Dressing up Bump
Like many start-ups, Stillen was founded to solve a problem. When Singaporean banker LISA CHONG was pregnant and nursing, she couldn’t find suitable maternity workwear that looked professional for her job. She launched her fashion brand Stillen to fill that gap. We chat with the inspiring founder and designer to find out more.
maternity labels were suitable either for pregnancy or nursing, which meant the clothing had a limited lifespan. Nursing wear often had a band under the bust line, which to me felt frumpy for work. So I began conceptualising a brand that would bridge this gap for expecting mums in a professional or client-facing role.
What are your inspirations behind the designs?
The designs are inspired by my closet favourites. I would take parts from different outfits that I love and piece them together to see how I could make something different. I love to experiment with different styles, but I realise that the outfits that are my best investments are those that are simple and classic, as they can be easily jazzed up with accessories or toned down with casual sneakers. So, you would see that Stillen’s first collection is full of solid colours and simple lines to make the pieces versatile to suit different styles.
My nursing journey was full of improvising on the spot. I had to plan the right outfit for the office so that pumping could be quick and direct. But on the days when I’d forgotten and worn a normal dress to work, I had to pump half-undressed in the super-cold nursing room. Hence Stillen’s designs mainly take their cue from my nursing experiences, as well as feedback from other working mums, some of whom even have had to pump while on public transport.
How is the brand sustainable?
There are many ways to be part of the sustainable fashion movement, more than just by addressing the type of textiles used. For Stillen, we have a slow fashion approach by creating limited quantity pieces that are “season-less” and of good quality. That’s why we strive to make every piece with a dual function – suitable for both pregnant and nursing ladies – to give our customers the best mileage for their spending! We’re also on board with Style Theory Singapore, which is Southeast Asia’s largest clothes rental subscription platform.
What are some of the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My biggest challenge has been finding the right balance in staying relevant and interesting to consumers, while being sustainable. Not having a fashion industry background has made this a steep learning curve for me. Being a start-up label, it was tough finding good manufacturers that were willing to work with low quantity as we wanted to ensure quality and sustainability.
A lot of thought goes into which designs to produce and how many styles to make for each collection. It would be easy to get caught up in the trends. Choosing to work with better quality fabrics and certain design choices also translates into higher cost, but we want to make sure our collections remain reasonably priced as we understand the high cost of having a baby in Singapore.
What’s in the works for the brand?
We’re really excited to share that our new partner brand is Milky Mumma, an Australianmade label known for its lactation smoothies and for Mummalyte, a great supplement that boosts energy and hydration levels. These collagen bars are individually wrapped and are packed with superfoods, so they’re great for busy working mums on the go. They’re also great for sharing with the family.
Separately, we are working to launch our second collection! This time, we’ve explored with more prints. We want to inject some fun into our new collection and expand a little more into casual wear, while still keeping in line with our philosophies of dual-function designs and “invisible” nursing access. We’re bringing in loungewear as well!
Giveaway Alert!
Shop the range of maternity wear and products at stillen.com.sg.
Australian-born Tiffany now has three stores across Singapore, along with her own design collection, Kenz & Kate. Her biggest inspiration comes from travel, and her Kenz & Kate collection reflects that. Whether it’s a jumpsuit, kaftan or cool summer dress, these are flexible styles that can work from day to night, and from shopping to bar hopping.
The Kenz & Kate collection supports sustainability and fair trade, and is ethically produced in India and Bali – it’s made for women by women.
You can also book a Styling Session with Tiffany. She can help you find the perfect outfits to wear every day of the week, plus the right look for that special holiday, birthday party, cocktail event, destination wedding, prom or lazy Sunday brunch.
shoppingattiffanys.com
Juliette is a true Parisian girl, a French fashion designer reaching to all corners of the globe for conscious inspiration, and a mother of two. She couldn’t find what she wanted for that professional-yet-versatile, elegant-yet-easy-to-wear outfit, so she designed it herself! First came her all-time favourite – and now signature outfit and best seller – the jumpsuit. Then came dresses, skirts, trousers, playsuits and tops. And they all maintain the focus of being timeless slow fashion in natural fabrics and ethically produced.
As a working mum, Juliette knows exactly what it means to juggle a busy schedule! So, she wanted to create clothes for her friends and all women like her who are trying to do, be and feel their best in their hectic everyday lives.
ccbyjuliette.com
White Ginger has been dressing the expat community for nearly ten years. Owner and designer Emma describes her style as classic with a hint of fun. “I’ve always loved influences from the 70s – jumpsuits, halter necks and bright prints,” she says.
Emma has now relocated to the UK but continues to design, with frequent visits to Bali where the small family-run factory is. She also works closely with Bali Life Foundation, supporting their orphanage and training women at their Women’s Centre to make simple items, thus providing them with a living wage.
White Ginger keeps quantities limited and refreshes the rails, so it’s always worth popping into Tanglin Mall for a look. The staff are all experienced at giving honest styling advice and feedback too, which is wonderful – or you can shop online if you prefer to try something on at home; delivery is free in Singapore.
white-ginger.com
Clothing that is considerate of Singapore’s perennial humid climate is key for Michelle. Her focus is on dressing with ease, and offering versatility and breathable comfort – these are the things that help to anchor the brand.
Weekend Sundries’ designs focus on quality, timelessness and comfort, catering to a more conscious way of living. The brand’s approach is that fashion should be helpful rather than harmful, hence its penchant for textiles that are natural, eco-conscious and traceable. So, the materials used are natural, low-impact fabrics personally sourced from textile mills in Japan, along with Lenzing Tencel and other sustainable fabrics that are kind to the environment. The seamstresses are based in Singapore, as well as in various partner workshops in Indonesia and Vietnam.
Weekend Sundries also keeps its collections season-less and in small batches; and it initiates pre-orders as a way of using resources more responsibly and reducing overproduction and waste.
weekendsundries.com
Gen is British and moved to Singapore in 2016. The fabric she uses at The Jersey Shop is super comfortable “fine knit” lightweight jersey, made from cotton and cotton blends (viscose polyester, linen and elastane). The store has just expanded to include a baby wear line, too, and this season the girls’ wear has been split into two lines – a younger range for ages two to eight years and a tweens’ range for eight to 14.
Gen and her husband are very passionate about sustainability, reduced waste and recycling. They continually strive to make their Bangladesh-based factory as green as possible for large-volume manufacturing; they’ve also created heaps of new projects to reuse leftovers and minimise waste.
Gen’s fashion idol is Stella McCartney – she finds her business model an inspiration, from supply chain transparency and sustainable raw material sourcing, to recycling and leather alternatives.
The Jersey Shop products are available through Zalora – and watch out for the new website!
zalora.sg/gen-woo
When the economic crisis affected Turkey in 2018, a 25-year-old Turkish textile business was going to be closed down. But, an idea came to family members based in Singapore and inspired them to rethink things. The idea was to make very comfortable yet fun men’s underwear – pieces with bold prints and quirky messages on the inside for the wearer to look at for a confidence boost or a laugh, or even to show off!
Underwear is easy to manufacture with a small team, and doesn’t require specialised machinery; it’s also easy to ship. So, the business was brought to life here, while all the manufacturing still takes place in Turkey.
The Fancies team have had loads of fun picking prints, colours and slogans, and working on designs for packaging. And the good thing is, because it’s a family business, they can source high-quality materials and keep costs, and therefore prices, low. shopfancies.com