Beyond The Vines

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Beyond The Vines is a multidisciplinary design studio based in Singapore.[1]

Background

Beyond The Vines was established in 2015 by husband and wife team Rebecca Ting and Daniel Chew.[1][2] The brand gained popularity in 2020 after their Dumpling Bags went viral on social media.

As of 2023, the brand has boutiques in five countries, mainly Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, and Australia.[2] In an interview with Whiteboard Journal, co-founder Rebecca Ting mentioned that the brand has plans to expand to Los Angeles.[3]

Business Growth

Products

Beyond The Vines operates as a fashion brand. Though it is best known for its bags, Beyond The Vines’ range of offerings include clothing, accessories, and lifestyle products such as stationery and homeware. All products are designed in-house, in Singapore.[2]

The Beyond The Vines Design Store in Takashimaya Shopping Centre. Photo from Beyond The Vines.

List of outlets in Singapore

Beyond The Vines has three outlets in Singapore.[4] Their flagship outlet is the Beyond The Vines Design Store, located along Orchard Road.

As of January 2023, the full list of outlets is as follows:

Location Address Opening Hours Refs.
Takashimaya Shopping Centre, Ngee Ann City 391 Orchard Road, #B1-42/46, Singapore 238872 Monday - Sunday: 10am-9:30pm [4]
ION Orchard 2 Orchard Turn, #B3-11, Singapore 238801 Monday - Sunday: 10am-9:30pm [4]
Funan Mall 107 North Bridge Road, Funan #02-08, Singapore 179105 Monday - Sunday: 11am-9pm [4]

Rebranding

Originally established as a ready-to-wear fashion brand, the brand had 15 outlets across Singapore up until 2020. In November of 2020, the brand was rebranded to a multidisciplinary design studio to better align itself with its creative values.[5]

In addition to retailing its own products, the brand also carries pieces from independent local designers, as part of its commitment to make “good design accessible to everyone”.[6]

Photo from Instagram.

Media Coverage

The brand rose to popularity in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when its Dumpling Bags went viral on social media.[7] Since then, the brand has received coverage from several popular media outlets, including Esquire, FEMALE, Harpers Bazaar, NYLON, and Vogue.[7][8][9][10][11]

Controversy over comments on Israel and Palestine (Nov 2023)

Daniel Chew addresses his following of the Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries (FIRM) on Instagram (9 Nov)

In early November, netizens noticed that Chew had been following the Instagram account of the Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries (FIRM).[12] FIRM is a Jerusalem-based non-profit organisation that has been publishing pro-Israel posts on Instagram.[13][14]

On 9 Nov 2023, Daniel Chew used his personal Instagram account to respond to netizens’ queries on his alleged support of FIRM. In a series of now-expired Instagram Stories, Chew clarified he had followed FIRM before the start of the Israeli-Palestinian war.[12]

According to Chew, he initially followed FIRM because of its travel-oriented content:

“[FIRM] started off as this - food tours, off the beaten (sic) tracks adventures. They have since changed their content angle. I have unfollowed them.”[12]

Chew also affirmed he and Ting were committed to supporting humanitarian work through donations. Citing the Turkey earthquake, he revealed that he and his wife had also been donating to “support Palestinian children long before [the controversy] arose.”[12][15]

Rebecca Ting addresses Daniel Chew’s Instagram controversy (10 Nov)

On 10 November 2023, Ting hosted a livestream on Beyond the Vines’ Instagram page to launch the brand’s Super Panelled Collection of bags and apparel.[16]

Ting began the livestream by enthusiastically introducing the collection before making the decision to address her husband’s controversy. Referring to the war as a “conflict”, she claimed she did not want to elaborate too much on the issue:[16]

“This is me. I am here. I am going to address it, but I don’t wanna hang around that point for too long. I know you understand it. Because I do wanna move on. I do wanna talk about this collection. We do want to launch this thing!”[16]

Adopting a cheerful demeanour throughout the livestream, Ting is seen walking into one of Beyond the Vines’ office rooms before going through “five points” about Chew:[16]

1. Chew followed FIRM before the Israeli-Palestinian war broke out on a friend’s recommendation.

2. FIRM adopted a political stance and “began posting political content.”

3. Chew unfollowed FIRM after finding out about the change in direction as he had “no interest in political content.”

4. Chew does not support the genocides.

5. Ting and Chew had a discussion with Meta (parent company of Instagram and Facebook), where they learned of an AI-based sensitive content filter.

