 SPK_2 Okay, then lab drones. 00:24:55 SPK_2 It starts from about 2000.
00:25:00 SPK_3 So now we break into two categories, or the diamond simulant and lab pro diamond, two brick umbrella to encompass the two things. 00:25:09 SPK_1 So we go now a bit it to the singaporean aspects. 00:25:12 SPK_1 Okay, so how do you see your work contributing to the singaporean landscape? 00:25:22 SPK_3 I think, first of all, we provide an alternative for consumers in general, Singapore consumers, right.
00:25:30 SPK_3 To afford that kind of luxury, affordable luxury, to be able to be confident about themselves, about women empowerment, think about choice that they can make. 00:25:42 SPK_3 You know, if you buy a natural diamond, maybe ten, over thousand, 20,000 for one or two carat, right? 00:25:48 SPK_3 You can buy 100 pieces of the diamond simulant, so you'll be empowered people with choice. 00:25:53 SPK_3 All right, people.
00:25:54 SPK_3 There are also people, guys who use it as a proposal ring. 00:25:58 SPK_3 So diamond simulant. 00:25:59 SPK_3 So last night, it used to be a stigma, right? 00:26:01 SPK_3 Diamond to go and propose.
00:26:02 SPK_3 But nowadays in this generation, more and more people are open to that. 00:26:06 SPK_3 They say that they are more practical. 00:26:07 SPK_3 Even the girls will tell their fiancee, their boyfriend, and say, hey, don't spend so much on the diamond.
00:26:11 SPK_3 Just get a simple one. 00:26:13 SPK_3 The significance, the meaning behind it. 00:26:15 SPK_3 We save the money, we go honeymoon, or we save the money, save money, get the btO, do renovation.
00:26:21 SPK_3 So more practical considerations, I would say. 00:26:25 SPK_3 So I think we have help to help this target audience, you know, to have more choices, to have more choices, make wiser choices with their money if budget is limited. 00:26:39 SPK_3 And also we are part of the one tree planted movement, so a portion of our sales actually goes into tree planting.
00:26:48 SPK_2 So for every sale we do, we actually plant one tree. 00:26:50 SPK_2 So at the end of the year, we consolidate. 00:26:52 SPK_2 Then we, like, give them one cheap planter, like manila, give them pantries.
00:26:58 SPK_3 So we actually got our staff, our whole company, one or two years back. 00:27:03 SPK_3 So near Bunkeng, the area opposite the King George place. 00:27:12 SPK_2 Everybody went, plant tree.
00:27:14 SPK_1 How many trains did you plant that plan? 00:27:16 SPK_2 Two. 00:27:18 SPK_1 Two trees. 00:27:18 SPK_3 Two trees.
00:27:19 SPK_3 But that one was more of a significant, more of an experience thing, like, just go get our hands. 00:27:23 SPK_2 It's expensive. 00:27:23 SPK_2 And to plant tree in Singapore.
00:27:25 SPK_2 Yeah, of course. 00:27:25 SPK_1 That's why I'm asking how many? 00:27:27 SPK_1 I'm not expecting to hear 1020 trees. 00:27:29 SPK_1 No, no, no.
00:27:30 SPK_2 But in the one tree planted, it only takes how much? 00:27:34 SPK_2 I think less than ten USD to plant, like, one tree. 00:27:37 SPK_2 So I think it's a lot more affordable. 00:27:40 SPK_2 And they plant a lot of trees that one will.
00:27:51 SPK_1 What is a favorite singaporean memory that you cherish? 00:27:56 SPK_2 It may not be related to what. 00:27:57 SPK_1 You'Re doing now, but, yeah, I think. 00:28:01 SPK_2 I missed, because I grew up in, like, the late nineties.
00:28:04 SPK_2 Right. 00:28:05 SPK_2 I think I really missed the days where there were no phones. 00:28:08 SPK_2 There were no, like, social media.
