IWD Spotlight: Celebrating Our Favourite Women-Led Businesses in Singapore

With International Women’s Day coming up on 8 March 2024, it is time to celebrate the many accomplishments and achievements that women around us have made. What better way than to acknowledge the hard work and successes achieved by women-led businesses in Singapore. 

From specially crafted tableware to sustainable clothing for new mummies and babies, these boss ladies prove that you can follow your dreams and rediscover yourselves - at any point in time. 

Here are our favourite women-led businesses in Singapore that inspire, support and are a delight to shop with!

International Women’s Day 2024: Women-Led Businesses in Singapore 

Shannon Lua, Founder of Butter Studio - Halal-Certified Bakery 

Everyone’s favourite bakery brand Butter Studio, started in 2011 when Shannon Lua took it upon herself to use the power of delicious treats to bring people together. Having grown up in a household of avid home bakers, Shannon experienced first hand how baking brought people together not only in the kitchen but also at the table. 

From a takeaway kiosk to opening multiple outlets in Singapore, she has made Butter Studio what it is today - the one stop destination for all your cake and cupcake needs!

Shannon’s forward-thinking approach means her quality keeps parents around Singapore happy. It also allows for a little fun! You will find many fun design here- from DIY cupcake decorating kits, trending themes, bento cakes, local flavours and more, you will find a world of deliciousness to cater to all age groups and ethnicities. 

Inspired by the artisanal traditions of home baking and family recipes through the generations, the brand has drawn inspiration from treasured recipes passed down generations, but with their unique twist on artisanal and handmade bakes. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but these mouth-watering treats will have you coming back for more!

Tiffany Okumu, Founder of RAPH&REMY - Sustainable Baby Gifting Brand 

Tiffany Okumu, the founder of RAPH&REMY has resided in sunny Singapore for more than 10 years. She kickstarted the business in 2019 with a vision of creating a go-to brand for new moms and moms-to-be, offering a meaningful collection designed with purpose. She even named the brand after her two boys.

RAPH&REMY as it stands today is an embodiment of timeless, safe, and stylish baby, kids and maternity wear made from breathable bamboo fabric. This fabric is the highest quality bamboo for extra softness and is naturally hypoallergenic and temperature-regulating; ideal for Singapore’s hot and humid weather. Aside from apparel, RAPH&REMY also sells hampers and gifts, all wrapped up in beautiful packaging. It is, in fact, one of our favourite baby gifts to give to friends and family! 

With Tiffany’s newest little family addition, Indie, we can only visualise the brand growing from strength to effortless cuteness, all while giving mums in Singapore a reliable clothing option for their babies. 

Order online at www.raphandremy.com.

Carli Teteris, Founder of KRA Sanctuary - HomegrownCeramic Tableware Brand 

Carli Teteris, the founder of KRA Sanctuary, started the brand during the early days of Covid.  A commercial photographer and avid home cook, she’s always searching for beautiful dishes for styling and serving food, and there was always a very short supply of options in Singapore. Coming back from most travels with a suitcase full of ceramics and tableware unavailable in Singapore, she was always drawn to a particular woman-owned studio from Thailand for its timeless style, and quality. That led to the start of Singapore’s much-loved ceramicware brand KRA Sanctuary. 

Over the last three years, she’s built up the brand and set residential, restaurant and hotel tables across Singapore, all from her home studio where she cooks, shoots and always lets her own creative ideas and collaborations come to life. 

Explore her handcrafted and curated dinnerware, serving ware, and table accessories that will spruce up your home with their luxurious designs. We love how with KRA Sanctuary, you can trade your usual bowls and plates with long-lasting, water-resistant, leach-proof ceramic products. Not only will they add vibrance and a touch of elegance to your cutlery and crockery to show off at parties, but they will also last for years to come.

KRA Sanctuary is an online store, but personal and private viewings can be arranged at their home showroom near Orchard. They also stock dinnerware at partner locations islandwide. 

Cynthia Yew, Founder of Highbrow - Eyebrow Embroidery and Semi-Permanent Makeup Salon

It all began when Cynthia Yew lived in Japan with her family; she noticed a growing trend in eyelash extensions and brow embroidery. As a customer, she wanted to start her own business to pursue her passion in the industry. It was only in 2012 that she returned to Singapore and opened Highbrow after taking some time to take care of her children. Since then, Highbrow has been at the forefront of providing high-quality eyebrow and semi-permanent makeup services in Singapore. 

Known for its highly-skilled technicians, Highbrow has its own in-house eyebrow embroidery, called “Brow Enliven” which is unlike traditional methods. This process uses a refined technique of touching the outer layer of the skin and customising each brow to suit the customer. The results are proof. Highbrow is blessed with clients, many returning customers, who need to keep their brows and face in shape. 

