Singapore Artists And Retailers Spark Joy With Their New Creative Movement

A growing coterie of artists and retailers here are specialising in fun, design‐driven accessories and knick‐knacks that some might consider non‐essential or even frivolous. The main purpose of these products? To inject some sunshine and put a smile on one’s face.

By Keng Yang Shuen, 18 Oct 2023

At Wormhole – an online bookstore opened by freelance copywriter Seet Siew Ling and project manager Charmaine He in 2021 – the merch that’s sold alongside the books can perhaps be best described as delivering a triple punch of wry humour, cuteness and all-round warm, fuzzy feelings. Take the greeting cards that feature an image of the viral teary-eyed kitty cat looking at its own reflection in a window (you know what we’re talking about). The accompanying tagline on it? “Believe in yourself!” Or iridescent stickers depicting “plant babies” or extra-chonky Pokemons (which, by the way, are almost always sold out).

Over at Sara Street – a “knick knack” label started by artist and graphic designer Sara Ho in 2020 – the signature product is Laura, a stylish rabbit figure with a permanently grumpy face reminiscent of ’80s kawaii icons such as Hello Kitty given a dash of Enid Blyton twee-ness. Said bunny appears in various forms – from handmade plushie keychains to, yes, fancy sticker sets that would not look out of place at commercial gift shops of a pre-social media age (who remembers Kalms and Precious Thoughts?).

Alongside these names, there has been an increasing number of retail spaces specialising in similarly fun, feel-good, artist-made objects that include prints, zines, tote bags, mugs and other tchotchkes. Each store has its own quirks, but one thing that they all share in common is an appreciation for the whimsical, child-like and humorous – especially if they come with pop cultural undertones.

At Around Gallery, there’s an unmistakable affinity for printed and illustrated goods that tend to come in Paddle Pop hues and with plenty of nods to niche pop culture icons such as characters from the hit anime series *Jujutsu Kaisen*. Says the store’s co-founder Cheryl Kook: “We honestly just curate a range of goods from artists whom we ourselves are excited by and our guests and customers are probably people who identify with similar things.”
Athirah Annissa

Think designer Ryen Len’s graphic tees with idiosyncratic slogans (“bread first, chat later”) that come sealed ala old-school loaves of bread. This hearty offering can be found at Aaah House – the independent design store that Len launched with his wife Ella Zheng on Yong Siak Street in July this year – as well as Open Door Store, another business big on small, design-driven paraphernalia opened by Goh Zhong Ming and Debbie Lee, the duo behind the silkscreen printing studio Konstrukt Labs, in the Macpherson area a month earlier.

Or freelance designer Jun Zuan Ang’s necklace with a remake of a vial of po chai pills – traditional Chinese medicine popular for dealing with gastrointestinal ailments – for a pendant, which is carried at Open Door Store and Shrub, a barley year-old shop at Golden Mile Tower. (Instead of exclusivity, these enterprises pride themselves on supporting emerging local designers so the more representation, the better.) With all its unexpectedness and cheekiness, Jun’s jewellery could just heal pain albeit psychologically.

STRESS RELIEF

There are various reasons behind this recent surge of retailers and designers of which MO seems to be spreading good vibes. One common refrain though is that these products make an easy and affordable pick-me-up that fends off the mountain of stress that is modern life – something some might say has only been exacerbated by the pandemic that we’ve just lived through.

Says Seet of Wormhole: “A lot of our merch references feelings of anxiety and depression. The artists behind them may do so with humour, but at the heart of these items are those feelings that are very real and human… People are a lot more busy and stressed-out these days, and will take a dopamine hit wherever they can. If that comes in the form of a cute sticker that they can slap onto their laptop for just two dollars, why not?”

