CNA938 Rewind - Eat, Drink, Singapore - Reimagining afternoon tea @ St Regis Singapore
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CNA
42 minutes ago
- CNA
How the shoe brand worn by Blackpink's Jennie, Bella Hadid and Selena Gomez chose Singapore for its first store
When it comes to fashion, everything Blackpink's Jennie touches turns to gold – and her outing in ruby-hued Mary-Janes from sustainable footwear brand Vivaia was no exception. After performing at Coachella this year, the K-pop star posted a casual snap of herself in the coveted shoes on Instagram. Demand for the Margot Mary-Jane surged overnight, with the style racking up over 150,000 sales globally. But viral fame, while exhilarating, is not the cornerstone of the brand's success. What's powering the US-based label's meteoric rise in just five years – from a digital-first startup to a global name with a physical flagship in Singapore – are shoes that marry sleek design, sustainability and real-world wearability. Vivaia (pronounced vi-vai-yah) was founded in 2020 by Jeff Chan and Marina Chen, who are in their '40s'. Their origin story, as Chan tells it, began with a band-aid. 'My wife has over 200 pairs of shoes, but every time she wore heels, she had to carry a band-aid,' he said. 'When I asked why, she said, 'It's not the shoes. It's my feet that don't fit in them.'' That insight became the seed of something bigger for the serial entrepreneur, who previously co-founded travel gear brand Nordace. Chan brought the idea to Chen, a footwear industry professional well-versed in sourcing and product development. She immediately saw the potential. 'The question I kept hearing from women was: Why can't heels or dress shoes feel like sneakers?' she said. 'I wanted to design shoes that didn't force women to choose between feeling good and looking good.' Viviaia was launched in the United States in 2020, initially operating as a direct-to-consumer online label. Today, its brand marketing and public relations teams operate out of New York, while Chan is based in Hong Kong. Chen splits her time between Asia, the United States and Europe to stay connected with their global teams and markets. The founders declined to share their nationalities, and information regarding their backgrounds is not publicly available. A PHYSICAL HOME IN SINGAPORE While Vivaia's shoes are spotted on everyone from Katie Holmes to Bella Hadid, the brand's first-ever physical store didn't open in New York or Seoul – but right here in Singapore. In 2023, Vivaia opened its first retail outlet at Bugis Junction, a move Chan describes as a 'truly meaningful milestone'. 'What made it so special was the opportunity to let customers experience our shoes firsthand – to feel the comfort, try them on and share their feedback directly with us. That plays a big role in helping us continuously improve our designs.' Since then, five more stores have opened in Singapore, cementing it as the brand's regional stronghold. 'From early on, we saw strong interest from our Singaporean community on social media, especially around having a retail presence. The city's blend of style and sustainability aligned perfectly with Vivaia's values. What surprised us most was how deeply customers connected with our story – not just the shoes,' he added. MEET THE IT SHOES View this post on Instagram A post shared by VIVAIA INDONESIA (@ Ask any Vivaia fan in Singapore and chances are they'll mention the Margot Mary-Jane – the viral square-toe flat worn by Jennie. With an adjustable strap and all-day wearability, the machine-washable style has become one of the brand's top global bestsellers. 'From the start, we had a strong sense it would resonate,' said Chen. 'It's based on our original bestseller, the Margot, but with design tweaks like adding an adjustable strap that adapts to different arch shapes, and a square toe for wider feet. Since launching it in late 2023, we've sold over 150,000 pairs.' Then there's the Sneakerina – recently spotted on Bella Hadid. 'The material was a big challenge. We had to figure out how to use recycled materials to make the satin feel and capture the elegance of a ballet flat while delivering sneaker-level comfort,' she shared. "We developed a unique triple-layer sole for better support. Since satin is hard to maintain, we worked through multiple rounds of testing to make the Sneakerina machine-washable without losing its shape.' Local customers have also made the shoes their own. 