Velda Tan (Singapore Entrepreneur)

Velda Tan (born 3 September 1987) is a Singaporean entrepreneur and clothing designer with over a decade of experience in the e-commerce and fashion industries. For her contributions to these industries, she was featured on the Gen.T List of young industry leaders in 2016.[1] Velda is the founder of the women's wear line, Collate The Label and the co-founder of the lifestyle brand, Our Second Nature. In 2020, she was listed on Prestige Online's '40 Under 40' list.[2] As of September 2020, Velda has 160,000 followers on Instagram.

Velda Tan
Velda Tan profile.jpg
Born3 September 1987
EducationGCE Advanced Level
Alma materPioneer Junior College
Spouse(s)Frederick Yap (m. 2012)

Background

Family

Velda Tan is the second-born child in her family. She has an older sister, Viola, and a younger sister, Vanya.[3]

Personal life

 
Velda and Frederick holding their newborn daughter, Ellery, in 2018. Photo from source.

Velda Tan is married to Frederick Yap with whom she has a daughter. The couple tied the knot in 2012 at Grand Hyatt Singapore where her two sisters and best friend-turned-business partner, Rachel Lim were her bridesmaids.[4] Velda and Frederick worked together at Love, Bonito before leaving the company in 2013. They then made a joint venture into the food and beverage industry, setting up a restaurant called Pince & Pints.[5] While Velda helped with the initial branding of the business, her husband runs the daily operations.[6] Velda is also a motorcycle enthusiast.[7]

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

In a 2017 Instagram post, Velda shared that she suffered from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS),[8] a condition that results in infertility and at times, the development of cysts in the ovaries.[9] An excerpt from the post reads as such:

“I found out I had PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) at my first proper gynae [sic] check 5 years ago, when Fred and I got married. This condition was a result of the stress of running my first business & my genetic make… I was put on horrible cycles of medication to stimulate egg growth, with no result, only more pain, more weight gain, and cycle after cycle of disappointment.”[10]

After seeing two gynaecologists and multiple rounds of treatment,[11] Velda successfully conceived in 2017 and gave birth to Ellery Grace Yap in January 2018.[12]

Education

Velda Tan was a student at Methodist Girls’ School and Pioneer Junior College. She furthered her studies at the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) but dropped out after two years.[6][13] Between 2013 and 2014, Velda attended two courses at Central Saint Martins, a college in London where she studied drawing, pattern-making and brand management.[6][14]

Career

 
Velda Tan at Our Second Nature's pop-up during the 2019 Boutique Fair.

Love, Bonito (2006 - 2013)

Velda Tan co-founded the predecessor of Love, Bonito, BonitoChico, alongside her sister, Viola Tan and her best friend, Rachel Lim in 2006.[15] At the time, Velda was still a student in university. After leading the company through its rebranding in 2010 with her two partners, Velda Tan left Love, Bonito in 2013 to work independently as a fashion designer.[7] In an interview with High Net Worth that was published in 2015, Velda shared more about her decision to leave the company, saying:

“When I left Love, Bonito, it really crushed me. I had a hard time adjusting. . . I made the decision with no regrets, but I did not understand why my inner voice was telling me to leave.”[6]

Collate the Label (2015 - current)

 
Velda Tan pictured with her garments for Collate the Label. Photo credit to Yew Jia Jun/ HN Worth.

Velda Tan founded Collate The Label in 2015, two years after leaving her position at Love, Bonito.[16] The label made its runway debut at the 2015 iteration of Singapore Fashion Week where the brand presented 22 looks from its Pre Fall 2015 line.[17][18][19] The same year, Collate the Label opened its first pop-up store at Tangs Orchard.[20] The home-grown brand was also chosen to participate at Coterie, a three-day trade show in New York that was held in September 2015.[21] Collate the Label releases its collections four times a year according to various seasons - spring/summer, pre-fall, fall/winter and holiday.[20] As of September 2020, Collate the Label has over 31,000 followers on its Instagram page and retails online.

Our Second Nature (2017 - current)

In 2017, Velda Tan founded Our Second Nature alongside co-founder, Lauren Tan. Velda leads the design, merchandising, brand and marketing teams in the company.[2] Over the years, Our Second Nature has launched a retail space called 'Our Second Corner, at Boutique Fairs[22][23] while also retailing their products at various pop-up stores at various locations. The following is a list of Our Second Nature's pop-up spaces.

