The weekends of Artbox Singapore 2018 are finally upon us!
Happening at the Bayfront Event Space in Marina Bay, the event is set to be Singapore’s largest creative market to date, with over 400 local and international vendors waiting to sell you their treats and knick-knacks!
We went down to check out the buzz, and spoke to several Singapore vendors to find out more about their origin stories, and why they’re excited to be at Artbox Singapore 2018 this year!
Josiah Jeremy, founder of Golden Moments (Booth #17)
Tell me more about your brand!
We actually started last year during Mooncake Festival, where we did a premium mao shan wang snow skin mooncake. Today, we wanted to launch new products so that we could capture the hearts of the customers.
This time, we have our 24K premium mao shan wang ice cream – it’s wrapped with 24K gold, and infused with bamboo charcoal.
On the 24K durian platter, we have durian mochi, durian puff, durian puree, as well as soft serve ice cream wrapped in 24K gold leaves.
What’s the inspiration behind your business idea?
When we first started Golden Moments, we wanted to create a brand that would advocate the idea of treasuring family times so we started off with mooncakes.
Mooncakes are not just about the mid-autumn festival. It also symbolises reunion and spending time with your family. That’s the special moment that we want to reflect in our brand.
After the mid-autumn festival, we wanted Golden Moments to continue in specialising in durian delicacies so we conducted our research on more durian food products such as ice cream, durian mochi, and puffs.
Is this your first time at Artbox? How’s it like so far?
Yes, it’s our first time at Artbox. It’s actually pretty hot here, haha!
And as I walked around earlier, I can feel that the vibe of this entire space is pretty creative. You can see many enterprising people who are very creative and trying to innovate things. It’s a very important spirit.
Because Artbox is such a creative place, I feel like it’s the perfect venue for us to debut our ice cream here!
Jon Lee, founder of The Juicy Way (Booth #81 and #351)
Tell me more about your brand!
We sell colourful fruit juices in a bottle – they have no colouring, no preservatives, and no artificial syrups.
The colours are all natural. To achieve the blue and purple colours, we actually use blue pea flower.
With our multi-coloured drinks, customers can drink it layer by layer to taste the different flavours, and then shake it after. You can basically taste 3 to 4 flavours in a bottle!
What’s the inspiration behind your business idea?
One of our partner’s parents actually helms a food stall, so we wanted to start up as well.
We first saw this idea from Taiwan, but realised that most of them use syrup and artificial colouring. They claim that they don’t have any colouring, but the syrup itself already uses colourings!
For us, our colours are extracted from the fruits so they are all natural. But we also added chia seeds and flax seeds so that the juices would be slightly thicker, and we can layer them.
However, they can only last for a day because they don’t have any preservatives.
Is this your first time at Artbox? How’s it like so far?
We were here last year too. But back then, we only had one store selling the juice bottles.
This year, we have another store – also The Juicy Way – where we infuse fruits into food. So we have fried lychee balls, fried avocado wedges, and also fried prawn sliders which are basically Thai prawn patties stuffed with mango.
Shawn Tee, founder of Cocobox (Booth #144)
Tell me more about your brand!
We sell coconut snowball, which is a whole coconut flesh with coconut water inside. So basically, what you have is the coconut flesh without the husk.
After the coconut snowball is defrosted, you can just stick a straw in it and drink the water inside! You can also add on toppings – either ‘candy’ or ‘crushed’ – if you’d like.
What’s the inspiration behind your business idea?
We actually subbed this out from All Coco – a popular soft serve brand from Thailand – which recently just opened a store in Singapore at The Cathay.
Their items are all organic, so we decided to take the snowball from them after about half a year of planning.
Is this your first time at Artbox? How’s it like so far?
Yes, it’s our first time here. It’s definitely hot, but that just means that our refreshing coconut snowball will do well here!
Sheryl Lim, founder of Susy + Bae (Booth #88)
Tell me more about your brand!
I started this brand back in July 2017, and we specialise in handmade lingerie.
I purchase the material, fabric and straps all on my own. The paddings are self-manufactured as well, but a tailor helps me out with the sewing.
What’s your inspiration behind your business idea?
I’ve always liked lingerie, but the existing lingerie in the market right now has a strong sexy appeal, and I feel that lingerie is more than that.
Moreover, I felt that there wasn’t anything out there that could cater to my petite size so I wanted to create a lingerie brand that suits my size and style.
Is this your first time at Artbox? How’s it like so far?
This is my first time at Artbox as a vendor. Last year, I visited Artbox as a shopper and although it’s just been a few hours here, I expect this year to be way better than last year.
We mostly have an online presence and this is the first time we have a large-scale outdoor event. Usually, we do pop-up indoors such as in the malls.
As a new brand, I feel like I should go to a place that has a lot of crowd – and Artbox definitely fulfils that for me and helps me create brand awareness.
My main target audience is women from their mid-20s to mid-30s, and Artbox has a good mix of youth and working adults.
Inez Lim, founder of Kittea (Booth #127)
Tell me more about your brand!
We sell cat-inspired teas. Every tea blend is handmade, and inspired by a cat breed.
For instance, a Siamese cat originates from Thailand, so I pick ingredients that have a Thai flavour to it such as ginger and lemongrass.
What’s your inspiration behind your business idea?
I’m a huge cat lover! I used to have five cats of my own, but three have unfortunately passed away.
