‘I have pieces I've worn for years': Zoe Tay helps open iRoo's first eco-conscious outlet store

Straits Times

29-05-2025

Veteran local actress Zoe Tay at the launch of Taiwanese fashion label iRoo's first outlet store in IMM as a VIP guest. PHOTO: IROO
SINGAPORE – To veteran local actress Zoe Tay, sustainability does not begin and end with recycling bins or buzzwords. It starts in the wardrobe.
'I have pieces I've worn for years,' says the 57-year-old. 'Even if I rewear them, I'll style them differently. If it's well made and timeless, why not?'
Among her favourites is a pair of jeans from Coterie – a label by Malaysia-based Singaporean fashion designer Celest Thoi – that she continues to reach for.
While Tay says she has a soft spot for bags, she is just as quick to pass them on.
'Some of them, I give to my niece and nephew, in-laws or assistant,' she says. 'There're so many. I used to keep them all hidden in my wardrobe cabinets. But when I finally displayed them, I realised I had a lot of duplicates.'
She has also contributed to donation drives, such as one organised by Channel 8 that collected celebrity fashion items to be resold.
'I think the important thing is when you re-give your items and people enjoy them.'
The black-clad Mediacorp artiste was speaking to The Straits Times at the opening of Taiwanese fashion brand iRoo's first outlet store at Singapore's largest outlet mall IMM on May 23.
iRoo has opened its first outlet store at IMM in Jurong.
PHOTO: IROO
The womenswear label founded in 1999, with more than 70 branches in Taiwan, is best known for its fast-turning weekly collections. Its fifth and newest 1,600 sq ft boutique in Singapore – which offers pieces from past seasons' collections at prices at least 40 per cent off – marks a more reflective chapter.
Not only is it the brand's first outlet store, but it also introduces iRoo's first tentative steps into sustainability through a creative collaboration with Singaporean eco-innovation company Wynist.
Under the initiative, Repurposing Waste For A Greener Future, the IMM outlet store showcases fixtures, hangers and even sunglasses made from compressed textile waste and discarded coffee grounds.
Each display table, for instance, is made from 25kg of repurposed fabric waste – none of it iRoo's own, but a symbolic start to a wider ambition.
Taiwanese fashion label iRoo's first outlet store in IMM spans 1,600 sq ft.
PHOTO: IROO
'I'm drawn to a monochromatic palette – black, white, grey. My wardrobe is full of these colours,' says Tay, who was invited to the launch as a VIP guest, gesturing to the tailored blouse and belted skirt she had selected from iRoo's current collection for the occasion.
But the actress' latest role – as formidable matriarch Liu Xiuniang in the Mediacorp Peranakan period drama Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story (2025) – did nudge her out of her monochrome comfort zone.
She says each character had a distinct palette, thoughtfully assigned by the production team to reflect his or her personality.
'This was my first time dressing up as a Nonya,' adds Tay, who is Teochew and Cantonese. 'My colour was green.'
Actresses Zoe Tay (centre, wearing a green kebaya labuh) and Jesseca Liu (right) in Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story.
PHOTO: MEDIACORP
Of all her on-screen outfits, one in particular stood out.
'The first one I wore – that long coat – it was very hot,' she says, referring to the kebaya labuh, a traditional full-length kebaya often associated with older women. 'But the colour lent so much vibrance to the character and the whole image.'
Tay's openness to evolving with time – and staying true to what feels authentic – mirrors iRoo's new direction.
Ms Emily Huang, chief operating officer of iRoo International, says: 'Sustainability often clashes with lifestyle. We travel, we shop – and that creates tension with the idea of a carbon-free blueprint. But we wanted to find a balance.'
According to her, iRoo's production model has always diverged from traditional fast fashion.
'We don't do mass production,' she says. 'We release only about 20 styles a week – not 1,000 pieces like other brands – and we produce in limited quantities. If consumers respond well, we replenish. So, there's more variety, but also less waste.'
Ms Emily Huang (left), chief operating officer of iRoo International, and actress Zoe Tay.
PHOTO: IROO
'Singapore is always the first step for our brand to step out of its comfort zone,' adds Ms Huang, adding that iRoo's debut here in 2010 was a strategic move that established the city as a test bed for international growth.
'That's why our headquarters decided to launch this new concept – sustainability – in Singapore first. The next step is to bring it to other South-east Asian markets such as Malaysia and Vietnam.'
Her goal? To one day recycle iRoo's leftover fabrics and unsold goods into store fixtures like hangers and tables.
Whether this circular ambition becomes reality remains to be seen. In the store's quiet backroom, rows of conventional plastic hangers still line the racks – a quiet reminder that sustainability, like style, is a work in progress.
iRoo's outlet store is at 01-112 IMM, 2 Jurong East Street 21.
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