In the spirit of our nation's birthday, we designed another awesome print (which I personally LOVE), inspired by our love for Singapore food! Something that bonds us together, regardless of backgrounds.
The initial idea was to map out the whole of Singapore, and mark out the best local dishes like Best Prata, Best Laksa, Best Ice Kacang etc, but as we were drawing it out (literally on a big piece of paper), it became quite an impossible task. Hey, we have SO SO many good food. So we decided to zoom into one area, and we just had to start with Bugis. A place where you can get both local authentic food plus cool hipster cafes/bakeries.
When the design was done and the sample came, I was beyond excited. Such a fun, quirky piece which I couldn’t wait to wear. I was looking at all the makan places, and suddenly had this strong sense of pride for how the whole area had transformed into a modern yet cultural place. At every corner of Arab street, North Bridge Road, Pahang street, you can find homegrown makan places; be it new start ups with cool fancy decor/food or household names passed down through generations like Zam Zam, Hajjah Maimunah and more.
But my all time groupie, are the guys from The Black Hole Group. I remembered a few years ago, when I was just starting Lully Selb, I met with one of the founders at their former Working Title location, and got really inspired by their story. I loved their awesome burgers, and the cafe was the coolest at that time. Despite all the challenges they faced running F&B and keeping up with the trends, they have grown to so many cafes, even I have lost count! From burgers to mexican, english food and coffee, they're constantly innovating and coming up with new ideas.
Each time they launched a new cafe, we will have an event at their space. As a fellow founder myself, I strongly believe in supporting other start ups, be it fashion, food, service. I remember our first #LSExperience Workshop was held at Mad Sailors, as it fit in with our Nautical theme. Months after, we had our first VIP dinner at Afterwit, (We blogged about it) and following year at Working Title.
It's been a while since we last worked with The Black Hole Group, and since our Lets Makan @Bugis shawl feature some of their cafes, we're collaborating on something really exciting for you! This August, they're coming out with Laksa inspired dishes across their cafes and our followers get special discounts. Look out for our post on Instagram this Monday. Meanwhile here's a visual treat to spur your tastebuds!
Lastly, I am so blessed to have Noorin as my right arm back in the team. She was the backbone of the brand during the early years guiding us through branding and marketing, and was in fact at all of our offline events. It was strange and sweet to be back with her at Afterwit for lunch the other day after we met the team from The Black Hole Group. Then, 2015 and now 2019, many things have changed for the both of us but one thing still remains - we love doing fashion and discussing ideas over yummy tacos and nachos! I remember her saying a few times, "Man I miss doing this!"
That moment I felt at ease and peace (after many months of uncertainties). What's most important is we surround ourselves with positivity, and one way to have that, is to simply pay it forward by supporting another person.
This month of August, support a friend, purchase a local brand, chope your spot at your favourite Singaporean owned cafe. We're a small community, and we need each other=)
Love,
Selb
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