Willabelle Ong is intentional about building the next blocks of her career

In the span of one year, Willabelle Ong’s Myers-Briggs test results have changed from ISTJ (a logistician with Introverted, Observant, Thinking, and Judging traits) to ENTJ (a commander with Extroverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Judging traits).

The fashion influencer (@willamazing, 448,000 followers on Instagram, and 720,000 on Tiktok) has undergone a period of transformation over the past two years, catalysed by two milestone events: the pandemic, and the birth of her child Ava. There’s also been another event weighing on her mind.

This year, Willabelle turns 30, and she’s pumped for the next phase of her life: “I’ve always kind of been running away from [the thought of] turning 30. But as of this year, I’ve learnt to embrace new opportunities.”

This includes launching a new home care line and venturing into acting. “Acting feels like a natural progression for me, because I’ve always loved storytelling. But I have to admit that when I was much younger, I was a little bit more self-conscious,” she shares.

Willabelle admits that she has always wanted to act since young, but never quite found the courage to do so.

When she was 14, she moved to Perth and did her schooling there. She was extroverted as a child, but became more introverted as she entered high school. Still, she always loved dressing up, and would wear her mum’s heels and lipsticks. As she grew older, she would post her looks on the now-defunct Lookbook website, where she started to gain a fan base, and started a blog called Pale Division.

At 16, she was featured in the Best-Dressed Reader of the Day section in Teen Vogue, and ended up catching the attention of Hollywood actress Vanessa Hudgens, who gave her a shout-out on her blog. This was the start of Willabelle’s rise, as she continued to build her reputation as one of Singapore’s most recognisable fashion influencers.

Willabelle met her future Singapore-based husband at a wedding in Singapore when she was 22, and moved back to Singapore to marry him two years later. In 2022, the couple welcomed Ava into their lives.

Becoming a mother, and seeing the world through Ava’s eyes, gave Willabelle the much-needed push to think about the next step of her journey: “Ava is just constantly fascinated by the small moments of everyday life, like the fan blowing in her face! She likes singing and dancing, and this sparked something in me – this desire to perform and act.”

She also discovered her knack for acting when she decided to explore Tiktok during the pandemic, triggered by the fact that advertisers and brands were cutting budgets on Instagram. She says: “I thought Tiktok was just a dancing platform, but there were these comedy skits too. So I wanted to merge comedy with a bit of high fashion. A lot of those videos blew up! When the circuit breaker ended and I went back on Instagram, I realised I actually had a lot of fun performing on Tiktok.”

So far, Willabelle has shot for three on-screen acting roles. One is a role where she plays and represents herself. Then, there’s a docuseries-drama based on a true story coming out this year, and a guest role in a feature film for next year.

She can’t share more details at the moment, but she’s excited to see what opportunities this new adventure brings her. “I always want to give my best in every opportunity,” she shares. “Even for acting, a lot of people have asked whether it’s a small thing I want to explore for the moment. No, it’s actually something that I truly want to explore. I would like to embrace every learning opportunity that comes along, even if I have to take it overseas.”

(H)ome is where the heart is

Willabelle is also knee deep in preparation for the launch of her new home care line called Ome, a play on the word home. “When my daughter came along, [my husband and I] did a lot of cooking for her, and we would always be hanging out in the kitchen. We realised that we kept reaching for four essential home care items: the hand wash, hand mist, dish wash and surface cleaner,” she says.

The line has been two years in the making, and all the products are made in Japan. The challenge lay in making a “safe and effective” formula. The products harness essential natural ingredients without unnecessary additives, and are infused with 100 per cent pure essential oils.

“One of the challenges with Ome was working on the formulation – it was tricky because we wanted something that smelt good, but not overpowering; and viscous, yet not overly foaming. It took over a year to [figure out the texture and the formulation] because we wanted a thickness that felt luxurious.”

Despite all the work that’s gone into making this line, the price points remain affordable and accessible, starting from $10 for the 45ml hand mist. They also feature “forever packaging”, made from post-consumer recycled plastic, and each product is refillable. The aesthetic is minimalist. “I wanted Ome to complement home spaces, so the designs are minimal yet contemporary, with understated simplicity,” explains Willabelle. Clearly, a lot of care has gone into the creation of Ome.