After stating her five points, Ting is seen visibly smiling as she faced the camera and declared the following:

“I am ready to launch this collection.”[16]

Ting received backlash on her livestream (10 Nov)

In response to Ting’s livestream, netizens criticised her delivery and approach, with many stating that her jovial and light-hearted behaviour was inappropriate.[16]

A few commenters pointed out that Ting was in a position of privilege, taking offence at her alleged lack of tact in addressing the war. Some other commenters called for a boycott of Beyond the Vines’ products in support of Palestine in the ongoing war.[16]

Ting and Chew publish an apology statement Beyond the Vines’ Instagram page (16 Nov)

On 16 November 2023, Ting and Chew issued a statement on Beyond the Vines’ Instagram page. In the statement, the couple apologised for their “insensitive and inappropriate” approach, acknowledging that it had “hurt many of [their followers] deeply.”[17]

Affirming they “do not condone the killings of thousands of innocent Palestinians,” they admitted Ting’s livestream treated the war “in a brief way” and that they should have exercised “much more care.”[17]

In closing, the couple repeated their apology to their followers:

“We can’t reiterate enough our sincere apology and our commitment to learning from this incident. We aspire to be a business that our community is proud of and hope to be given the opportunity to learn and get this right in the future.”[17]

References/Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Beyond The Vines. “About Us”. Beyond The Vines. Accessed 28 January 2023.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Harpers Bazaar. “Beyond The Vines Aims To Put Singapore Designs On The World Map”. Harpers Bazaar. February 26, 2021. Accessed 28 January 2023.
  3. ↑ Sabrina, Ghina. “Designing For Southeast Asian Communities With Beyond The Vines”. Whiteboard Journal. August 3, 2022. Accessed 28 January 2023.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Beyond The Vines. “Stores”. Beyond The Vines. n.d. Accessed 28 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Keng, Yang Shuen. “Power Couple Behind Beyond The Vines Shares Why They’re Rebranding The Label”. FEMALE. 9 November, 2020. Accessed 28 January 2023.
  6. ↑ Harpers Bazaar. “Beyond The Vines Aims To Put Singapore Designs On The World Map”. 26 February, 2021. Accessed 28 January 2023.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jasman, Asri. “Beyond The Vines: Pause, reset, and renew”. Esquire. December 7, 2020. Accessed 28 January 2023.
  8. ↑ Jalal, Imran. “Something Fun Is Brewing At Beyond The Vines”. FEMALE. November 7, 2021. Accessed 28 January 2023.
  9. ↑ Levy, Margaux. “Singapore Label Beyond The Vines’ New Store Will Blow Your Mind”. Harpers Bazaar. October 21, 2021. Accessed 28 January, 2023.
  10. ↑ Tan, Amelia. “Beyond The Vines’ Founders Tell Us About Their New Design Studio Concept And Minimalist, Functional Wear”. NYLON. November 2, 2020. Accessed 28 January 2023.
  11. ↑ Mcdougall, Amanda. “Homegrown label Beyond The Vines brings its signature minimalist style to a new design studio”. Vogue. October 16, 2020. Accessed 28 January 2023.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 MustShare News. "S’pore Fashion Brand Beyond The Vines Apologises For Hastily Addressing Remarks About Israel & Palestine”. MustShare News. November 16, 2023. Accessed 20 November 2023.
  13. ↑ firmisrael. "FIRM - Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries". Instagram. n.d. Accessed 20 November 2023.
  14. ↑ FIRM - Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries. n.d. Accessed 20 November 2023.
  15. ↑ danielgchew. "Daniel Gabriel Chew”. Instagram. Accessed 20 November 2023.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 beyondthevines. "The Super Panelled Collection! 🤸‍♀️”. Instagram. November 10, 2023. Accessed 20 November 2023.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 beyondthevines. "We are sincerely sorry.". Instagram. November 16, 2023. Accessed 24 November 2023.
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