'Customers here often pair the Margot Mary-Jane with breezy, minimalist looks,' said Chen. 'In New York, it's styled with jeans, a blazer and bold accessories. With the Sneakerina, we see Singaporeans styling it from work to brunch, while New Yorkers go for a more fashion-forward and playful look with different shoe laces.' PURPOSE MEETS POLISH In the early days, one of the brand's biggest design challenges was striking the balance between function and form. 'For instance, the width of a shoe can pull us in two directions,' explained Chan. 'On one hand, comfort typically calls for a wider fit to provide ample space, while a sleek look often demands a narrower design to achieve that chic, sexy silhouette.' To navigate these trade-offs, Chen – who has over 20 years of experience in the footwear industry, including senior roles at Nike and Nine West – leads product development and innovation. She works closely with their teams to fine-tune structure, fit and material performance. Chan oversees branding, customer insights and operations, ensuring the business stays nimble and responsive to real-world feedback. For Chen, Vivaia's evolution has also been deeply personal. 'I've experienced the same frustrations our customers have. I've worn heels that look beautiful but leave you in pain by the end of the day,' she said. 'I've always believed women shouldn't have to choose between feeling good and looking good.' That is why, she says, every Vivaia design is shaped by her own experience. "From the chic look to the comfortable fit and timeless silhouettes, every pair is a reflection of what I've needed at different occasions, and what I've heard from women around me.' And then there's the woman who unknowingly inspired it all: Chan's wife. 'She's proud – and still a little amused – to be our muse,' he said, cheekily noting that her favourite shoes seem to change as quickly as the brand evolves. SUSTAINABILITY AT ITS CORE View this post on Instagram A post shared by VIVAIA | Eco-Friendly Footwear (@vivaia_official) Every pair of Vivaia shoes is crafted using 3D knitting technology to significantly reduce production waste. The uppers are made from recycled PET bottles – each pair repurposes about six plastic bottles, transforming them into breathable, durable yarns knit directly to shape. 'Any small amounts of leftover material are recycled back into the production cycle,' said Chan. The soles are made from sugarcane-based EVA, a non-toxic, fully recyclable material, while packaging uses recycled cardboard. It's all part of a larger goal: Zero-waste manufacturing. 'We have always been committed to 'doing the hard but right things',' Chan added. "This principle is not just a challenge, it reflects our corporate culture. We are willing to make decisions and take actions that may not gain immediate rewards, but are aimed at long-term sustainability.' WHEN HOLLYWOOD COMES CALLING View this post on Instagram A post shared by VIVAIA INDONESIA (@ The brand's first big brush with fame came when actress Katie Holmes was seen in Vivaia sneakers in 2023, followed by Selena Gomez sharing the Julie Pro heels on Instagram. 'That moment went viral, it really put us on the map,' said Chen. 'People started recognising us as 'the brand worn by Katie and Selena'.' Even now, the thrill of recognition hasn't worn off for the founders. 'It's both surreal and incredibly exciting for our team. It continues to inspire us every day,' she shared. WHAT'S NEXT Now in its fifth year, Vivaia shows no signs of slowing down. The company has grown into a global team of over 200 people across design, R&D, marketing, logistics and customer care – and since its launch, has reached more than a million customers in 61 countries. Its top markets include the United States, United Kingdom and Japan. 'Over the next five years, our focus is to keep listening closely to our customers, investing in great people, and continuously improving our products,' said Chan. 'We want to reach more people and make it easier for people everywhere to experience what we stand for.'
