Melissa Koh

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Melissa Koh
Melissa Koh.jpg
Born
Melissa Celestine Koh

16 May 1989
EducationDegree in Business Administration
Alma materCHIJ Toa Payoh Secondary School, National University of Singapore (NUS)
Spouse(s)James Chen (m. 2017)
ChildrenNoah Tobias Chen (b. 2019)
Websitehttps://www.melissackoh.com/

https://somedaysathome.com/

https://runafter.love/

Melissa Koh (born 16 May 1989) is a Singaporean lifestyle blogger and YouTuber (YouTube channel). She is the founder of the fashion label 'Run After' (official website) and owner of the online retail store 'Some Days at Home' (official website). As of February 2020, she has more than 267,000 followers on Instagram and more than 11,000 subscribers on YouTube. As an influencer, Melissa has worked with lifestyle, beauty and fashion brands on advertorials. This includes names like Tiffany & Co, Swarovski and Singapore Airlines. In 2017, she was an ambassador for Fujifilm.[1]

Background

Family

The oldest of 4 siblings, Melissa has two younger sisters and one younger brother.[2] Her father passed away when she was 2 years old. Melissa, her mother and grandmother relocated to Switzerland due to her mother’s work commitments at the time.[3] She is Catholic and attends the Church of the Risen Christ where she was engaged and married to her husband James Chen.[4] Melissa has a son, Noah, who was born in May 2019.[5] She had publicly announced her pregnancy on 8 January 2019.[6]

Education

Melissa enrolled into CHIJ Toa Payoh Secondary School when her family moved back to Singapore. She then furthered her studies in the National University of Singapore (NUS) where she majored in Finance and graduated with a Bachelor in Business Administration in 2011.[7] After completing her tertiary studies, she worked as an equities associate at Credit Suisse for 2 years.

Blogging

Melissa started blogging at about 15 years old and continued to do so throughout her time at Credit Suisse.[8] As of August 2019, Melissa's site consists of entries about motherhood tips based on her own experiences, home and living posts and style diaries, to name a few.

Personal life

Melissa and James' church wedding ceremony. Photo from Benjamin Barker.

During a university exchange programme at the University of Washington in 2011, Melissa met Jonathan Raedeke. The couple were in a long-distance relationship for about four and a half years before splitting up in July 2015.[9]

Marriage to James Chen (2017)

In October 2015, Melissa uploaded a YouTube video featuring her childhood friend and new boyfriend, James Chen.[10] In a 2016 interview with Her World, James revealed that he resigned as a finance analyst to be Melissa's paid photographer.[11] The couple were officially engaged at Church of the Risen Christ in September 2016.[12]


Melissa and James flew to Paris, France for their engagement shoot in collaboration with The Wedding Scoop. They were photographed by Claire Morris and filmmaker Chris from Zen Film Works.[13] In 2016, the couple held a private engagement event in Bali, Indonesia.[14]

Wedding

Melissa and James were married in August 2017. Their two-day wedding comprised of a church wedding ceremony, gatecrash and dinner banquet at The Ritz Carlton, Millenia Singapore.[15][16][17][18] Melissa and James faced backlash for their "sponsored wedding". However, Melissa revealed that although there were sponsorships, the couple still spent a hefty amount on the wedding.[19]

Career highlights

Melissa at her Run After Launch Party in March 2018. Photo from Melissackoh.com.

Through her brand name and her blog, Melissa has collaborated with brands such as Moët & Chandon, Hera Beauty, Revolve, Dior, Coach, Kate Spade, Tods, Carolina Herrera, Tiffany & Co, Swarovski, Singapore Airlines, The Belmond Group and also hotels and tourism boards.

Over the years, Melissa has been featured in publications such as The Straits Times, The New Paper and Her World Singapore. In 2015, she was the cover girl for SHAPE magazine.

Some Days at Home (2018 - Present)

Melissa launched her home and lifestyle brand 'Some Days at Home' in 2018. Described as her passion project, Some Days at Home is a site for Melissa to curate local brands and promote their products. The project is a way for her to feature smaller brands with high-quality products that she can vouch for.[20] As of August 2019, the site features products ranging from up-cycled wood earrings to soaps made by single mothers.


Melissa revealed that the profits made from the online store will be donated to The Assisi Hospice.[21]

Run After (2015 - Present)

In 2015, Melissa launched the first collection of her fashion label 'Run After' at Digital Fashion Week Singapore.[22] Melissa partnered with ELLE for Digital Fashion Week Singapore where the 'Cruise 2016' collection walked the runway.[23] This first collection was available for purchase on Zalora and at the Buro pop-up in Scotts Square.[24]


Melissa relaunched the brand in 2018 after a one-year hiatus from the business.[25] To her, the name Run After symbolises the act of pursuit and the vision of the fashion label to inspire customers to chase their dreams.[26] The fashion label prioritises high-quality fabric and textiles for its apparel range.[27] The label features a range of tops, bottoms and dresses ranging from S$79 to S$149.

