Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Handcrafted Leather


We braved the rain for a most satisfying lunch at Tiong Bahru Estate. It's been a while since I last sat down for a chat with the girlfriend, without her daughter. The daughter is right at the age where she doesn't allow us to talk among ourselves and not pay her any attention, not even for 5 minutes. Heh. As fond as I am of her little girl, I also miss having the girlfriend to myself once in a while.

We had somewhere else to go, but there was a little bit of time to hop over to nana & bird where Jeremiah Ang of J.Myers Company had set up the workbench for the afternoon's showcase. In the recent years, I'm making a concerted move away from big-name designer labels. Perhaps I'll still get those here and there, if I fall in love with something. However, ask me to choose between a Mulberry and an Ananas identically priced, or a Prada or an Ethan K, chances are, I'll pick the latter. Put an Hermès in front of me, and I'll say, no thank you, I'm done.

It's really not difficult to persuade me to open up the wallet when you put the phrases 'handmade' and 'Singapore designer' together. My only criteria- the quality must be present, and the workmanship ought to be dedicated and delicate. If a product from an independent designer/artist possesses quality, then it doesn't matter which country the label is from. And as long as our talented Singapore designers continuing creating beautiful pieces of work, I'll wear made-in-Singapore products from head to toe.

So yes, today I went with an intention to buy, if something caught the eye. There were some stuff on display, and others in-the-making. I like many things, but I won't buy them unless I fall in love. Something did catch my eye. I'll leave you to guess what they are. :)

8 comments:

Yuling said...

Lovely clutch! :)

Have you checked out Parco Marina Bay at Millenia Walk? There's a showcase of local designers there, mostly fashion, but Veira has a spot there too. I was a little disappointed though that some of them import stuff from HK and Korea - not all are original indie designs. But worth a look, I guess.

notabilia said...

Parco is hit or miss, but I agree w/ Yuling, you should check it out.

Delphine said...

I love buying handmade. I like the care and thought that goes into each piece.

My weakness is for handcrafted jewellery (especially wireworked pieces), and do this slightly embarrassing happy jiggy whenever my latest purchase arrives.

Pebbles said...

Pretty! I don't know about you but I think the dust bags are quite pretty.

Lady J said...

Nice clutch.. I kinda like the dustbag too.. pretty :)

imp said...

yuling + notabilia: Parco is mostly miss-es for me. Not stirring my interest very much and I really don't like the layout of the place. (PS, on Veira, I prefer to shop online or at Soon Lee.)

delphine: yes! if you see me in necklaces, they're usually made by independent Singapore bead crafters!

pebbles + ladyJ: nana & bird said they made this batch specially for the clutches/pouches/covers/folios so that they fit exactly. Clothes go in there too.

M. said...

Ooh love the clutch. Size and color fit you perfectly!

imp said...

M.: Heeee. You know why I fell in love with it!