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Latest issue on 7 Sept 2025. Update every Saturday.

Thursday Show
Singapore: A Third Chapter

Singapore: A Third Chapter

5 min read

Singapore: A Third Chapter

We are very happy to share that NALA is launching at Great World in Singapore.

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We are already present at Tanglin and at TANGS. This new address strengthens our presence in the city and allows us to explore a different rhythm and audience. The space will run for three months, during which we will introduce new work and continue shaping NALA’s Singapore story with focus and intention.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

To mark the opening, we are launching two new square scarves.

The first is the Firecracker Kuih scarf.

Kuih is an iconic Peranakan dessert loved across Singapore and Malaysia. Its sculptural form is instantly recognisable. For us, it becomes more than a cultural reference. It becomes a framework. The print is built around the elements we believe are essential for success: love, represented by a heart; grounding and substance, represented by a bean; precision and decisiveness, represented by a sharp blade; light; energy; courage. Each symbol reflects qualities required to build something meaningful and enduring.

This scarf will also be accompanied by a corresponding art piece, reinforcing our belief that our prints sit within a broader design philosophy.

The second launch is a square scarf inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe and our dandelion logo. The dandelion has always symbolised resilience within NALA. O’Keeffe’s work reminds us of strength through clarity and scale. This scarf brings those ideas together, balancing delicacy with presence.

Both scarves reflect where we are as a brand today. Structured. Intentional. Confident in our voice.

We would be delighted to welcome you.

3 March
10 a.m.
Great World, Singapore

We continue to design our universe carefully, one space and one print at a time.

The Daily Bloom – Pasar Raya

The Daily Bloom – Pasar Raya

5 min read

THE DAILY BLOOM – Pasa Raya

Our baju raya is not something we take out once a year and then carefully return to the cupboard.
It is part of how we live.

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This is Raya in real life. Worn in the market, among fruit, flowers and movement, the collection feels completely at home in the everyday. You can wear it to the bazaar, to open houses, to lunch with friends, and then again on an ordinary Tuesday with a pair of jeans. It is designed to move between occasions effortlessly, without ever feeling like it belongs to just one moment.

Inspired by our native Ixora, Iris and Passiflora, The Daily Bloom was printed in Malaysia using the traditional batik technique. I made this print at the very last minute because I wanted a collection that felt honest, rooted and timeless. Batik has that ability. The more you wear it, the more it becomes yours. It softens, it settles, it carries memory.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

Alongside the new batik, we are also releasing a small selection of our classic NALA prints as sarongs, pieces many of you already love, now reimagined for Raya. And for the very first time, we are introducing the batik with the red chair, a print I have kept close to my heart until now.

All pieces are produced in cotton voile and cotton satin. The voile is light, breathable and effortless, perfect for our weather and for layering. The satin has a gentle structure and polish, allowing you to dress it up beautifully for evenings and open houses.

This launch is extremely limited and available exclusively this Saturday at our Kasturi branch. Once it is gone, it is truly gone.

I wanted to create something that makes sense in the way we actually live, especially during Raya when we often invest in outfits that are worn once and then forgotten. This is different. This is something you can dress up with heels and jewellery, or dress down with denim and sandals. It is something you will reach for again and again, and perhaps one day hand down.

We believe women should feel comfortable and beautiful all the time, not only on special occasions. We make our universe beautiful in the way we dress, and in the way we live.

Pasar Raya is Raya. Open, practical and alive.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
Where It All Began

Where It All Began

5 min read

Where It All Began

While going through old boxes, I found a sketchbook from 1989. It was my first year at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, where I studied graphic design and illustration.

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Opening it felt like meeting my younger self.

This was completely pre computer era. The typography was handwritten. Layouts were drawn by hand. Text was applied manually or prepared for silkscreen. We were only just beginning to hear about computers, but they were not part of our daily practice at school. Everything required patience. Precision. Touch.

You can see it in the pages. The lines are not perfect, but they are intentional. The spacing is considered. The letters carry personality because they were shaped slowly, by hand.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

I had just left Malaysia, so naturally that was the theme closest to my heart. Distance has a way of sharpening memory. The tropical references, the textures, the cultural elements, they appear instinctively throughout the work. When you are far from home, you draw home.

One project featured an Aikido school. Another was a packaging assignment for fish. Of course I chose ikan bilis. It has always been my favourite fish, so even in Antwerp, thousands of kilometres away, that small anchovy made its way into my design brief.

Looking back at these pages now, almost three decades later, I see the beginning of everything. The love for typography. The fascination with culture. The instinct to connect story and design. The discipline of working by hand.

It is humbling and comforting at the same time. A reminder that the foundation was always there. Long before Nala. Long before stores. Long before social media.