References / Citations

  1. Koh, Melissa. "FUJIFILM INSTAX SQ10". Melissa C. Koh. May 12, 2017. Accessed on 7 August 2019.
  2. Melissa Celestine Koh. “Old Wives’ Tale & Pregnancy Myths | Melissackoh”. YouTube. March 6, 2019. Accessed on 11 March 2019.
  3. melissackoh. “Day 43”. DAYRE. February 12, 2014. Accessed on 11 March 2019.
  4. Melissa Celestine Koh. “THE PROPOSAL: I SAID YES!”. YouTube. October 9, 2016. Accessed on 11 March 2019.
  5. Koh, Melissa. "BABY NOAH’S BIRTH STORY". Melissa C. Koh. June 27, 2019. Accessed on 7 August 2019.
  6. Koh, Melissa. "SOMETHING’S BAKING! 🎊". Melissa C. Koh. January 8, 2019. Accessed on 7 August 2019.
  7. "Melissa Celestine Koh". LinkedIn. Accessed on 7 August 2019.
  8. Er, Carrie. "Top Blog: Getting to Know Melissa Koh from Melissackoh.com". Alvinology. April 12, 2017. Accessed on 7 August 2019.
  9. melissackoh. “Day 320”. DAYRE. November 16, 2015. Accessed on 11 March 2019.
  10. Melissa Celestine Koh. “Couple Q&A: You asked, we answered”. YouTube. February 10, 2017. Accessed on 11 March 2019.
  11. Loh, Aretha. “WANT TO BE AN INSTA-STAR? YOU NEED AN INSTA-BOYFRIEND!”. Her World. September 28, 2016. Accessed on 11 March 2019.
  12. Melissa Celestine Koh. “THE PROPOSAL: I SAID YES!”. YouTube. October 9, 2016. Accessed on 11 March 2019.
  13. PARIS PRE-WEDDING PHOTO-SHOOT COLLABORATION WITH THE WEDDING SCOOP”. Claire Morris Photography. December 5, 2016. Accessed on 11 March 2019.
  14. MELISSA C. KOH AND JAMES CHEN'S ENGAGEMENT PARTY IN BALI”. Bride Story. May 2, 2017. Accessed on 11 March 2019.
  15. Leviani, Karina. “MELISSA C. KOH AND JAMES CHEN’S MAGICAL WEDDING IN SINGAPORE”. Bridestory. August 15, 2017. Accessed on 11 March 2019.
  16. Melissa Celestine Koh. “Our Wedding Day | ..of 14 years in the making”. YouTube. August 16, 2017. Accessed on 11 March 2019.
  17. Melissa Celestine Koh. “GATECRASH HIGHLIGHTS | Officially Married to The LOVE of My Life”. YouTube. August 19, 2017. Accessed on 11 March 2019.
  18. Melissa Celestine Koh. “Our Wedding | A Celebration of Our Union”. YouTube. October 6, 2017. Accessed on 11 March 2019.
  19. Singh, Bryna. "Sponsored weddings are on the rise but should guests still pay the hongbao price?". The Straits Times. September 7, 2017. Accessed on 7 August 2019.
  20. Koh, Melissa. "THE BIG REVEAL: MY VERY OWN HOME AND LIFESTYLE BRAND – SOME DAYS AT HOME". Melissa C. Koh. December 21, 2018. Accessed on 7 August 2019.
  21. Koh, Melissa. "THE BIG REVEAL: MY VERY OWN HOME AND LIFESTYLE BRAND – SOME DAYS AT HOME". Melissa C. Koh. December 21, 2018. Accessed on 7 August 2019.
  22. Bruce, Niki. "MELISSA CELESTINE KOH IS LAUNCHING HER VERY OWN FASHION LABEL". HER WORLD. October 22, 2015. Accessed on 7 August 2019.
  23. Digital Fashion Week. "Run After by Melissa Koh presented by ELLE | #DigitalFashionWeek Singapore 2015 (HD)". YouTube. January 26, 2016. Accessed on 7 August 2019.
  24. Sim, Andrea. "Buro pop-up x Run After: Discover the collection and meet founder Melissa C. Koh". BURO 24/7. November 6, 2015. Accessed on 7 August 2019.
  25. Koh, Melissa. "RUN AFTER LAUNCH PARTY". Melissa C. Koh. March 4, 2018. Accessed on 7 August 2019.
  26. Leong, Ashleey. "Interview With Melissa Koh: The Launch of Run After". Alvinology. December 2, 2015. Accessed on 7 August 2019.
  27. Bruce, Niki. "MELISSA CELESTINE KOH IS LAUNCHING HER VERY OWN FASHION LABEL". HER WORLD. October 22, 2015. Accessed on 7 August 2019.