This tendency to go above and beyond is a recurring theme in Willabelle’s endeavours. At our cover photo shoot, she is happy to execute any tricky positions suggested by Her World’s fashion editor Lena Kamarudin, who was inspired by the influencer’s artistic oeuvre to recreate famous works of art. For one shot, she’s lying in a lissome position, an apple in one hand, and a bag resting on her body. It looks uncomfortable, I tell her when we speak later, and she laughs it off, saying that she was happy to enjoy the creative process.

Taking the plunge

The increased extroversion comes from a desire to keep pushing herself out of her comfort zone. “Growing up, I’ve had acquaintances tell me ‘I’ve changed’. But change is a good thing. Especially if you’re becoming a better person. If you’re happy with this version of yourself, and you’re learning and evolving, then that’s good. I feel like, at this point, I am happy with who I am and where I am. After becoming a mother, I have learnt to accept every version of myself,” she says.

It’s something that’s apparent in the content she creates: She’s been intentional about opening up, and this can be seen through her posts, which are less curated and more authentic, with honest observations about rough weeks and tiring shoots.

Last year, Willabelle attended Paris Fashion Week for the first time. It might come as a surprise for her followers to hear that she had never done so before, especially given her long-standing partnerships with fashion giants like Louis Vuitton, Hermes and more.

“Within a year [of becoming a mother], I felt like I wanted to challenge myself more, and be more extroverted. It led to me exploring networking, and putting myself out there on a more international scale. This also forced me to meet and make new friends from the industry, in a genuine way. I realised that when you open your heart to the world, it leads to a lot more fulfilling conversations.”

True to her perfectionist Virgo nature, she adds: “I have always been a little shy and introverted, so I felt like if I had attended [fashion week] and not put myself out there or done things to the best of my ability, I would have been very disappointed in myself.”

This quest to push herself beyond her comfort zone also stems from a desire to be a role model for her daughter: “I want to show her that with courage and passion, it is possible to achieve what you aspire to be or want, and along the way, get rid of that fear.”

As she opens up, it’s clear that Willabelle tends to see the glass as half full: Every anecdote, every observation is peppered with phrases like “growing opportunity”, “grateful”, and “inspiring”. It’s something that she has learnt from her husband, she says.

“I prefer to see the positive in every situation. Previously, I was very anxious, and a complete worrywart. But my husband is an Aquarius, and the total opposite. He sees everything in a different light, and he brings a new perspective. He will say things like, ‘Take a step back and look at the bigger picture’, or ‘This is part of your learning journey’. This is something I try to impart to my daughter as well.”

Balancing family and work

These days, Willabelle is also in a more meditative state. She limits her time on Instagram and Tiktok, adding thoughtfully: “At times, I find myself desensitised by social media. You often find yourself comparing, ‘someone else made a better choice putting together that look”, or ‘another one did this campaign better’. And it’s not a healthy mindset.”

The older she gets, the more she protects her peace of mind, and enjoys small moments of quietude. When asked how often she gets these moments, she pauses. “Oh, I just realised I have it every day,” she says with a laugh. “It happens during the thirty minutes before my daughter goes to sleep. We take our showers and cuddle on the sofa, and read a few of her favourite books. She drinks her milk, and we tell each other I love you, good night, sweet dreams. She rolls over and sleeps, and I enjoy the quiet of the night.”

Relationships are clearly the cornerstone of Willabelle’s life. She’s also very close to her parents, who shuttle between Australia and Singapore. The day we speak, her parents are travelling to China with her daughter. When asked where she sees herself in two years, she mulls over the question: “I don’t have the right answer. But I would imagine that I would hopefully be in my new house by then. Always with my daughter, hanging out on the sofa or having friends over.”

She adds: “You know, at the heart of everything, my real passion is my family. I always strive to nurture the balance of being committed to my family and being committed to my professional work. It’s not just myself I answer to, but also my clients, and I always want to be respectful to them. I want to be a good daughter, mother, wife. So in an ideal world, I would balance it all really well.”

PHOTOGRAPHY ZANTZ HAN
CREATIVE DIRECTION & STYLING LENA KAMARUDIN
ART DIRECTION RAY TICSAY
HAIR CALVIN GAN/HAIRLOOM @SCOTTS SQUARE
MAKEUP JYUE HUEY LOW
PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANCE COBY TRAVIS LAZAROO & JARON TAY
STYLING ASSISTANCE JEON JAE WON & PRIYANKA PATEL
PROP STYLING GONGHUA & MICHELLE CHEONG