00:28:10 SPK_2 So I think spending time with my parents without the use of phones back then, I think it's something that I do miss. 00:28:19 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:28:21 SPK_2 So that there was, like, a lot of, like, face to face, like, talking, playing with, like, sand, you know, going outdoors, doing these kind of activities.
00:28:31 SPK_2 But now, you know, everyone has a phone in their face, so. 00:28:34 SPK_1 So as parents, your kids, do you like them? 00:28:39 SPK_2 You give them screen time, but it's very limited. 00:28:40 SPK_1 Also, you do, you do, you do limit the screen time? 00:28:43 SPK_2 I have to limit the same time, yeah.
00:28:45 SPK_1 So you're not the kind of parents, like, the minute they want to eat. 00:28:48 SPK_2 Or what you try to like. 00:28:51 SPK_3 So now it's your italian to eat first, then you can play.
00:28:54 SPK_3 So the reward is play, but you finish your food. 00:28:57 SPK_1 That's very positive. 00:28:58 SPK_2 So it's like half an hour.
00:29:01 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:29:03 SPK_1 What's your favorite scene? 00:29:04 SPK_1 Foreign dish? 00:29:08 SPK_2 Any favorite store can say, man, I can say. 00:29:12 SPK_1 You can say, we have not decided whether we want.
00:29:35 SPK_2 What makes you. 00:29:36 SPK_1 This one is very important. 00:29:37 SPK_1 I think, like, having studied abroad, I think when.
Four years. Like, I think Singaporeans. e are very.
I think people are always very impressed when I say that, like, I'm Singaporean or I hold, like, a Singaporean, like, you know, passport, you know, you really want to know, like, why such a small country can produce, like, you know, such brilliant people? 00:30:12 SPK_2 You know, I think, um, I don't know whether can say this la, but, um, when I was in Australia, you know, like, maybe like, academics wise out of, like, so many countries, I think we are the most competent in, you know, even though we look asian, but you look Chinese, but, you know, we can. 00:30:31 SPK_2 I speak English really, really well. 00:30:33 SPK_2 So a lot of the locals, they know they are very impressive, like, how our range of vocabulary and how we can communicate and converse with them, you know, in a very, like, easy to understand.
00:30:46 SPK_2 Easy to understand. 00:30:48 SPK_1 Then to help you along, maybe just to expand on your answer, would you also agree that Singaporeans are very resilient? 00:30:57 SPK_2 Singaporeans. 00:30:58 SPK_2 Singaporeans, yeah.
00:31:00 SPK_2 Actually they are, right? 00:31:02 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:31:02 SPK_2 I think your parents are young, very resilient. 00:31:04 SPK_1 You are like one of the embodiment your business feel.
00:31:07 SPK_1 But then you need to try. 00:31:09 SPK_2 I think it also has to go back to our education. 00:31:12 SPK_2 Yeah.
00:31:16 SPK_1 Are you sure? 00:31:19 SPK_1 Everybody comes out like, oh. 00:31:24 SPK_2 But we had to. 00:31:25 SPK_2 We were taught to like keep pushing, keep pushing through, even fear, also keep pushing through, you know, so like, I think, you know, even if you have, even if you are in different bending, you know, they will put you in a class and then DJ will continue to push you as a, as a band, you know, they don't like leave you out or like say that, okay, you can do something like easier.
00:31:43 SPK_3 So I think education, right. 00:31:46 SPK_3 It's not just only about the stuff that you study, the academic part of it, but it's also the process. 00:31:52 SPK_3 So actually, I feel that a lot of people say that whatever you study, you won't use at work.
00:31:56 SPK_3 It's generally true. 00:31:57 SPK_3 Why do you use maths or you go and study physics or that, you know, when you come out to work do marketing, you won't use that. 00:32:02 SPK_3 But I think it's a process of learning and failing and then improving, doing the correction and say that you can be better the next time.