Cynthia wanted to give her customers a chance to enjoy all services within one salon, which is why you can book eyebrow embroidery, lash extensions, lash lifts, semi-permanent makeup and also enjoy manicures, pedicures and waxing under the same roof. Her business now boasts three outlets islandwide at Star Vista, Capitol and Orchard Gateway and is an inspiration to many businesswomen in the world of beauty services.

Anjali Gupta, Founder of ANJALI CHOCOLAT - Local Artisan Chocolatier 

Anjali Gupta founded ANJALI CHOCOLAT in 2014, striving to push boundaries with luxurious handcrafted chocolate. 

Previously an MBA-wielding chartered accountant in the banking sector, Anjali’s love for chocolate grew when she started to attend pastry classes at a culinary school in Istanbul. An Ecole Chocolat course soon converted the idea to chocolate making following which she enrolled into the Professional Chocolatiers’ Programme.

This prompted her to enrol in the Professional Chocolatiers’ Programme and various workshops to hone her chocolate-making skills. Before she knew it, she wanted to craft her own business.

Anjali moved to Singapore with her family in 2012 and got to work, building her brand and relearning how to make chocolates in the hot and humid weather. Her efforts paid off, and since then ANJALI CHOCOLAT has been synonymous with artisanal chocolates as personal treats or as gifts in Singapore. 

Anjali even has a chocolate school, Temper by ANJALI CHOCOLAT. From sourcing fine ingredients for her unique creations to personally hosting each class and chocolate-themed event, she has built her brand to be the ultimate destination for chocoholics. 

Valencia Chen, Founder of Little Bearnie - Homegrown Business for Baby Essentials

Valencia was inspired to start her own business while shopping for her married friends and their little children. In 2016, she founded Little Bearnie and the name is cutely born out of the combined phrases of “little ones” and “bear in mind”. Their brand aims to let customers think of Little Bearnie when searching for gifts for their children or their friends’ kids. 

The result? With many years of experience, design and research, Little Bearnie is among the few brands in Singapore offering babies and toddlers the most stylish and adorable teething accessories and gifts. 

Whether it is the range of bestselling gift sets and gift boxes, that make thoughtful baby shower gifts or their Instagram-worthy and local-inspired teething accessories, Little Bearnie’s products will be a part of your child’s growing-up journey for years to come. 

Wendy Han, Founder of Floristique - Local Floral Brand with Fresh Blooms for Every Budget

Rated as one of the best local florists in Singapore, Floristique is Wendy Han’s proud 24-hour flower business, where she designs fresh blooms and exotic bouquets at all price points. Before becoming a florist, Wendy worked in banking and finance for many years and subsequently decided to become an entrepreneur. 

So, in October 2017, she opened Floristique Singapore at Katong Shopping Centre and has provided high-quality, customised and affordable bouquets, baskets and hampers since then. She personally crafts each bouquet to ensure consistency across all of her flower arrangements and even checks out each flower she receives from the nursery - we love her dedication!

Plus, Floristique is the first florist to swap their diesel vans for electric vehicles to aid in reducing carbon emissions. Eco-friendly and gorgeous flower arrangements are all we need!

Kendall Hamill, Founder of TEMPLE Candles - Luxury Candle Brand 

With a passion for candles and a background in interior design, Founder Kendall Hamill infuses her eco-luxe creations with inspiration drawn from the vibrant essence of Singapore itself. Arriving in Singapore over a decade ago, Kendall encountered challenges in sourcing exquisite and meaningful Singaporean gifts for her visiting family and friends. With a background in interior design and prior expertise in fragrance formulation, an innovative concept sparked her imagination: crafting a luxurious home fragrance brand inspired by Singapore, featuring scents evocative of the Southeast Asian region.

Today, Temple Candles stands tall as a comprehensive manufacturing hub situated in Singapore's vibrant Tai Seng area. 

TEMPLE Candles will remind you of Singapore's glamorous urban landscape and the enchanting mystique of the Far East. Collaborating exclusively with top-tier perfumers, Kendall has curated a collection of scents inspired by oriental-botanic elements. Each is designed to liven up your living space with captivating aromas, elevate your mood, and spruce up your home environment.

Their wide range includes candles, diffusers, hand & body products, and thoughtfully curated gift selections, simplifying gifting to your loved ones. Each product is developed to bring a touch of luxury and sophistication to every corner of your home. Be it a housewarming gift or a gift of self-love to yourself, TEMPLE will make a worthy addition to anyone’s home.

