Thanks to SocietyA, supporting Asian designers and brands is easier than ever

Lay Peng: We pay extra special attention to the curation of the designers whom we work with. So far, all the designers we collaborate with have their own distinct DNAs, design aesthetics and point of views. Every shopper will definitely find something that speaks to them and allow them to express themselves through their fashion, beauty and lifestyle choices.

Lay Peng: There are many talented local or Asian designers, of whom, many of them are well trained (in Central St Martins, Parsons in New York, etc), and have delivered amazing collections.

However, their collections are under-represented, and there lies the issue. We just don’t know much about them. So, consumers may think that Asian brands have poorer workmanship, designs, and/or are overpriced, etc, which may not be true at all.

Often, the outstanding Asian designers are the ones who embrace their uniqueness. Therefore, I find discerning customers those who know themselves well and wear confidence on their sleeves.

Lay Peng: The big luxury labels have the resources to market their collections and garner the media attention that they rightfully deserve, but that also means that local or Asian labels will have the arduous and very challenging task of breaking out to get noticed by the consumers.

What we are trying to achieve with SocietyA is to provide these talented local and Asian designers with the platform to showcase their work and for consumers to understand the story behind each label. Consumer education is very important.

Once the consumer understands the soul or DNA of the brand, we get their buy-in much easier. So, we constantly create opportunities for our consumers to know about the brands that they are buying.

For example, we have in-person or IG Live sessions at SocietyA with our Asian designers so that they get to interact and share their work with the consumers. We find that the designer story is always personal – it’s what resonates with consumers, besides offering the right style for them.

Lay Peng: I speak to designers and they opined that the support for local designers have definitely increased for the past decade. There is a sense of Singaporean-ness when we buy.

Most customers buy the Asian designers through us and we are the go-to for what’s worth to be in their wardrobe and what’s next in fashion.

I feel that ecosystem is very important and SocietyA’s role is really to brand ourselves and market our brands as a collective – one that is worth looking. Customers grow to trust our curation and brand promise. I hope to see more support from the government for this industry and retailers like ours as we are marketing and promoting the brands.

As we know, demand must meet supply. In order to create demand for Asian fashion labels and make it sustainable, consumers have to first think: “Why would I want to buy from SocietyA, from Asian designers?”

When we stop questioning and start owning this voice, that’s when the balance has naturally tilted towards Singaporean and Asian designers.

Lay Peng: Sustainability is definitely an area where I see more and more designers venturing into. However, while the intent is there, unless it’s a big brand with a lot of resources, it is still very challenging for emerging brands to come up with a fully sustainable collection because they simply do not have the economies of scale.

Another change that I have observed is a trend towards more size-inclusivity, celebrating the different shapes and sizes of the beautiful woman’s body.

Lay Peng: I think Asian beauty brands think about Asian audiences first, and at the same time, consider the climate conditions of where the users live. The brands’ feedback to me is that their skincare is really for all users, including those who prefer heavier formulations because they’re living in colder and drier countries.

Lay Peng: For us, the story is as important as the product. So, when customers come in to see our homeware pieces, we make sure that we take the time to explain the work that goes into each item, why designers have chosen certain materials, and so forth.

We believe these stories help to elevate the experience of the shopper, and gives them greater appreciation for their newly-bought homeware.

Lay Peng: Firstly, it has always been our wish to run a charitable initiative to benefit a cause that is close to our hearts. This has come to fruition with the SocietyA Charity Grab Bags 2021, which we launched on August 10, where customers can purchase a grab bag at $100 from SocietyA (and receive apparels worth up to $700), and net proceeds will be donated.

Aligned with SocietyA’s constant pursuit to uplift female voices in the community, we decided to channel these net proceeds as donations to The Star Shelter, a safe and temporary refuge for women and their children who are victims of family violence regardless of race, language, creed or religion.

In September, we will be launching a rewards system for our customers to thank them for their continued support. We are also in discussion with our Asian designers to collaborate and launch our own SocietyA merchandise.

Last but not least, we are in the midst of planning to offer retail consultancy services for the Asian designers whom we work with. After working with so many talented and emerging Asian designers, I noticed that a large percentage of them operate with a very lean team.

Very often, the designers themselves have to take on multiple roles, from design and production, to marketing and retail. This limits their abilities to focus on what they do best, i.e. design.

To top it off, their inexperience in proper brand building also results in slower growths. With our retail consultancy services, we offer these designers the support that they need to formulate their brand strategies and tactics, under the advice of industry veterans.

We hope that this will free up the stress points and help the designers strengthen and build their businesses further.

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