00:32:08 SPK_3 So it is that grinding of the Singapore education system that helps to mold us that when we come out to work, at least, no, we fail. 00:32:13 SPK_3 We don't like, but we still have to do it. 00:32:15 SPK_3 And he teaches us that it's something you don't like, but you still have to do it.
00:32:18 SPK_3 You go to work. 00:32:19 SPK_3 You cannot say, I don't like, I don't work. 00:32:21 SPK_3 So it is the kind of training since schooling days, right? 00:32:24 SPK_3 That will bring us, you know, into adulthood.
00:32:27 SPK_3 I think that is the transfer of the kind of soft skills that we. 00:32:30 SPK_2 Just wear, ting kua lah. 00:32:31 SPK_2 Because from young, really we thought like, you know, we must be very thin.
00:32:35 SPK_2 Hua. 00:32:36 SPK_2 Okay. 00:32:39 SPK_1 The last formal question, what is okay? 00:32:42 SPK_1 And this you can take into consideration because you both are parents.
00:34:57 SPK_2 Yes, I think they feel that, like, more trustworthy. 00:35:00 SPK_3 Yeah, it is the same. 00:35:01 SPK_3 I mean, it's a bit of discrimination, but it's the same kind of discrimination that we asian or Singaporeans face last time in the past, in the eighties and the nineties, when Angmor come to Singapore, foreign talent.
00:35:10 SPK_3 So then obviously they already have an upper upper hand advantage just based on where you come from. 00:35:15 SPK_3 So I think now Singapore has that advantage. 00:35:18 SPK_3 So I think it's good that we have come, come to where we are today.
00:35:23 SPK_1 Okay, just sop questions. 00:35:26 SPK_1 Can I get your ages, please? 00:35:28 SPK_3 3232-3933 like 33 this year. 00:35:33 SPK_2 How about it's not my birthday, so it's 32.
00:35:35 SPK_1 Correct. 00:35:37 SPK_1 And 39. 00:35:39 SPK_1 So birthday party.
00:35:42 SPK_1 Okay. 00:35:43 SPK_1 And your boys? 00:35:45 SPK_2 Oh, my boy. 00:35:46 SPK_3 And six.
00:35:47 SPK_2 He's not six yet. 00:35:48 SPK_3 Oh, three and three and five. 00:35:50 SPK_3 Three and five next year by me.
00:35:52 SPK_3 One. 00:35:54 SPK_1 Oh, yeah, because not six yet. 00:36:02 SPK_3 You don't have any affliations or anything or stress.
00:36:05 SPK_2 That's right. 00:36:06 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:36:08 SPK_1 Are you all like, stressing over the.
00:36:11 SPK_2 Actually, I wasn't stressed, but I see my friends around me also stressed now, also. 00:36:14 SPK_2 Oh, my God. 00:36:15 SPK_2 Also wear stress.
00:36:16 SPK_2 It's always a peer pressure. 00:36:20 SPK_1 Do the both of you have, like, a certain expectation or a certain agreement on how. 00:36:26 SPK_1 How you want your kids, your boys, or at least the number one in terms of school? 00:36:32 SPK_2 I think, like, I just really want him to.
00:36:35 SPK_1 Will you be like the tiger mom in your dad? 00:36:38 SPK_2 Actually, I think I am. 00:36:39 SPK_2 I think I'm a tiger mom. 00:36:40 SPK_2 But the thing is that it's not more of, like, the score that he get.
00:36:42 SPK_2 I really want him to put in the effort, because when you come out to work, it's really like, you know, you need to put in the effort. 00:36:47 SPK_2 I don't want him to be, like, smart, and then he thinks that, like, you know, I don't have to do anything. 00:36:51 SPK_2 Yeah, it's not.
00:36:52 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:36:52 SPK_2 So I really see the effort in him. 00:36:56 SPK_3 Actually, after the Milan, we are going to Paris.
00:36:59 SPK_3 We have a pop up shop. 00:37:00 SPK_3 There. 00:37:07 SPK_2 Goes Milan is in September.
