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BEGIN: Embracing Sustainability A Piece At A Time

Sep 2, 2023
BEGIN: Embracing Sustainability A Piece At A Time

With the aim of bringing the spotlight to sustainable brands, we kicked off the launch of LOOQAL by bringing our online catalogue to a physical space. Last 25th to 27th August, we transformed the beautiful co-working space at Crane - Joo Chiat to a cosy home for our guests to experience, try on, and fall in love with our brand partners and their lovely pieces as we did when we came across them.




From the onset, we believe that sustainability is a journey. It’s unrealistic to expect an overnight overhaul of our well-established habits and lifestyles. Instead, we encourage everyone to think about making the sustainable switch one step at a time.


Perhaps it’s the clothes you wear or home fragrance that you so adore, our lives are filled with opportunities to make small conscious choices that will eventually ripple to a big impact. Through the pop-up, we wanted to encourage people to self-reflect and ask themselves, “What one conscious choice will I be doing today?”. Hence, the name for our 3-day event: BEGIN.


Our pop-up kicked off on Friday, 25 August with an exclusive preview for our friends, family and community. The day started with an interesting fireside chat with our very own Founder, Joyce Teh; Jennifer Gregory, Director of Indosole Singapore; Aqilah Zailan, Founder and Designer of Studio Gypsied; Qiyun Woo, climate activist and Founder of The Weird and Wild; and Montse Castells, mentor to startups and Founder of The Wellness Hood.


The exclusive fireside chat unpacked and discussed the role that retail plays in catalysing sustainable lifestyles. Here are some takeaways from our panelists: 


Consumers are inclined to buy something that’s designed better, and of quality. Sustainability is an added bonus. If brands continue to innovate, and offer great products made with greener materials and processes, they will move the needle.


Brands should empower consumers by being transparent on what they are doing, and what they are doing better. They should share their brand stories, innovation, and impact.    





Our guests also had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the founders to chat about the inspiration behind their brands all whilst enjoying a delicious spread of vegetarian canapés and light bites freshly made by Chef Shweta of HipDips. To accompany the food fare, our friends from Crust Group graced us with sustainable upcycled beverages and Through The Grapevine Wines let us sample some of the finest, sustainable wines from family-run vineyards.





We ended our VIP Day with an intimate get-together of our team’s family, friends and colleagues who have supported us since the very beginning.


The pop-up opened to the public over the course of the weekend and guests were able to experience each brand in a casual and intimate setting. We transformed the space into an experiential showroom where guests can freely walk around each display islands and booths as if they were in a home-cum-retail museum. Through the readily available QR codes, guests were able to learn more about each brand’s story and impact.


Here are the brands that participated:


Aavik Organic

Aavik Organic is a pure organic kidswear brand free from any sort of hazardous chemicals ideal for allergy-prone babies and kids. They use only 100% organic cotton certified by Khadi Village Industries Commission India (KVIC), natural plant-based dyes and handwoven handloom fabric.


Alta Frecuencia

Original Mexican creations, the Alta Frecuencia collection includes unique and fun bags and accessories. Made from native natural materials, one of its most recognisable, is the ‘Eye’ collection - the Turkish Eye, the Greek Evil Eye and the African Ojo Tribal Eye - what fun conversation starters for the boho wardrobe. Brought to you by La Tienda.


Bensimon

Created by brothers Serge Bensimon and Yves Bensimon in 1980, Bensimon is a visionary brand which turns the traditional fashion and design codes upside down. By transforming military surplus gear and vintage clothing, Bensimon really became iconic with Bensimon's tennis shoes and sneakers. "La basket bensimon" is 100% natural and made of fabric and rubber. Brought to you by La Tienda.


Bravo Collection

Designed and hand sewn in Kyiv, Bravo’s signature apparel brings to life traditional Ukrainian sewing techniques and craftsmanship on beautiful, summery apparel using the highest quality natural, environmentally friendly and sustainable linen grown in Ukraine, Belarus and Baltic countries.




byiroiro

Singapore brand, “byiroiro” (by-eero-eero, いろいろ in Japanese for ‘various, miscellaneous’) is a slow-crafted home accessories and lifestyle brand, where every piece is handmade, using natural or sustainable yarn. The founder and artisan behind byiroiro believes that sustainable home decor has a positive impact on our health and mood.


Cereria Molla

Cereria Molla is an artisan manufacturer of aromatic and personalised candles since 1899 that maintains centuries-old processes that have been passed down from generation to generation. Their handpoured candles and range of home fragrance products are the result of combining the best raw materials such as soy wax, cotton wick and the most exclusive fragrances with the know-how and original formulas inherited by generations of the Mollá family. Brought to you by La Tienda.


Goodness Gracious

Made with cotton fabric infused with Australian beeswax, organic coconut oil and natural tree resin, they are anti-bacterial and breathable. With its beautiful and bright designs, kitchen chores are definitely more fun. Founded by a mum with amazing entrepreneurial spirit, Goodness Gracious expounds ‘a great discovery, a great find that’s to be shared’.


Gustoko

Conceptualised and designed in Portugal and made in the Philippines, Gustoko Lisboa bags are crafted by Filipino artisans, using natural fibres, leathers, wood and shell, native to the archipelago. Encapsulating Filipino history, tradition, and craftsmanship, the bags range from quietly elegant pieces to fun, bold, and unique designs.






HipDips

HipDips started off as a passion project in the home of a young female Indian chef, Shweta. Striving to ensure that her dips and food are full of flavour and super fresh, she keeps it true to her Indian roots, of South and East India. Exclusively available at the LOOQAL Launch Pop-Up Event: BEGIN.