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
A decade of Jaan by Kirk Westaway: Battling the odds, redefining British cuisine and hitting its stride
This year, Jaan by Kirk Westaway celebrates its 10th anniversary with Kirk Westway at its helm, making it a milestone year for the UK-born chef who also marked his 40th birthday two months ago. A 'little get-together' is planned for and at the restaurant, with 'a few glasses, a few friends and family and very regular guests over the 10 years', he divulged to us. And, rightly so – 10 years is no mean feat for a dining establishment anywhere in the world, and in Singapore in particular; never mind the many accolades it's picked up along the way, including two Michelin stars. While he's led the restaurant for a decade, Westaway's time at Jaan is actually closer to 14 years, as he was invited to move to Singapore to join the team by then-chef Julien Royer, who, of course, now owns Odette. Jaan, in fact, has a 25-year history and, over the years, has established a reputation as an incubator of top talents: After Jaan first opened in 2000, Andre Chiang took over in 2008 and the restaurant was renamed Jaan par Andre; while Royer was in the kitchen from 2011 to 2015, leading the restaurant to its first Michelin star. TURNING 'BAD FOOD' INTO GOLD To make his mark, Westaway knew he had to develop a cuisine that was truly his own. His 'Reinventing British' culinary philosophy was launched in 2018, showcasing British produce through the lens of his own memories – and that proved to be both his toughest challenge and, eventually, his proudest achievement. 'This had been a famous French restaurant for many years, and to tell people: 'We're not going to do that anymore, and we're going to (pivot to) a nation that's famous for bad food', it wasn't seen with cheerful eyes at the beginning,' Westaway recalled. At the start, it was an uphill battle. 'It took a bit of time to change people's expectations. We did have a lot of regular customers; it took a bit of time for them to come back.' To make it work, 'I was here seven days a week, all day, every day. I slept in the office. I didn't go home for the first few months. I didn't need to go out and see my friends or my family or go outside and and do other tasks. My whole focus was here, and I loved every minute of it.' What made it so difficult? The fact that 'it was totally new. Modern British food, realistically, was a gamble, because it was unheard of. I was one of the first outside of the UK to put my hand up and say, 'This is my interpretation of Modern British'. What I was trying to create was uncharted territory. Nobody I knew had done it before. I was really trying to share my philosophy on food, and I was creating it as I was going along.' It didn't help that 'many people told me, 'Oh, you've got big shoes to fill'.' But, ultimately, 'the only person in the world that that shadow affects is me. It doesn't affect the customers; doesn't affect the chefs who have left. The way to deal with that shadow is just not to worry. Just embrace it. Enjoy your moment. You've got to just brush it off. That's the key.' To tell a unique story through food, Westaway focused on the best produce: 'Amazing ingredients coming from very small farms, a lot of attention to detail with the proteins coming from beautiful places around the world, a lot of dairy from my hometown in Devon in the southwest of England, a lot of vegetables from amazing places in France and Italy and Spain and Japan.' Many of his perspectives on food were unconsciously shaped by his mum, who cooked vegetarian food at home for the family, he shared. 'I only realised, in the last 20 years, her strong focus on products and ingredients. As a young guy, I remember coming home from school and we'd have a delivery of a cardboard box of vegetables coming from local, organic farms on the front doorstep, and I'd pick it up: Potatoes, onions, carrots and leeks, all covered in dirt. Thirty years ago, we were getting these great organic ingredients delivered to the house. For me, it was just a way of life at the beginning, but, looking back, all of my life has been focused on great produce.' At the same time, he succeeded in evoking emotions through dishes that played on familiar British icons. For example, Fish and Chips has appeared in different incarnations over the years: Sometimes a mini tartlette of cod, sometimes a potato pancake with caviar. 'Day by day, menu by menu, we got to a great place, and we did win all the customers back. To receive the first Michelin star (in 2016) kind of put a stamp on it to say, okay, we're doing something right. Getting the second star in 2021 was a huge high point and life changing for me and for my team.' And, these days, the dining room is 'packed for lunch and dinner every day. In the last couple of years, I've really seen a lot of repeat guests.' It was about two years ago that he felt he really hit his stride, he said. A bit of a hiatus in 2022 thanks to the pandemic and the restaurant closing for a revamp meant he and the team had the opportunity to 'reset and reboot'. 'I took the opportunity to simplify, refine, and clean, and to retrain all the staff to work very closely as a restaurant team. That was a moment of clarity for myself and the team.' The cuisine has reached a new point of structure and clarity: 'Very clean flavours, very organised palettes, recognised ingredients on the plate,' Westaway said. 