00:37:10 SPK_1 Then after that, you. 00:37:11 SPK_1 Is it directly. 00:37:12 SPK_3 So for Milan, we are flying to Paris.
00:37:15 SPK_3 Actually, we just go there to take a look, to take some photos for portfolios. 00:37:20 SPK_3 But we have the team there. 00:37:21 SPK_3 The european team will help us to manage the store like the tofu man.
00:37:24 SPK_3 So it will not be the full range of what we sell in Singapore, but it's a limited curated range so that they have too many complications, like the ring size, so everybody different size and different colors, so too many variations. 00:37:35 SPK_3 Very hard to sell. 00:37:36 SPK_3 So, like earrings, things like, not so many sizes.
00:37:38 SPK_3 So they will help us to do the fulfillment. 00:37:40 SPK_1 How long is the. 00:37:41 SPK_3 Is it three? 00:37:42 SPK_2 Uh, yeah, three months.
00:37:43 SPK_2 Three months. 00:37:44 SPK_2 Three months. 00:37:45 SPK_3 So you want to.
00:37:48 SPK_3 So, like, you asked about the exposure. 00:37:50 SPK_3 So we wanted that to give our brand some international presence and some exposure and to see what the taste like of the Europeans. 00:37:57 SPK_3 But actually just also forgot that when we started online, we also have overseas customers.
00:38:02 SPK_3 Because when you sell on the web. 00:38:03 SPK_3 Right. 00:38:03 SPK_3 It's worldwide.
00:38:04 SPK_1 Yes, correct. 00:38:04 SPK_1 It's not, like, limited to local in that sense. 00:38:08 SPK_3 Ours is not for three quarters.
00:38:09 SPK_3 It's very limited because we cannot export food overseas. 00:38:11 SPK_3 But for jewelry, very easy. 00:38:13 SPK_3 So we actually have a lot of customers from Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Australia, even London and us.
00:38:21 SPK_3 So we were quite heartened by the results. 00:38:26 SPK_1 Which is your biggest market outside Singapore? 00:38:29 SPK_3 Malaysia, Australia. 00:38:30 SPK_2 Malaysia, Australia.
00:38:36 SPK_1 So in terms of social media, what's the social media presence? 00:38:41 SPK_1 Like? 00:38:41 SPK_1 Facebook, Ig, Instagram. 00:38:48 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:38:50 SPK_3 Did you ever share the story about cancer? 00:38:53 SPK_2 Oh.
00:38:56 SPK_1 I'm open. 00:38:57 SPK_2 Don't worry. 00:38:58 SPK_3 This one is very emotional.
00:39:00 SPK_3 It touches our heart. 00:39:01 SPK_3 So I think it's very meaningful. 00:39:03 SPK_2 Yeah.
00:39:04 SPK_2 So, um, there was once I was at the store, it was like, my. 00:39:07 SPK_2 My shift la. 00:39:08 SPK_2 And then, um.
00:39:09 SPK_1 So you do come. 00:39:11 SPK_1 You do? 00:39:11 SPK_2 I do come. 00:39:12 SPK_2 I do, I do, I do step in when, um, the staff needs help.
00:39:16 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:39:16 SPK_2 If, like, there are, like, too many customers, then we will actually, like, come down, like, help out. 00:39:20 SPK_3 Oh.
00:39:21 SPK_3 When the staff suddenly got last minute, urgent things. 00:39:24 SPK_2 So there were two ladies to walk into the store. 00:39:27 SPK_2 Then, like, one of the ladies, she actually had a bandana on then.
00:39:32 SPK_2 So I asked them, you know, is there something I can, like, help you with? 00:39:34 SPK_2 And then her friend was very happy and said that, like, today is my friend's last, like, cancer treatment. 00:39:42 SPK_2 And I want to. 00:39:44 SPK_2 I want to give her something, like, to remember that.
