Dear Samfu
Trixie Chua and Theresa Chua (Co-founders)
Tell us more about Dear Samfu?
Dear Samfu is a local nostalgic clothing brand, inspired by Grandma’s samfu and her values of thoughtful consumption and practicality. We launched the brand in May 2020.
What is the brand approach and philosophy of Dear Samfu?
As young women entering the corporate world, we were looking for office wear, and we grew tired of mindlessly keeping up with fast fashion trends that are harmful to the environment.
In contrast, Grandma always looked amazing in the same clothes and designs when she wore them over and over again. We learned from Grandma that those were her samfu (cantonese for shan-ku, 衫裤 ), which is a breezy shirt and trouser pairing usually made of the same fabric.
The top (sam, 衫) overlaps at the front which is secured with studs or loops. The bottom (fu, 裤) is a pair of wide waistband loose trousers. Designed to combat heat while being retaining modesty, we understand from our Grandma and aunties that the samfu was a highly popular everyday style in Singapore in the 1950s-60s.
Grandma’s lifestyle of treasuring her closet of comfortable samfu and re-wearing them inspired us to start this fashion business to remember her roots and values.
Image with Caption
Founders Trixie (left) and Theresa (right) pay homage to the women in their family through their collection. Their aunt PK (middle) often shares stories with them which inspires their work.
Both Trixie and Teresa regularly share their journey and creations on Instagram, which helps them to better engage and connect with their audience.
What made you apply for the Organisation Transformation Grant?
As the business entered our three-year mark, we realised that target customers perceive Dear Samfu as primarily "occasion wear", buying and wearing the designs mainly during Chinese New Year. This perception contradicts our goal of promoting the samfu as everyday fashion and limits our reach. Hence, we applied for the Grant to diagnose and improve our brand.
Can you tell us more about the project you developed with the support of the Organisation Transformation Grant?
We embarked on a rebranding project, to help us pivot our brand such that we make heritage-inspired everyday clothing that attracts a local and international Asian audience without losing the samfu heritage. The rebranding was done in various phases that included redesigning the logo and website, and introducing a new product range that reflects the brand’s refreshed identity.
Trixie and Theresa planning their brand's redesign and seeking inspiration from their childhood photos.
The new capsule collection is meant to appeal to modern women while retaining a strong touch of samfu heritage.
What was the most interesting insight or experience you had while developing your project?
Our brand story and identity development required more time than we initially planned, to refine and discuss with our consultant. In the end, the journey was worth it as we had the privilege of interviewing our returning customers. It was consistently observed that our customers feel an emotional connection to our brand because we draw on heritage and people of the past, which is inspiring to us.
We also had the opportunity to meet and network with other heritage businesses, some of which had such longstanding traditions and crafts that have been very inspiring.
Trixie and Theresa had the opportunity to network with fellow heritage businesses, during the project.
Trixie and Theresa often find inspiration for their brand and designs in the spaces, places and people around them.
Any words of advice for other heritage businesses looking to innovate?
Do not be afraid to take the bold step to transform! As business owners, we had a gut feeling that it was time to pivot despite us being such a young business, compared to many heritage businesses in Singapore which have stood the test of time through generations. Regardless of whether you’re going up or down in your business journey, if change is on your mind, go ahead and pursue it.
Find out more about Dear Samfu at https://dearsamfu.com or on Instagram @dearsamfu