Maddy Barber, Founder of MADLY - Bespoke Jeweller 

Former actress Maddy Barber is the brain behind MADLY, a premier bespoke jeweller with two glamorous outlets in Singapore and Dubai. Aside from adding joy and radiance to their customers’ cherished moments and happiest occasions, MADLY takes extreme pride in its role as a one-stop shop for coloured gemstones and distinctive fine jewellery that are fit for royalty. Each gem or accessory represents the wearer’s style and individuality. 

MADLY celebrates the uniqueness of each gemstone, much like the diversity found in humanity. A MADLY gem is a treasure worth cherishing in the present and for generations, as the brand exclusively selects the world's finest, top 0.1% of gemstones for their creations.   

Rachel Lim, Co-Founder of Love, Bonito - Fashion Brand

At 19 years old and with a dream, Rachel Lim started running a fashion blog shop selling preloved apparel with a couple of her friends. Following this, she took a leap in the dark with a start-up, by forgoing her final year at university and pursuing a degree in teaching. 

Fast forward to today, the successful fashion brand Love, Bonito currently has stores in Indonesia, Cambodia, and Hong Kong. If that isn’t impressive enough, they recently opened their first store in the United States. To date, Rachel Lim is dominating the e-commerce market with a fashion empire worth millions of dollars. 

With their chic designs aimed at the modern everyday Asian women, it’s no wonder that Love, Bonito made its mark in the fashion world with Rachel’s strong vision and passion for building the brand to be what it is today. 

Xenia Wong, Founder of Sigi Skin - Successful Skincare Brand for All Skin Types 

Behind the award-winning local brand Sigi Skin, is Xenia Wong, who believes that a great skin regime is the key to having a happy and healthy complexion. Before Sigi Skin came to be in 2018, Xenia was enrolled in Jung Saem Mool's Art Academy and Makeup Forever courses, where she learned various techniques that could produce a glowy and fresh look. She tried to replicate the same results with makeup but discovered boasting a gorgeous skin tone came from a powerful routine. 

Then came Sigi Skin - an effective, and simple skincare solution to your skin needs! Carefully crafted and curated, Sigi Skin’s products are packed with superfoods and scientifically proven ingredients to help you achieve a bright complexion while protecting your skin from environmental stressors. Plus, they use airless packaging, so your products stay contamination-free! Their range is all vegan and cruelty-free, we love a beauty brand that goes the extra mile. 

Vanessa Paranjothy, Co-Founder of Freedom Cups - Reusable Menstrual Cups 

In 2015, Vanessa Paranjothy and her sisters Joanne and Rebecca went on a transformational journey by founding Freedom Cups. Their ultimate goal? To revolutionise menstrual hygiene by providing women with eco-friendly, reusable menstrual cups. 

What sets Freedom Cups apart is their innovative buy-one, give-one model. For every cup a customer purchases, another is donated to a woman in an underprivileged community. Their unique approach not only empowers women who can afford it to make sustainable choices and reduce their reliance on non-biodegradable sanitary products but also helps others in developing communities access vital sanitation resources during their monthly cycles.

Championing social responsibility on a bigger scale, Freedom Cups is paving the way with their collaborative effort to change how ladies manage their periods, one cup at a time!

Kate Low, Founder of Perk By Kate - Homegrown Lingerie Brand 

When she was a teenager, Kate Low discovered her love for lingerie. As an ex-gymnast, she felt self-conscious about visible panty lines under her leotard, but that all changed when she started to wear thongs. In 2012, she founded Perk By Kate and has created intimate solutions for all body types and for women to flaunt their body curves. Their Padded Bralette is one of their highlights, and they came up with it when the concept was still unheard of. 

An ever-expanding portfolio means, you can now sift through Perk By Kate’s extensive apparel line for nursing mothers, athleisure and other essentials! Far more than just a lingerie brand and making a difference in women’s lives to help them feel good on the inside, Kate is an inspiration on all things business for young leaders.

Cheryl Chan, Owner of GOPIZZA - Empowering Women-Led Pizza Business That Gives Back To The Community

Trying to balance motherhood, running a business and working full-time is far from easy! A single mother of three, a commercial real estate agent and a successful female entrepreneur, Cheryl Chan is the proud owner of GOPIZZA’s Sims Urban Oasis outlet. When given a chance to handle the struggling pizza business, Cheryl took the opportunity to pursue her passion and to fulfil her children’s love for Italian dishes. 

That’s not all. She is a grassroots executive member who actively gives back to the community. Cheryl recently organised a fundraising event where she donated free pizza to those in need. Cheryl continues positively impacting many people’s lives with her heartfelt contributions and tenacious spirit! A strong mom and leader in her craft, Cheryl Chan is an inspiration who goes above and beyond, empowering and encouraging others to follow their dreams.