Just paper. Ink. Ideas. And a girl far from home, drawing her way forward.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The Kinchaku – A Little Pouch with a Long History

The Kinchaku – A Little Pouch with a Long History

5 min read

The Kinchaku
A Little Pouch with a Long History

The kinchaku dates back to Japan’s Edo period, a time when daily objects were made with extraordinary care. Originally, these small drawstring pouches were worn with kimono, since kimono did not have pockets. Men and women used them to carry coins, medicines, seals, or small personal treasures. Practical, yes, but always beautiful.

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The word kinchaku simply refers to a drawstring pouch, yet culturally it carries more than function. It represents portability, intention, and the Japanese appreciation for objects that are both useful and poetic. Something small. Something personal. Something held close.

Our version honours that history while giving it a new silhouette. We crafted these kinchaku with leather handles, elevating the traditional pouch into something that can be carried effortlessly today. The form remains soft and sculptural, but the detailing makes it contemporary and strong.

And inside each bag, there is something extra special.

A 10 cent coin.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

In Japan, placing a coin inside a pouch or wallet has long symbolised prosperity and good fortune. It is a small gesture, but one filled with meaning. A wish for abundance. A quiet blessing for the person who carries it. We loved the idea of sending each kinchaku into the world already carrying luck within it.

These pieces are also deeply personal to us. They are made using our archive fabrics, stock we have protected and waited to use for six or seven years. I always knew these prints deserved the right form. The right moment. The kinchaku was that moment.

There are around twenty designs in total, each one limited. Once they are gone, they are gone. Every pouch carries its own story through the fabric, layered with time and memory.

Each kinchaku may be modest in scale, but it carries layers of meaning. History from the Edo period. Archive fabrics we have guarded for years. A small coin tucked inside as a quiet wish for prosperity. It is the kind of piece that feels intimate when you hold it, as though it already has a story before you even begin your own.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The Year We Run

The Year We Run

5 min read

The Year We Run

As the Year of the Horse approaches, we created a limited edition T shirt to mark the moment.

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Instead of illustrating a horse, we chose the horseshoe. Clean, graphic, and just a little unexpected.

For centuries, the horseshoe has symbolised good luck and protection. Traditionally placed above a doorway, it was believed to guard the home and attract fortune. When the ends point upward, it holds the luck in. We like that idea.

Inside our horseshoe lives Lan Hua, our Singapore soul print inspired by the orchids of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Elegant orchids translated into pattern, silk screened by hand and framed within the curve of the shoe. Strength on the outside. Soul on the inside.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

There are two versions.
Each piece is hand printed using silkscreen.
RM69.

In the Chinese zodiac, the Year of the Horse is associated with energy, independence and forward momentum. It is a year that favours confidence, bold steps and trusting your own rhythm.

We launch this Saturday in Malaysia.
Singapore will follow later this weekend.

Let’s run.

Little envelopes. Big meaning.

Little envelopes. Big meaning.

5 min read

Little envelopes. Big meaning.

This year, I wanted to create angpows that do more than carry money.

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For the first time, I’ve designed a series of angpows with phrases printed inside. Each one carries a Chinese idiom, together with a simple, modern interpretation. Thoughts about life, people, resilience, kindness, perspective, and possibility.

On the inside of every angpow, you’ll also find our mantra:

We make our universe beautiful.

These angpows are inspired by the same thinking behind our Firecracker Collection, the idea that a good life is built from six essential elements. The elements we need to feel grounded, hopeful, and balanced in business, love, and work.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

There are six designs, with three variations each, making 18 individual angpows in total. All of them are hot stamped with gold foil, giving them a subtle shine and a slightly celebratory feel.

Some of the texts include:

狗急跳墙
Gou ji tiao qiang
A dog in a panic can leap a wall
When life pushes you, you often discover what you are capable of. You might surprise yourself.

牡丹虽好, 全凭绿叶扶持
Mudan sui hao, quan ping luye fuchi
The peony is beautiful, but it needs its leaves
Good things flourish when there is good support. Celebrate your people.

人生在世, 无非是戏
Rensheng zai shi, wufei shi xi
Life on earth is a performance
Life is a big stage. Do your best, enjoy the moment, and do not take yourself too seriously.

老鸹窝里出凤凰
Laogua wo li chu fenghuang
A phoenix can rise from a crow’s nest
Greatness has a habit of appearing in unexpected places. Believe in possibility.

萝卜白菜, 各有所爱
Luobo baicai, ge you suo ai
Some love radish, some love cabbage
Everyone has their own preferences. There is a match for every person and every moment.
(My personal favourite.)

Together, these angpows become small carriers of meaning. Something you can give. Something you can keep. Something that might land with someone exactly when they need it.

Another one of those things that you don’t need but must have.

Available in all stores in Singapore and Malaysia .

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.