'I'm not a fan of going to a restaurant and not knowing what kind of jelly we're eating or weird ingredients on the plate. I love to use seasonal ingredients – in Spring, you might see a bit of white asparagus, green asparagus, morels and spring peas, and it's all recognisable, but the taste is elevated. We use some very, very elegant ingredients, but it's all just simply cooked and simply placed.' While in the past, 'if you had a fish and artichoke dish, perhaps we'd have an artichoke puree and roasted artichokes and artichoke sauce. Now, it's fish and artichoke – just the perfect elements on each dish to sing for themselves.' UPWARDS AND ONWARDS These days, apart from running the ship at Jaan supported by head chef Ng Guo Lun, Westaway has ventured into Vietnam and Indonesia together with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Last year, he and his team opened The Albion at Hotel des Arts Saigon – MGallery Collection in Ho Chi Minh City, and this year, they opened The Crown at Fairmont Jakarta in the Indonesian capital. 'I put in a head chef to liaise with directly, and they're functioning very well on their own. I would love to stay within our core and look at opening a couple more properties like these. That would be the dream,' Westaway said. 'In a fast-paced environment, I think the more you take on, the more you can find yourself achieving. It's very exciting.' Meanwhile, he spends his days running 20km at 5am, and indulging in late night suppers with his team. 'We work crazy hours, shoulder-to-shoulder all day. It's fun to break away and have a bit of team bonding time just to relax. We might go for a beer at Chijmes, or a late night chicken rice – Swee Kee, for me, is the best chicken rice around. Or, we might go to Tian Tian Seafood at Outram Road and have cereal prawns and xiao bai cai with garlic.' For a quick fix in between lunch and dinner services, 'we get murtabak with mutton curry, biryani and sugary tea at Zam Zam.' 'People come and go, but every person that has been in this restaurant over the years has a huge part on the growth of this restaurant.' Summing up the journey, he said: 'We've stamped our claim on modern British cuisine – my interpretation of what I believe it should be seen as today, and how it should be seen as in the future – trying to change people's expectations over the last 50 to 100 years. I've obviously evolved and grown myself, and I've really come to understand the style of food that I have always enjoyed, and now, I've got the confidence to share it. 'If I come to your house for dinner, you're not going to cook what I want. You want to cook what you want. And it's the same thing in a restaurant – the customers are coming to enjoy the food that I want to share. They come here for a special experience and something unique, and ideally items not re-create-able.' He added, 'It's been an amazing journey so far, and I look forward to the next 10 years.' JAAN BY KIRK WESTAWAY IN DISHES Here's a look at the restaurant's journey through its most memorable and evocative dishes, many of which have appeared on the menu in different forms and iterations over time. 'FISH AND CHIPS' 'A lot of people from England have told me that when they ate our Fish and Chips, it took them back to a memory on a pier in Brighton, under the rain, eating their fish and chips, listening to the seagulls in the background. To link a memory to any part of what we're doing is incredible. If, somehow, I can make a dish that connects with all of us and takes us back to a memory as a child or a family moment or travelling somewhere in the world, I think that's the biggest achievement you can ever aim for. It's very difficult, but when you when you get it, it's very special.' 'TOMATO' 'Sometimes, people tell me they closed their eyes, they tasted the tomato dish and it took them back to their garden in Aix-en-Provence, eating their tomatoes in the summer.' 'This dish connected to a lot of people over the years. That was probably one of the real connections to the emotional heart strings. You know, my mum used to make me eggs, and it's incredible — some people call them 'dippy eggs'; some people call them 'eggs and soldiers' — everyone in the world has their own form of eggs. It was really a talking point. I'd come over and say hello to all the diners, and they'd say, 'Ah, our mum used to make us these amazing eggs.' That egg was not intended to connect to people's childhood because it was my childhood, but it really did create a very nice trip down memory lane for many people who came and enjoyed it.' LEEK AND POTATO SOUP 'In England, leek and potato soup is loved whether it's made in spring or summer or winter or when you're sick. People love it. Regular guests have had it a few times and they say, 'Never change it. We love this. It's so warm and comforting, and we love it every time.' It took six months to a year to tweak and adjust it to the right levels of seasoning and a little bit of spice. It really does captivate a lot of people.'
CNA
14 hours ago
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - Fur the Love of Singapore: SingaPAW Weekend 60!
In 'Destination Anywhere' Melanie Oliveiro finds out where animal lovers can go to enjoy SingaPAW Weekend 60! - self-funded community event dedicated to celebrating SG60 alongside furry, feathered, and scaled companions. Organisers Melodee Tan & Dominic Neo from animal advocacy group Hope For Animals, will explain how the two-day extravaganza promises a blend of entertainment, education, and community spirit in the presence of 10 dedicated animal welfare groups and more than 80 local pet businesses.