And I’ve always wanted to combine my two passions: cats and teas. In the existing market, I realised that there isn’t something like this yet. Usually, teas in Singapore are either very traditional or very Westernised. Ours is more quirky in a way.
Moreover, there isn’t a very strong tea drinking culture here in Singapore. Mostly, people associate tea drinking as an “old people hobby”, so we want to change that perception with our blends.
Is this your first time at Artbox? How’s it like so far?
I started in October 2016 and our products are sold at 24 locations islandwide and have expanded to four countries already. Although we have a relatively wide presence, this is our first time at Artbox.
I feel really comfortable here. Artbox is a place where you see a lot of creative brands and I’m excited to be a part of it.
I actually wanted to take part in last year’s Artbox, but I felt that I wasn’t very prepared. We didn’t have enough stocks and I felt like we wouldn’t be able to accommodate the high volume of visitors. I’m glad Artbox made a comeback this year – and it’s much bigger too!
Christel Gan, founder of Out And Ink (Booth #133)
Tell me more about your brand!
We are a team of 7 illustrators and designers. As a bunch of creatives, we even came up with our own catalogue of designs. So everything you see here is a one-of-a-kind design, but you can also request a particular design from us.
If you don’t want to commit to a tattoo, our jagua and henna services are the perfect ‘temporary tattoo’ solution. Jagua in particular, lasts longer at two weeks.
What’s your inspiration behind your business idea?
We came across it last year at the Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar. We saw someone offering jagua tattoo services there and got inspired to try it on our own since we are Art and Design students.
Is this your first time at Artbox? How’s it like so far?
This is our first time at Artbox, but it’s not our first pop-up. We’ve been vendors at several events in Singapore.
We also don’t have a huge online presence yet – our customers usually book appointments with us via Instagram. So events like Artbox has really helped to push our services to more people and it’s more convenient for them to view and do our services on-the-spot.
Moreover, the Artbox crowd matches our target audience, which is mostly millennials.
6 More Local Vendors You Should Keep An Eye Out For
The6ixsRosti (Booth #9)
If you’re a fan of potatoes, or rosti in particular, this stall definitely doesn’t disappoint. This is the Spicy Rosti with Mozzarella Cheese, which makes for a winning combination!
The rosti is pan-fried to a perfect golden-brown colour – it’s crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. The rosti also had a bit of a spicy kick to it, but the cheese helps to balance it all out and tone down the heat.
Oasis:Skin (Booth #260)
This homegrown skincare brand aims to protect, nourish and heal your skin with it’s all-natural ingredients. They contain no parabens, sulfates and other synthetic substances so you don’t have to worry about any bouts of breakout at all.
From face mists to clay masks, they’ve got a wide range of products to help combat your different skin problems and types. Oily skin? Dull skin? You don’t have to worry, because they’ve got you covered.
Cereal Citizen (Booth #65 and #66)
We’ve featured Cereal Citizen before and for those unacquainted, it’s helmed by local social media influencers – Qiu Ting (@bongqiuqiu) and Rachell (@pxdkitty) – alongside their lawyer friend, Carolyn.
Cereal Citizen is most popular for their signature ‘Crododos’, which are handcrafted milkshakes topped with cronuts (croissant + donut). This means that you literally get three food items with a single purchase so it definitely makes for a value-for-money buy!
Common Touch (Booth #277)
Common Touch is a Singapore-based craft unit that specialises in ceramic homeware, ranging from multi-use crockery and tableware, to domestic pots and planters.
They use different types of clay and combination of stains and glazes, and each piece is carefully handcrafted so you can be assured that whatever pieces you get your hands on is a one-of-a-kind item.
They also have a small range of handmade minimalist jewellery at their store. So if simple and clean is your aesthetic, you definitely need to check out this stall.
Thai Foodie Palace SG (Booth #29)
Artbox is a creative market from Thailand, so it only makes sense for you to try out some of the Thai snacks and delicacies sold there and you can start with this delectable mango sticky rice.
Sure, prices aren’t as cheap as the ones you get in Bangkok (a box costs $6) but this stall serves a generous portion of sticky rice and their mango is incredibly sweet, which makes for the perfect dessert after you chow down all the other glorious food at Artbox.
Noirhom (Booth #171)
Makeup junkies will love Noirhom. They specialise in luxury makeup brushes and are made of high-quality synthetic hair which makes for super-soft bristles.
You’ll also love the fact that their brushes are very Instagram-worthy. From unicorn horns, mermaid tails, pastel hues, and marble brush handles, there’s definitely one that will suit your style!
You’ve Heard Their Stories, Now Go Forth And #SupportLocal!
As you can tell, the vendors we’ve interviewed are deeply inspiring, and are also looking forward to letting more consumers know about their brands.
The Artbox Singapore 2018 weekend has JUST begun, so why not go down to check out these homegrown vendors out and have a short chat with them at the same time?
The event also promises to be a playground of creative entrepreneurs from all walks of life, and we bet that you’ll leave not just with your stomach full with delicious food, but also with your arms full with shopping bags as well!
See you there!
Artbox Singapore 2018
25 to 27 May, 1 to 3 June 2018 (Friday to Sunday)
3pm to 11pm
Bayfront Event Space, Marina Bay
Free admission
This article was written in collaboration with Artbox Singapore.