The artists behind these products also find a sense of release – and relief – through their creative process. Freelance graphic designer Claire Boon dreams up vivid prints and posters in tribute to her favourite musical acts and is a self-proclaimed enthusiast-slash-collector of such lighthearted, visually driven mementoes. “I think a lot of the time, we feel conditioned to create logical things for a deeper purpose… However I believe very much that creating for fun helps with burnouts…

“Take Sonny Angels (the cherubic Japanese toy figures that emerged in the 2000s and have recently become popular again in part due to famous fans such as Bella Hadid), for example. Designer Toru Soeya intended for them to be a companion to working women in their mid-20s who were experiencing stress from adulthood. It just goes to show how sometimes, useless yet fun things can strike a chord among people regardless of age. With people sick of being confined especially after the pandemic, it’s natural to crave for the freedom to create, and try and seek out new things.”

ERA OF POSITIVITY

This inclination towards stuff that uplifts also dovetails with a growing cultural movement that encourages embracing vulnerabilities, prioritising mental health and self-empowerment, and spreading hope and positivity. See the flux of Instagram accounts dedicated to sharing short and sharp motivational messages accompanied by stylish graphics that would look sweet on a tee or phone case, for example. Consider these the present-day equivalent of Hallmark greeting cards, if you will.

Notable players range from the sassy Canadian illustrator who goes by the moniker Sid The Visual Kid (“not a bitch – just not puttin’ up with your s**t”, reads one post) to the Singapore-born Slimy Oddity, which has found fame and collaborations (including a recent one with sneaker brand Superga) for its comics featuring a cuddly red creature by the name of Slimy. Its main intention: to “spread love and light into the world”.

Or who can ignore the eye-popping array of viral videos documenting so-called real-life encounters that would make one go “awww”, reminding that humanity is well and alive, and the social media accounts that specialise in them? Check out @worthfeed, @tanksgoodnews, @allthingsgood – you get the picture.

Open Door Store at Playfair Road is a wonder emporium of quirky objects (above) – especially those by Singapore artists and creatives.
Athirah Annissa

Even the domain of usually juicy romance novels and dramas has gone wholesome according to a recent article by Time writer Judy Herman, who cited the critically acclaimed coming-of-age queer Netflix series Heartstopper as an example (heartwarming and hopeful, Euphoria this is not). “What has become more exotic and thus more desirable is comfort, safety and stability,” she pens.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT

With a focus on wares by emerging local artists and talents, the design-driven tchotchke shops that have popped up in Singapore recently can also be said to uplift the creative community as a whole here. It shows in their collaborative spirit – instead of seeing one another as competition, these businesses are big on sharing. Says Aaah House co-founder Ella Zheng, who’s also a graphic designer and jeweller: “We all want to support the local artist-slash-designer community so while each store has its own vibe and selection of products, we owners often introduce one another to artists who catch our eye, recommending to them other places they could consider approaching to be stocked at, for example…

“As someone from the creative industry, I’m aware that not everyone has had the best personal experience working with retailers. It’s precisely because of this that we need to create a better environment for future generations of creatives to grow and thrive in.”

Thanks to them, the design retail scene here is also at its liveliest in years. Says Gen Z graphic designer and regular patron Claire Boon: “I bring a lot of my friends to these stores and it really broadens their view on creativity and what the Singapore art scene has to offer.”

Ultimately – however frivolous their products might seem – this post-pandemic crop of feel-good designers and retailers prove that picking up on good vibrations does pay. Says Sara Ho of the label Sara Street: “It could be a relatable illustration on a sticker that makes me feel like I’m less alone… Other times it’s the obscurity of the object or its concept that makes me feel like there’s someone out there who’s as odd as I am and that alone gives me great comfort and sanity. Viewed through such a lens, wouldn’t you say these works serve a function?”

AROUND GALLERY

Started: June 2023

Find it at: 3 Everton Park, #01-73

What to expect: Around Gallery is a shop-slash-gallery space founded by longtime pals Cheryl Kook (pictured) and Angeline Toh (who’s based in New York). Kook is an artist and had been hosting pop-up shows in various locations over the years, but decided to build a space of her own to run them more effectively. Meanwhile Toh is a graphic designer who handles the branding and marketing. Central to the duo’s curation of shows and wares on site is a desire to recreate the feeling of discovering a friend’s treasure trove. As Kook puts it, it’s a collection of items and illustrations that makes them happy and they would like to share that happiness with others too.

