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With the growing market of online retailers, shopping has never been easier. All you need to do is with a click of the finger and the item will be delivered right to your doorsteps. However, overseas websites can be a hassle, requiring a US address or a third party seller for the transaction to go through and let’s not forget how costly international shipping can be.

How about buying products that are locally produced? With plenty of homegrown talents in Singapore, the fashion industry is booming and there are 5 stalls you should definitely check it out.

1. Carrie K

Carolyn Kan leaves her 12-year career and embarked on a year-long sabbatical to discovered her true passion, making jewellery. After a two-year silversmithing programme at Nanyang Academy Fine Arts (NAFA), she started Carrie K. Four years on, she now owns a studio and showroom, where her products are sold in nine Singapore stores, including Strangelets and Front Rows, eight overseas stores; Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Italy, the United States and China, and online at carriekrocks.com.

2. Love Bonito

Started out as a passion project in 2006, the founders, Rachel Lim and Viola Tan has turned Love Bonito into one of Singapore’s leading online boutique offering quality and exquisite clothing specifically for females. Creating clothes that empowered women with confidence and build a community of female for support and encouragement. Ten years down the road, Love Bonito has ventured out of Singapore and into neighbouring countries; Malaysia and Indonesia. International purchase can be made through lovebonito.com.

3. Nana & Bird

Began as a pop-up store at Georgina Koh’s home in Tiong Bahru, Nana & Bird has branched out into an online boutique and opened a permanent store in Singapore. Co-founders, Georgina Koh and Tan Chiew Ling, abide by the philosophy of “only selling what they would buy for themselves”, hence, classic items are showcased in the stores by independent designers from around the world. Purchase of merchandise can be made through the permanent store or online at shop.nanaandbird.com.

4. The Tinsel Rack

Seems like the phrase, “blood is thicker than water” is true. Siblings have an unwritten code that connects them with a similar mindset. Founded in 2010, The Tinsel Rack (TTR) is run by two lovely and passionate siblings, Joyce and Jolene. New collections are launched on a weekly basis where most of their apparels are manufactured under their in-house labels and customers can be assured of something exclusive. Purchase of merchandise can be made through the online site at www.thetinselrack.com.

Here’s a short interview with one of them, Joyce:

What inspired you to do come up with the business?

I was an avid online shopper before I started The Tinsel Rack, and my interest in the fashion industry grew from there. It was also when I first started the tertiary education that I started to be more adventurous when it came to dolling up. Back when we first started designing our own collections, there were not many online stores which were doing the same. We recognised that there were many shoppers who preferred donning exclusive designs which cannot be found off the mass market and hence started delving into the creation of designs under our own label.

Is there a designer/fashionista who inspire you in your creations?

There isn’t any particular person who inspires me when it comes to creating designs for the TTR label. Our designs are simple and inspiration often comes in many forms. It ranges anywhere from the pieces off the runway to the people whom we come across on the streets on a day-to-day basis.

Do you have any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

There is no golden rule which I follow but I guess it will be a decent start if you go in the direction of whatever you’re passionate about and start working ground up from there. I always believe in this saying, “If you love what you do, then you’d never have worked a day in your life.” Do something which makes you happy to get out of bed every day!

5. Young Hungry Free

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Opened for only three years, Young Hungry Free is one of the fastest growing online boutiques in Singapore. Owned by Winnie Ong, the brand focus on style differentiation; showcasing edgy clothes that are bolder in the shades of neutral and monochrome. Purchase of merchandise can be made through the online site at younghungryfree.com.

Once widely associated with animal rights activists, the health conscious and the religious-goers, veganism is now on the rise. It even has become a ‘trend’. Scrolling through Instagram’s feed, there seem to be uncanny similarities in the photos featuring acai/smoothie bowl with carefully arranged fruits (#mangorose), salad bowls in tri-coloured combination and green smoothies. Furthermore, with the surge of wellness bloggers/YouTubers such as Deliciously Ella and Raw Vegan Not Gross, the hype of a plant-based diet is seemingly alluring.

Reasons Behind Veganism

Be vegan for the right reason, and not for the ‘hippie’ factor or the aesthetic appeal. Instead, adopt this lifestyle for health and ethical reasons.  Based on a research, 42% of 8,000 vegans became one after watching an educational film, such as Cowspiracy or Earthlings. Surprisingly not, I adopted a meatless diet for the very same reason, watching Earthlings and seeing how the animals suffered really broke my heart.

Leading a meatless lifestyle is a good way to take a stand against slaughterhouse or related industry and operations in a peaceful manner. However, some vegans are known to be hostile against meat-eaters and even vegetarians. Banana Freelee is infamous for her meat shaming videos, where she criticizes fellow YouTubers who do not follow her vegan lifestyle. Vegans are supposed to be the one with the bigger heart, right? Disagreeing with how people choose to live is one thing but it becomes inappropriate when the disagreement turns hostile.

Temporary Options

Veganism may seem like a dramatic step to committed carnivores, but a vegan diet doesn’t have to last forever. Even Beyoncé herself embarked on a 22-day vegan diet and felt incredible spiritually and physically, at the end of the journey. Each part-time vegan adopts a temporary plant-based diet for different motivations, some follow the trend set by celebrity stars, while others see it as a good way to detox.

Where Do Vegans Get Their Protein From?

One of the main concerns many non-vegans have is, ‘where do I get my daily protein intake?’ Contrary to popular beliefs, a plant-based diet actually offers more protein than a diet packed full of meat. For a long time, consumers have been drilled by the farm industry, culture, and society to believe that proteins only come from meat. Shocking, isn’t it?

Don’t let the plant-based diet intimidate you; there are plenty of options available. With the increasing amount of consumers giving up meat products, it created the perfect opportunity for the animal-free market to grow. Cruelty-free beauty products and clothes, meat substitutions food items, and vegan-friendly restaurants/cafes are readily available in the stores. The animal-free industry will continue to thrive as veganism spreads further around the world.

Conclusion

Do bear in mind that veganism plays a large role in helping the earth as well. According to Cowspiracy (and other research), livestock accounts for more than 14% of greenhouse gas emission and a vegan or vegetarian could cut those emissions by 70% and 63%, respectively. Furthermore, gallons of water can be saved and hectares of land can be used to raise crops to feed the 7 billion starving people on earth while most people living in developed countries have more wastage than the food produced in developing countries.

A tiny change in the diet helps, it could be as simple as replacing a meal with a vegan diet or as drastic as an overnight change to vegan, either way, it makes a difference. Think about it.

Please visit Vegan Starter Kit to learn more about veganism.