Indosole

This B Corp-certified brand from Indonesia rescues motorbike tires from the country’s landfills, mechanic garages, and gutters to turn them into durable yet stylish soles with soul.


JeannieRichard

Each design by JeannieRichard bears a special name or term - each an acknowledgment of a woman of strength, of hope and love. JeannieRichard is an ode to women and their tenacity.


junglesuit

The essence of junglesuit is to help customers feel flawless, even when Mother Nature turns up the heat. That means they choose materials that are super lightweight and don't retain heat, and design outfits to ensure you won’t melt into a puddle on a day out. junglesuit also uses surplus fabrics to give another breath of life to what's supposed to be another addition to textile waste.





KAAJ Vibhuti

KAAJ Vibhuti Gupta believes in creating more than just outfits, but opportunities for mummies and their little ones to embrace their individuality while making a positive impact on the planet. Made from 100% Indian cotton, the brand’s creations fuse traditional and contemporary elegance. The collection includes twinning sets and occasion wear, perfect for Singapore's multicultural community.


NAYULA

Nayula embodies the words ‘natural, yuzen (relaxed in Japanese) and land’. Inspired by nature and the spiritual teachings of yoga this natural footwear brand is produced in Bangladesh within for-Muslims guidelines. Made using jute without glue, chemicals nor machines, a pair of Nayula’s is comfortable, pliable, durable, and timeless.


Nodums

The creation of three great friends, Nodums Barcelona captures the memories of 3 global citizens and their favourite cities. The Skylines, one of Nodums' most recognisable collections, of course includes the Singapore Skyline and Singapore Shophouses. What better way to cherish a beloved vision? Brought to you by La Tienda.


Oak Tree Living

Handcrafted with love by artisans in India, Oak Tree Living is committed to bringing well-designed homeware products using traditional techniques and materials, which helps to preserve the cultural heritage of India. They curate a wide range of products from soft furnishings in indigo (a natural pigment derived from many native plants like rhubarb and cabbage) to furniture made of jute, wood, reclaimed cane, unique ceramics, recycled plastic, and cotton rugs.





Ollie

Using botanicals that are ethically sourced directly from farmers and distillers, Ollie offers a range of chemical-free, Mama Earth-friendly self-care and home care products packed in recyclable bottles.


PHOOL

PHOOL is the world’s first profitable and lean solution to the monumental ‘temple-waste’ problem. It uses flowers rescued from temples across India to create useful products such as rose incense cones and Phool vermicompost. By rescuing floral waste from the temples, they prevent 7600kg waste flowers and 97kg toxic chemicals from getting into the

Ganges daily. Brought to you by La Tienda.


Strait Lights

Lovingly blended, mindfully poured, and cured slowly –– Strait Lights produces bespoke hand-poured candles made with the highest quality ingredients. Free from phthalates, parabens, and other hazardous chemicals commonly found in fragranced candles, their scents not only smell good but are safe in your sanctuary.


Studio Gypsied

Studio Gypsied is a slow fashion and lifestyle label from Singapore with a focus on batik, heritage textiles and artisans from Southeast Asia. Exploring the intersection of culture and identity in modern times, each product they make embodies a positive new narrative for today’s women — conscious, thoughtful and open to new experiences.




Studio Karyn Lim

An industrial designer based in Singapore, Karyn Lim has launched products ranging from objects, furniture, clothing, and accessories. Looking like works of functional art, and previously only available at trade shows and exhibitions, Lightness is a line of hand-woven wire jewellery. No two pieces are the same.


Summery The Label

Summery The Label creates wardrobe essentials in simple, comfortable, yet chic silhouettes, all made from luxurious, medium-weight linen. Timeless yet modern, each piece is designed to take you from day to night with multiple ways of styling.


Through The Grapevine Wines

Through The Grapevine's curation features wines produced in small batches guaranteeing artisanal exclusiveness, award-winning organic wines from the South of France, DOCG status organic Piedmont wines, wines produced using sustainable techniques and wines from family-run vineyards with wine-making tradition that date back centuries.


The overwhelming support we received from all of you warms our hearts and validates the reason why the platform that we are building is truly special. Embracing sustainability a piece at a time doesn’t end there, and nor does making a positive impact. We have committed to donating 1% of our sales to help aidha’s students receive financial education, begin wealth creation, and embark on entrepreneurship since the beginning and have continued to do so during and after our pop-up.



" aidhaTM – Sanskrit for ‘that to which we aspire’ – teaches financial literacy and confidence skills to migrant domestic workers and lower-income Singaporean women.

There are more than 255,000 migrant domestic workers living in Singapore. They come mainly from the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, India and Sri Lanka. They have made the difficult decision to leave behind their children and family in hopes of creating a better future. While their remittances provide much needed financial support to their families, most women return home with little to no savings at the end of their contracts. This causes them to face economic hardships and an uncertain future despite their years of hard work and sacrifice. aidha’s education programmes aim to break this cycle of poverty by encouraging women to save, invest and to start a business to plan for their futures.

The results are far-reaching. Their impact data shows that monthly savings increase by nearly 80% amongst alumni. They also double the number of productive assets they own and business ownership increases from 6% to over 40% amongst their alumni.

But the biggest impact is the multiplier effect. aidhaTM sees students sharing what they have learnt with their family and friends back home. Their research shows that when they educate one woman, they change nine other lives. Since its start in 2006, aidhaTM has already impacted over 45,000 women, family and community members in some of the poorest countries in Asia. "



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