Hair and Makeup Sarah Tan

SARA STREET

Started: 2020

Find it at: sarastreet.com

What to expect: If you dig fluffy anthropomorphic critters, you’ll dig Sara Street. Started by the 32-year-old artist and graphic designer Sara Ho, the label’s signature motif is a rabbit with a permanently grumpy face named Laura (that’s Ho carrying a pocket-sized plushie of said bunny). The merch fleshing out Laura’s world spans stickers, art prints, keychains and soft toys all handmade by Ho herself (she even has come up with a cast of side characters). At once kawaii and twee, here’s a label that makes cool the blitheness of girlhood (and it started before NewJeans).

“The things I create are primarily a way to keep my inner child alive and less about marketability, and this longing for nostalgia probably stems from the desire to relive a time when life was free from the responsibilities and stress (that come with adulthood). At the same time, having grown up, my fellow designers and I are able to create what we dreamt of owning, but couldn’t as kids – that cute letter-writing set from Sanrio that we had to give up for a more practical, budget-friendly version from the school bookshop, for example," says Ho.

Hair & Makeup Vanessa Drea

WORMHOLE

Started: October 2021

Find it at: wormhole.com.sg

What to expect: Wormhole is ostensibly an online bookstore, but it also exudes the warmth of a friend thanks to the many cute illustrations on its Instagram account (@wormholesg) as well as the personable voice of co-founders Seet Siew Ling (pictured here) and Charmaine He (who could not make our shoot). Take for example the pithy-but-punchy caption accompanying an image of stickers featuring chonky Pokemons that are stocked in store: “The only generation that matters”. Alongside 500 or so books, Wormhole sells a selection of artist-made pins, stickers and greeting cards designed to bring a smile to one’s face through wit or sheer cuteness. “We never planned to stock only books. We want to stock a variety of things that can bring value to people whether it’s educational in the form of a book or something small like a sticker that you can gift someone to make their day easier.”

Ling adds: “In general, I think people are tired of the perfectly styled and curated imagery that used to be the gold standard of Instagram. There’s this newfound level of appreciation for showcasing vulnerability and that would naturally lead to people responding to merch that possess emotional openness and a personal touch over something sleek and mass-manufactured.”

Hair and Makeup Sarah Tan

OPEN DOOR STORE

Started: June 2023

Find it at: #01-16B Kapo Factory Building on Playfair Road

What to expect: Head here if you enjoy surprises. Open Door Store is a double-storey space that’s akin to a minimart of quirky objects – especially those by Singapore artists and creatives. Think T-shirts with exclusive prints from a variety of artists, and accessories that spoof retro design icons and everyday objects. The sheer variety of merch makes for a bit of a visual overload, but that’s the way co-founders Goh Zhong Ming (left) and Debbie Lee (right)like it. “Instead of a fashioning a consciously curated aesthetic, what we offer for sale is a genuine reflection of the local creative landscape,” says Goh. The pair has been running their silkscreen printing studio Konstrukt Labs since 2017 and has become a go-to name among many artists and designers here for their printing services. This has allowed them to be versed with the problems these creatives face here, including the lack of places to stock their merch. Open Door Store was born out of this – its name refers to how its inventory is mostly made up of things created by friends and clients and that anyone is welcome.

Hair & Makeup Sarah Tan

YABAI YABAI

Started: Sept 2019

Find it at: yabaiyabai.com

What to expect: Run by textile designer and artist Stacy Tan, Yabai Yabai is a label that makes fabric accessories and garments, and is a haven for those who love colours and groovy motifs. The 34-year-old Tan (pictured here) is known for finding inspiration in everyday things (spring onions, anyone?) And turning them into charmingly whimsical and original prints that adorn anything from socks to quilted vests.

Says Tan: “With Yabai Yabai, I hope to express the idea that there can be small joys to be appreciated in our everyday lives. It could be a picture or pattern that makes you smile in the morning, or a song you listen to during work that reminds you of a good memory… Sometimes adulting can be so serious and it’s nice to go back and think about simpler times and things.”