00:39:47 SPK_2 Then, you know, I think at that point of time, I hit me that, like, my jewelry is not just a piece of metal. 00:39:52 SPK_2 It's not just a piece of gemstone. 00:39:54 SPK_2 It is, like, it holds, like, meaning to a person.
00:39:57 SPK_2 And I think that really, like, pushed us on because, you know, in terms of craftsmanship, I'm very particular. 00:40:04 SPK_2 So every single piece, it's handcrafted. 00:40:07 SPK_2 You know, I refuse to go down the mass.
00:40:09 SPK_2 The mass production route, even though, like, for mass production, you know, the margins would definitely be a lot higher. 00:40:16 SPK_2 But, you know, it doesn't give meaning to the jewelry anymore. 00:40:19 SPK_2 So I think at that point of time, I was at a crossroad.
00:40:24 SPK_2 I didn't know whether I should go down the mass production route or whether I should continue to stay with, like, you know, handcraft. 00:40:30 SPK_2 Handcrafts, like, craftsmanship then. 00:40:33 SPK_2 So when this incident happened, I think that was then made my decision very clear that there's no way I can go down mass production because people view our jewelry as a jewelry that, you know, they can hold, like, sentimental value.
00:40:47 SPK_2 So. 00:40:48 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:40:48 SPK_2 And then, like, you know, she got her friend something that she really liked, and I think, can you remember what.
00:40:53 SPK_1 What particular item? 00:40:54 SPK_2 Yeah, it's. 00:40:56 SPK_2 Should I show you a picture? 00:41:00 SPK_1 Because I can also put it as a caption. 00:41:02 SPK_2 Yeah.
00:41:04 SPK_1 Yeah. 00:41:05 SPK_2 So it was like, a limited. 00:41:08 SPK_2 A limited edition, like, stone, like, colored gemstone.
00:41:11 SPK_2 And then she got it for her friend. 00:41:12 SPK_2 So I think that really touched me, like, a lot. 00:41:14 SPK_2 Yeah.
00:41:15 SPK_2 So I think when she said that, right, the tear, I came out of my eyes, I think partially also because I feel very happy for her, but also, like, I'm so glad that I actually got my answer. 00:41:24 SPK_2 So where. 00:41:26 SPK_2 Because decision, like, should be.
00:41:28 SPK_2 Yeah. 00:41:29 SPK_1 Do you remember how long ago was this? 00:41:30 SPK_2 Oh, that was maybe like two years back. 00:41:37 SPK_3 It's like a mouse.
00:41:38 SPK_3 It's a big milestone. 00:41:39 SPK_3 We've all thought about, you know, like rings, like usually like boyfriend girlfriend, husband boyfriend. 00:41:43 SPK_1 But this is like a friend, a different significance.
00:41:47 SPK_1 Right. 00:41:47 SPK_3 We never thought that and we never think that our jewelry can hold that kind of significance. 00:41:52 SPK_3 For somebody's overcoming of that challenge.
00:41:55 SPK_3 It's like, wow, that was very powerful. 00:41:59 SPK_1 How can you forget this? 00:42:03 SPK_1 Thank you. 00:42:05 SPK_1 No, this is very inspiring.
00:42:07 SPK_1 I mean, like what you say, it also determines for you at that point what you say. 00:42:12 SPK_1 The crossroads are trying to decide which way to go. 00:42:15 SPK_3 Yes.
00:42:15 SPK_1 And then this one person came. 00:42:17 SPK_1 So that the impact that this one person gave you far output. 00:42:22 SPK_2 Yes.
00:42:23 SPK_1 And it's also an endorsement that you are on the right track. 00:42:26 SPK_1 Yeah, you are doing the right. 00:42:31 SPK_3 Very encouraging.
00:42:33 SPK_1 So in terms of photos, what I would need from you will be send me that photo. 00:42:38 SPK_1 I think email me will be better because of resolution. 00:42:42 SPK_1 Our website sucks.
