Community, Not Competitiveness
This article is part of a series by the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) Singapore to showcase various aspects of the local design community. This story features Mabel Low, the brand manager at THE FARM STORE.
by Faith C. Lai
Stepping into THE FARM STORE’S pop-up on the ground floor of the National Design Centre is a larger than life experience. Upon first glance, it may look like any ordinary retail shop, with floor-to-ceiling shelves completely filled with products of a variety of shapes and sizes, and pop music playing in the background. However, upon closer inspection, any Singaporean would notice that this is no ordinary store. On each shelf, familiar local icons and motifs abound with a delightful subtlety. For those familiar with Singapore, it then begins to feel like a treasure hunt of sorts where one is tasked to identify how each product represents or alludes to a part of local culture. Sometimes, the answer is obvious, such as when a product incorporates the national flag into a design. Other times, it is far more subtle. When my companion reaches for a pair of elegant gilded earrings, we realise that they are, in fact, shaped like bags of ‘teh’ (tea) contained in plastic bags, the traditional way for hawkers to package drinks which are ordered to take away.
In fact, as Mabel Low, THE FARM STORE’s brand manager, explains, the store exclusively brings in products with a local identity”. A designer herself, she has worked on projects such as the ‘bak chang five stones’, which put a tasty twist on a traditional local game by transforming the traditional cloth-sewn ‘stones’ into Chinese dumplings, or ‘bak chang’.
“My background (as a Singaporean) does affect the things that I design”, says Mabel, who admits that most of her products tend to revolve around the elements of home most dear to her. In fact, it is looking at the work that she has designed that reveals most poignantly to her just how much her national identity intersects with her designer one. I pose Mabel a hypothetical question: of all the things she’s ever designed, what would she would save in a fire if she could save just one? She responds with an infectious fervour: “I know!”. She then hurries off, returning with a bag of products half her size stuffed to the brim with a then-unreleased line of products.
Mabel brings us a series of five double-sided cushions, of which the concept behind them is ingenious. On each cushion, one side displays an iconic feature of Singapore’s skyline as it is viewed from the actual waterfront in real life. The other side of the cushion shows the reversed perspective of the structure — what one would see if they were standing directly behind it. Designed with the intention to be collected as a series, all five pillows in the collection, if lined up along a sofa, would result in a complete (and very comfortable!) rendition of the Singapore skyline.
Apart from design work and managing THE FARM STORE’s physical space, Mabel also has to shoulder a variety of responsibilities diverse in nature. A product and industrial designer by training, Mabel’s work with THE FARM STORE has called her far beyond her comfort zone, and required her to learn the arts of marketing, event planning, and even Human Relations (HR). When we meet her, she is also right in the thick of preparations for Singapasar, a design-centric pasar malam organised by THE FARM STORE and supported by DesignSingapore.
But how can one woman manage so much? Mabel believes it all boils down to the collaborative, tight-knit spirit of the local design scene. “The design industry is rather small; if I’m talking to this person about someone else this person probably also knows that other person!” I point out that one would think that a small design scene would cause individual designers and companies to become extremely competitive amongst each other, but Mabel says that there are no such rivalries. In fact, collaboration, rather than competition, is one of the key driving forces of THE FARM STORE’s success:
“Whenever we have an idea, we always think about who we can work with on the idea.”
The group of 20 designers and brands with whom THE FARM STORE works with get along so well that their relationship has even extended beyond the professional world. “Sometimes, we meet up (to have) dinner together.” says Mabel.
In addition, there is another reason which enables Mabel to push through the long hours, sleepless nights, and hefty amount of work that is part and parcel of her job — she has fun! Sitting before her, I see this much less as a surprising revelation and more of a readily observable fact. While clearly a (very) busy woman, Mabel brims with an enthusiasm for the local, growing, design scene with an energy that is infectious. “I still enjoy working here despite all the craziness,” she begins with a wry smile, eventually breaking into cheerful laughter — “even in the moments where I question why I’m even doing this at all!”
Writer’s Note: THE FARM STORE’s physical space at the National Design Centre will close on the 28th of August. After which, walk-ins will be entertained across the street at 261 Waterloo Street (#04–20), S180261.
