Polytechnic graduate Ong Ji Kai, 19, enjoys dressing up but he noticed that the clothing options available in Singapore were limited.

Vintage graphic t-shirts were growing popular but many stores sold mainstream apparel only, Mr Ong said. He wanted to fill the gap and founded his first clothing brand, Transverse Clo, at 18 years old with just $720.

While his family supported him, some of his friends did not. “My friends did not believe that it would work as there were so many people trying to start clothing brands,” Mr Ong said.

But, within a year, Mr Ong had earned $28,000 in sales revenue. He sold Transverse Clo in August 2021 and founded Half/Alive in January this year.

Mr Ong is among many other students who had launched a clothing brand in recent years.

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, more youth-founded clothing brands were launched as social media made it seem cool and easy to own one, said Mr Ong.

Dear Samfu’s founder Trixie Chua, 30, noticed this trend as well, especially with street style brands, thrift and vintage shops.

“I feel the next generation has a larger risk appetite for trial and error and creativity,” the marketer at TikTok said.
Indeed, creative expression is a huge driving force for these young business owners.

For Epic Girl’s founder Donna Chua, 19, her designs are a reflection of her outlook on life. Every design is infused with her emotions as she draws them, which also makes each one unique.

Similarly, Supp Design’s founder Elon Koh, 22, launched his business after the shirts he designed for school proved to be popular among his peers. The NUS Business undergraduate finds joy in seeing others wearing his artwork.

All three students-cum-business-owners also agreed that it has become easier to launch businesses in recent years.
Anyone interested in starting a business can easily set up a website within a day, Mr Koh, who hosts his business on Shopify, said.

A report by Statista, a German market and consumer data company, revealed that there were more than 75000 Shopify shops selling clothing globally as of April 2021.

Social media platforms are also crucial for these businesses.

“[Tiktok] really helps a lot in growing your brand,” Miss Donna Chua said. The Computer Science undergraduate has posted over 30 TikTok videos, including snippets of her designing her products, packing them and teasers for new designs.

However, some remain conservative towards starting their clothing business.

While Mr Marco Seah, 21, has amassed over 15,000 views across 14 videos about fashion on YouTube, he sees his lack of experience as an obstacle.

“I only picked up this hobby not too long ago and I’m still a long way from understanding all things related to creating a garment,” Mr Seah said.

However, Ms Trixie Chua believes that entrepreneurship among students is here to stay. “There is immense satisfaction to be gained from exercising creativity, turning ideas and visions into reality and owning a piece of something for yourself,” she adds.

Looking ahead, these students-cum-business-owners aim to expand their reach and impact. For Mr Ong, Half/Alive is also a platform to improve public perception of mental health issues.

“That’s our main goal at the day, to create meaningful change in the world starting with Singapore,” Mr Ong said.