00:42:44 SPK_1 I need a new website every other day. 00:42:46 SPK_1 I'm fighting with my ITP every other day. 00:42:49 SPK_1 By this morning already I went on my homepage and I sent a message.
00:42:54 SPK_1 Hey, why got broken images? 00:42:56 SPK_1 Is that bad? 00:42:58 SPK_1 But we are just very muted. 00:43:00 SPK_1 I think email is better. 00:43:01 SPK_1 Ken dropped me this photo.
00:43:03 SPK_1 Do you have a photo of your weather? 00:43:07 SPK_1 It could be at one of the overseas trip or even Hong Kong craftsman. 00:43:13 SPK_1 So correct me if I'm wrong, but your every item is crafted in. 00:43:20 SPK_2 Yeah, it's handmade.
00:43:20 SPK_1 Handmade? 00:43:21 SPK_3 Yeah. 00:43:22 SPK_1 Okay. 00:43:22 SPK_1 So if you have a photo there, it might be good.
00:43:25 SPK_1 If not, then I would like at least one photo. 00:43:28 SPK_1 Like what we call back then when we first started out. 00:43:32 SPK_1 Yeah, something like that.
00:43:33 SPK_2 Okay. 00:43:34 SPK_1 Okay. 00:43:34 SPK_1 And then also let me know what's your ig handle? 00:43:37 SPK_2 Okay.
00:43:38 SPK_1 I can blast it in. 00:43:40 SPK_1 We can also tag you when it comes out. 00:43:43 SPK_1 Take your ig handle.
00:43:45 SPK_1 Ig. 00:43:46 SPK_3 The only one that you have ig mainly is ig. 00:43:49 SPK_3 Like Facebook is a bit lesser.
00:43:51 SPK_3 We still do, but not so strong. 00:43:53 SPK_1 I think for your ig. 00:43:54 SPK_1 For us, Facebook works best because of the age group.
00:43:57 SPK_1 Yeah. 00:43:59 SPK_1 So just give me your ig handle. 00:44:02 SPK_1 What else do I need? 00:44:03 SPK_1 I think that's about it.
00:44:06 SPK_1 I will go to the shop to take a photo of some stuff. 00:44:10 SPK_1 And then for possibly of the two of you, I'll take two different photos, one with Peter and one without beetle. 00:44:15 SPK_1 Just by yourself.
00:44:18 SPK_1 But if, let's say in the event you have recently done photoshoot somewhere and you take it. 00:44:23 SPK_1 Patrick, can you use this photo? 00:44:25 SPK_1 Yeah, she can just send me. 00:44:26 SPK_1 I will be more than happy.
00:44:27 SPK_1 But on the grounds itself. 00:44:30 SPK_2 The grounds itself? 00:44:35 SPK_2 No, lah cannot laden. 00:44:37 SPK_1 How long ago was that? 00:44:39 SPK_2 Earlier this year, February.
00:44:44 SPK_3 They took a lot but they didn't use. 00:44:46 SPK_1 Yeah, if they, if they took a lot then actually they never give us. 00:44:50 SPK_2 We can use.
00:44:51 SPK_1 I would have access to it and I can download sign give you all. 00:44:58 SPK_1 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:44:58 SPK_1 Correct.
00:44:59 SPK_1 So we. 00:44:59 SPK_1 Our website still reads straightstamp.com.
00:45:01 SPK_2 Okay, okay. 00:45:02 SPK_2 Okay. 00:45:03 SPK_1 Let me see.
00:45:04 SPK_3 Malay photographer. 00:45:18 SPK_1 So I should search under your name, right? 00:45:23 SPK_3 It was published the day before CFM at two seats. 00:45:29 SPK_3 Yeah.
00:45:30 SPK_3 With the Uran Center. 00:45:32 SPK_2 I think he took quite a bit at the store. 00:45:37 SPK_2 Okay.
