10MINUTESWITH...
Dennis Tay
By Farhan Shah
Founder of Naiise.com
and champion and
advocate of local design
Great design really helps to better people’s lives but
unfortunately, in Singapore, many folk are afraid
of the word “design”. They always think that welldesigned products are frightening, alienating or just
too expensive. The reality is far different and when
you purchase a well-designed product, you’re really
adding value into everyday living.
What we’re lacking in Singapore is a culture that is
supportive in developing the creative talents and
the scene as a whole. I was lucky that my parents
supported me. Having said that though, I guess
every parent wants the best for his or her child and
arguably, the best in Singapore means going down
the safest route.
Yes, I do agree that Singaporeans tend to think that
foreign brands are better than local goods. However,
many local brands are not any lower in quality as
compared to their foreign counterparts; it’s just
that locally produced items tend to be a bit more
expensive as the makers don’t have an expensive
logistical system in place to source for the raw
products needed.
I think it’ll take some time for the culture in
Singapore to change but we’re getting there. Events
such as Singapore Design Week and Design 2014
really help to expose the public to the different
aspects of design. Hopefully, with the platform of
Naiise.com, the community will come together and
achieve the goal of design being for everyone and for
every day.
I want to build a community of local and talented
designers, artisans and the like with Naiise. It’s a lot
about education, getting the community to come on
board, and creating and curating the content that the
site provides.
I convinced my partner Amanda to leave her stable
job in a large Internet company and work with me in
a business where you’re not sure about what could
happen the next day! However, she saw the value
in what I was doing and chose to join me. To a large
extent, Naiise is where it is today because of her
support too.
I started Naiise when I was in my final year of
university. My parents were generally supportive
about me setting up my own business, but that’s
probably because previously, I had set up my own
creative agency before I entered university. The
agency went on strong for four years before it closed
due to creative differences.
Honestly, it was a bit difficult in the beginning when
we first started working together because you’re still
getting used to each other’s oddities and working
behaviour. However, it got easier as time passed
by. Crucially, we also clearly drew the line between
business and personal issues. It’s great that we can
actually speak to each other and discuss issues.
We live in a world of
mass consumption,
where items are
thrown after a few
years or even a few
months. We want to
offer products that
last, items that can last
for 10 years and more
and that can act as
heirlooms. We want
to change the way
we function as
an economy.
We’ve actually had a few businesses and people who
were interested in buying or investing in Naiise but
we turned all of them down. Although we really want
to expand the business, I feel that it is important
that anyone who comes in has the same values as
us. When you have investors, you might lose focus
on doing the right thing, and to use, the right thing is
helping the design community to grow.
It’s more than just trying to sell a product; it’s
about teaching the ways that design can help better
our everyday lives, whether it’s travelling, living
and many more. If someone comes in and is also
interested in making design accessible and whose
values are aligned with ours, then we would be more
than happy to work together.
We are working towards expanding and getting
the products from our local designers to overseas
markets. At the moment, we’re actually getting lots of
buyers from places in Malaysia, New York, Hong Kong
and Australia, many of whom are Singaporean expats
livings overseas.
At the end of the day, we’re not just about offering
tangible or intangible values. We live in a world of
mass consumption, where items are thrown after
a few years or even a few months. We want to offer
products that last, items that can last for 10 years
and more and that can act as heirlooms. We want to
change the way we function as an economy.
16
Family & Life • Jul 2014