Year Store Location Refs.
2019 Our Stop For A Second Takashimaya shopping centre [24]
Second Museo Jeju Island, South Korea [25]
2018 Our Second Hangout Ann Siang Hill [26]
Our Second Wave TANGS at Tang Plaza [27]
2017 - The Glasshouse, CHIJMES [28]

In 2018, Our Second Nature opened its permanent walk-in boutique, Our Second Home, at Chip Bee Gardens.[29] The physical store boasts a retail space and an in-house café for patrons.[30] As of September 2020, Our Second Nature has over 64,000 followers on its Instagram page.

References/ Citations

  1. "Velda Tan". Generation T Asia. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Velda Tan". Prestige Online. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  3. belluspuera. "The women in my life; my biggest inspiration.". Instagram. January 25, 2019. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  4. "A Stylish Wedding at Grand Hyatt Singapore: Fred and Velda". The Wedding Scoop. September 20, 2013. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  5. Lee, Patricia. "The Story Behind Pince & Pints and That Lobster Roll". Female Singapore. April 30, 2015. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Yap, Wy-Lene. "Velda Tan: A Vision Unveiled". High Net Worth. August 27, 2015. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Chong Seow Wei. "A Drink With... Velda Tan". Singapore Tatler. June 8, 2017. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  8. "Velda Tan’s Story About Her Rocky First Pregnancy Is So Inspiring". Harper's Bazaar Singapore. July 11, 2017. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  9. "Polycystic ovary syndrome". Office on Women's Health. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  10. belluspuera. "Feeling so loved & very blessed". Instagram. Jul 9, 2017. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  11. Leong, Audrey. "This Is How Singapore Fashion Influencer Velda Tan Has Been Coping With Her Pregnancy". Women's Weekly. October 23, 2017. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  12. belluspuera. "My dearest Ellery, you are a living testimony of God’s immense love and abounding grace.". Instagram. January 25, 2018. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  13. Peter-Berntzen, Jassmin. "Celeb mum-to-be Velda Tan: I’ll tell my daughter not to quit school, unlike me". Smart Parents. December 2, 2017. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  14. "VELDA TAN". Prestige Online. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  15. Cheng, Fontain. "Startup Life: Rachel Lim, Co-Founder of Women’s Fashion Brand Love, Bonito". Prestige. July 30, 2019. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  16. "Girl Talk: Velda Tan from Collate The Label". Harper's Bazaar. May 16, 2015. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  17. Koh, Dana. "The Time Is Now: Velda Tan Talks Empowering Women With Her New Venture". Harper's Bazaar Singapore. July 20, 2016. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  18. "Backstage At Collate The Label Pre Fall 2015". Harper's Bazaar Singapore. May 17, 2015. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  19. Chia, Stacey and Leslie Kay Lim. "Collate The Label at Tangs". The Straits Times. May 24, 2015. Accessed on 17 September 2020. Retrieved from AsiaOne.
  20. 20.0 20.1 Aljoofri-Shrestha, Dora. "First look: Interview with Velda Tan and the launch of Collate The Label". Buro. May 15, 2015. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  21. Hon Jing Yi. "S’pore fashion brand Collate The Label going to New York’s Coterie show". TODAY. July 24, 2015. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  22. "OSN POP-UP PARTY: Boutique Fairs". Our Second Nature. April 4, 2019. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  23. "BOUTIQUE FAIRS: Our Second Corner". Our Second Nature. December 2, 2019. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  24. "OUR NEW SPACE: Our Stop For A Second". Our Second Nature. October 25, 2019. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  25. "OUR POP-UP: Second Museo in Korea". Our Second Nature. May 14, 2019. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  26. "OUR NEW SPACE: Our Second Hangout". Our Second Nature. December 18, 2018. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  27. "OUR SECOND WAVE: The Story". Our Second Nature. July 5, 2018. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  28. "OSN POP-UP PARTY: The Glasshouse". Our Second Nature. October 25, 2017. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  29. "OUR SECOND HOME: The Story". Our Second Nature. April 18, 2018. Accessed on 17 September 2020.
  30. Shiya. "Our Second Home: Visit This Local Brand’s Beautiful Retail Space & In-House Cafe In Holland Village". Hype & Stuff. Accessed on 17 September 2020.