What's the biggest challenge you face in your day-to-day work? What's the most rewarding aspect of your work? Meeting so many friends through music. Enjoying music, being able to perform, is a blessing. It's fulfilling to share the beauty of music with others, creating lasting memories and bond.
How do you see your work contributing to the Singapore landscape? I wouldn't call it a contribution, but we've documented our experiences and emotions through music, reflecting Singapore's unique culture. Our concerts resonate with many, reminding them of shared history and experiences – it could be a part of them growing up, going to school, falling in love and setting up a family. This emotional connection is invaluable.
What's a favourite Singapore memory you cherish? Growing up in a kampung. It was a time of simplicity and close-knit community bonds. We played barefoot, enjoyed nature and trusted our neighbors - you didn’t have to lock your doors and gates.
Those were the best years, a stark contrast to today’s complexities. What’s your favourite Singapore dish? Hard to pick just one! Fishball noodles, chicken rice, and curry fish head. These dishes are quintessentially Singaporean and hold a special place in my heart.
What makes you the proudest about being Singaporean? We have a strong sense of national identity, and our society is very warm-hearted. You often see media reports about people in need and many stepping up to help. These are qualities I think are characteristic and precious in Singaporeans.
What is your hope for Singapore? Our country is so small, we have to remain united or we can fall apart easily. I also hope the younger generation learn to be good people, even as they excel academically, this way they don’t become a generation that can only work but lack empathy. May they can have a solid foundation in traditional values, so they don't become a generation that only knows how to work but not how to be good people.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. What drew you to this path? When I was in NS in 1986, eight other former schoolmates and I banded together to participate in the first nationl xinyao songwriting and singing competition. That was also when I met Shirley who was with another group.
In 1988, I went to Taiwan where Chinese folk music cafes were flourishing. I loved the vibes of 'live' music, which was very similar to xinyao. I returned home with a big dream of opening my own cafe.
I found a place in Chinatown, paid a deposit of $13,500 and started applying for licences and preparing for renovations. Then I was told, sorry, our application for an entertainment licence was rejected because the area had too many security issues with frequent robberies. My dream of starting Singapore's first folk music cafe was shattered and I was heartbroken.
I worked all kinds of other jobs, from sales to marketing that were unrelated to music, but that dream was always there. In 1998, I decided to go for broke – it was make it or fail. We borrowed $100,000 from relatives and friends to set up TCR (the acronym for Tan Chang Ren, which literally means someons who plays the guitar and sings).
At that time, we'd just got a five-room HDB flat in Pasir Ris which I used as a collateral. I told my creditors that if I failed, I'd sell it after five years. Shirley was pregnant that time with our elder of the two daughters, who was born shortly after.
My wife and I both worked day jobs and ran the cafe at night. It was exhausting and the money we made wasn't enough, so I had to borrow more, pouring it into losses. Two years later, I decided to quit.
Luckily, the landlord was kind – there was a year left on the lease, and he could have confiscated three months' rent and the deposit – but he said, "I know you've worked hard, it just isn't working out." We saved $10,000 on rent and he even returned my $5,000 deposit. But I kept my word and we sold the flat to pay off all debts.
We pivoted to organising small-scale concerts and that was the turning point. In 2002, I organised the first Chong Feng (Reunion) show, which featured an ensemble of popular Taiwan and xinyao singers. We made losses for the first two years but I refused to give up, I believed we would eventually succeed.
I'd like to believe we have made it. What's the biggest challenge you face in your day-to-day work? Having to deal with naysaysers who accuse of rehashing old songs and not passing on the legacy. Others say I'm trying to commercialise culture.
The annual National Schools Xinyao Singing and Song Writing Competition, launched in 2015, has breathed a new life into this genre. But before that, we were performing in schools for students with much fanfare. No one knew because we didn't publicise it, so the accusations are unfair.
Now that we've organised the competition for 10 years, the performances speak for themselves. Despite criticisms, we have been committed to passing on the legacy. It's human nature; some early xinyao enthusiasts may not have been involved or felt slighted that we didn't include them due to various reasons and that leads to their dissatisfaction.
