Affordable Art in Singapore: Dungeons & Dragons meets streetwear at Tell Your Children

A new wave of home-grown art and design stores is bringing creativity to everyday life. In this five-part series, we speak to the founders behind these spaces on how they’re making art more accessible, engaging and alive.

“Art doesn’t requirean instruction manual”

For fans of the multiplayer role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons or video game The Witcher, the lore behind Tell Your Children’s (TYC) ongoing streetwear collection might feel familiar.

Founded in 2014 by a group of creatives including Deon Phua and Russell Ong, both 33, the home-grown design studio released a unisex clothing line this year, giving the duo a fresh platform to build and express their own creative universe.

“Our current collection revolves around a wizard character and a deeper narrative we’ve been developing,” says Russell.

“It tells the story of a powerful wizard who rediscovers his creative magic after years of isolation in his castle. It mirrors our own creative journey: After more than a decade of commercial work, we wanted to reconnect with our creative identity,” adds Deon.

Their graphic tees remain perennial bestsellers – thanks to Singapore’s warm climate, their easy styling, and accessible $65 price point. The brand is available online at Tellyourchildren.shop and stocked at Dover Street Market Singapore in Dempsey Hill.

From the start, Russell and Deon knew they wanted to work for themselves, creating out of passion and curiosity rather than a defined plan. There was no initial vision of building a brand, just a desire to make meaningful work and let things grow organically.

“While many of our peers pursued conventional career paths after graduation, we wanted to explore how we could support each other and take on projects that might be too ambitious for one person alone,” says Deon, who studied visual communication at Temasek Polytechnic.

“I hope people connect with what TYC stands for: authentic creative expression. We’ve always stayed true to our beliefs, no matter the trend or expectation.”

What inspires TYC’s collections or products is whatever piques our interest at the time. We had a collection centred around Fruits and Veggies in 2023, which later evolved into an experimental dyeing sub-series inspired by the natural process of decay.

We like to work with other creators like Snug Woodwork that can bring our ideas to life in new ways. But it doesn’t always have to revolve around collaboration. There are many independent creators and brands making cool and interesting things these days. It’s encouraging to see the creative spirit alive and well, especially in a small country like ours.

We also make it a point to spotlight fellow creatives through our Instagram series Open Studios, where we curate visuals and interview questions into an editorial-style feature. Beyond that, we also commission emerging and lesser-known artists for their graphics and works.

We have an ongoing TYC Coffee Kiosk collaboration with our friends from Folk Yard – our first foray into F&B – as well as new merchandise, new events, and really exciting collaborations that we unfortunately can’t share at the moment.

To us, accessible art means art that doesn’t need an instruction manual. If you can appreciate it for what it is, that makes it accessible. It could be a painted canvas that gives you a fleeting sense of wonder about the world, or a song that invites quiet reflection on the impermanence of life.

Tell Your Children is available online at Tellyourchildren.shop and at Dover Street Market, 18 Dempsey Road.