Food meets fashion in Singapore as industry elite sell chilli and desserts instead of designer wear and haircuts during lockdown

Fashion designer Samuel Wong of Evenodd started a food business making rolls to his grandma’s recipe; they are such a hit, orders for delivery stretch into July

Fashion consultant Esther Quek is pulling 15-hour days making chilli sauce and pesto. Friends in fashion pitch in with orders to get their ex-colleagues started

Reading Time:3 minutes

Samuel Wong, founder of fashion label Evenodd, with his mum and their popular ngoh hiang – pork and prawn rolls. Fashion industry players in Singapore with nothing to sell have started food mini-businesses from home to tap the rise in stay-at-home dining.

Published: 7:15am, 22 Jun 2020Updated: 5:44pm, 23 Jun 2020

When Singapore’s circuit breaker – or partial lockdown – measures began in April, fashion designer Samuel Wong had to face a stark reality. Because of the mandated closure of non-essential businesses, the founder and creative director of apparel label Evenodd realised his business would soon be grinding to a halt.

“Everything seemed to freeze in time. My new production line was stuck in the factory, which was also closed. One morning in April, I woke up and asked my mum what I should do now that my retail business was getting badly affected,” Wong recalls.

Then, he realised this would be the ideal opportunity for him to pursue his other passion – food. The designer, who has long harboured a dream to run his own cafe, figured he could launch an Instagram food business based on a recipe for ngoh hiang that his grandmother had passed down to his mother.

Ngoh hiang is the Singaporean version of five-spice flavoured minced pork, prawn and chestnut rolls, wrapped in crispy bean curd skin. With that, Mum’s Ngoh Hiang was launched. Within a few weeks of its launch, the moreish snacks had already been raved about by Singapore actress Cynthia Koh, and there is currently a waiting list that runs into July.

Singapore's popular ngoh hiang from Mum’s Ngoh Hiang.

In food-obsessed Singapore, Wong is not the only fashion industry player pivoting to one of the hottest trends of the moment – making delicious food that can be enjoyed in the comfort of home.