What's the most rewarding aspect of your work? Meeting so many friends through music. Enjoying music, being able to perform, is a blessing. It's fulfilling to share the beauty of music with others, creating lasting memories and bond.
How do you see your work contributing to the Singapore landscape? I wouldn't call it a contribution, but we've documented our experiences and emotions through music, reflecting Singapore's unique culture. Our concerts resonate with many, reminding them of shared history and experiences – it could be a part of them growing up, going to school, falling in love and setting up a family. This emotional connection is invaluable.
What's a favourite Singapore memory you cherish? Growing up in a kampung. It was a time of simplicity and close-knit community bonds. We played barefoot, enjoyed nature and trusted our neighbors - you didn’t have to lock your doors and gates.
Those were the best years, a stark contrast to today’s complexities. What’s your favourite Singapore dish? Hard to pick just one! Fishball noodles, chicken rice, and curry fish head. These dishes are quintessentially Singaporean and hold a special place in my heart.
What makes you the proudest about being Singaporean? We have a strong sense of national identity, and our society is very warm-hearted. You often see media reports about people in need and many stepping up to help. These are qualities I think are characteristic and precious in Singaporeans.
What is your hope for Singapore? I think Singapore is, I think for my kids, I think. I hope that Singapore will always maintain, like, their peace and always have you. Because I think last thing I want is for my kids to grow up, you know, in a place where there is no peace and there is no purity.
00:33:08 SPK_2 So I do hope Singapore can maintain. 00:33:15 SPK_3 I think, I wish that Singapore will continue to be strong as a country in the eyes of the world, so that we have our own social standing, even now, I mean, we travel to other countries. 00:33:29 SPK_3 People always say, oh, Singapore, you know, it's that kind of admiration that they have for Singapore.
00:33:35 SPK_3 So I think I want that to continue to be respected in the world. 00:33:39 SPK_3 And when and when that happens, as a Singaporean, you feel proud, and you know that your country is good, you have the best passport in the world. 00:33:46 SPK_3 You know, you can do so many things efficiently, fast.
00:33:49 SPK_3 And people know that Singaporeans have talent and they have that kind of resilience to get things done, that you are highly valued. 00:33:56 SPK_3 So I think I want that to. 00:33:57 SPK_2 Continue because our craftsmen are in Hong Kong, right? 00:34:01 SPK_2 So they know that we are Singaporeans.
00:34:03 SPK_2 And I think they, whenever we, like, visit them, they already talk to us and then, you know, ask us about our country and, you know, what is it that makes our country, like, so successful? 00:34:12 SPK_2 So I do think that they are very curious about our country and, like, how come, you know, it can produce, like, you know, people, they want to. 00:34:18 SPK_3 Send their children to Singapore to study. 00:34:20 SPK_1 So do you think, actually, do you feel that, oh, the minute you tell people that you are singaporean, right.
00:34:25 SPK_1 In any business or anything like that, in your interaction, does being a singaporean kind of give you a little bit of a lift, an upper hand in that sense? 00:34:36 SPK_1 Some people like, yeah, not for publishing, but I mean, I will craft it nicer. 00:34:42 SPK_1 But, you know, like, if you're malaysian and Singapore, Indonesia and Singapore, like, your approach, do you feel that being a Singapore actually gives you that advantage? 00:34:52 SPK_2 They were like, oh, you know, wow. 00:34:55 SPK_1 And they have more confidence.
Here are the details you need. I can’t remember if this is all..
please let me know if there is something I missed out on. Personal IG handle @ethneo,@thepeterlau Éclat by Oui IG handle @eclatbyoui I have included the photos in the link here . The Claudia in Blue-Grey ring was the ring that a lady bought for her friend who ended her last chemotherapy session in 2021.
The HeartWear Link necklace and earrings are one of the few pieces that will be featured in Milan Fashion Week..
