Journal

Y21 ReWork is an exploratory initiative to reduce fashion waste by upcycling defective clothes and scrap fabrics into new thoughtful and high-quality products. Our fashion intern, Eng Ki, had a chat with our founder, Jarenis Ho, where she spilled the beans about the initiative.

To mark our 14th anniversary, we are thrilled to celebrate this milestone with our members and friends in a special way on 26 May 2023. Introducing the Y21 Joy Market, an exclusive gathering that perfectly embodies the essence of joy and togetherness, featuring local brands passionate about self-care and cultivating joy.

My family. I live by this quote from Dr Joyce Brothers.“When you look at your life, the greatest happiness are family happinesses.”

Often, we see work and life as competing interests. If we shift our perspectives, we can learn to "Make Living my Work, and Find Life at Work". Work is not just my job (paid work).  It is living out myself with others. This is expressed in the different roles that are entrusted to me: As a child, a spouse, a parent, a friend, an employee etc. or simply just me.

Passion, practice, patience. In life or in honing a craft, I believe creativity is natural with a lot of practice.

I realised over the years that happiness can be quite simple, that it does not require much. I used to think material things would give me great satisfaction, so I worked hard to achieve them, but looking back – it is about the people and experiences that brought joy, meaning and fun to my life.

 I try to intentionally fit in a short break every 3 months. Mini trips or just a couple days off, hence I can pause awhile and refresh my ideas. It is essential to take regular breaks, so you won't be burnt out easily.

I think the ability to recognise one’s full potential stems from first knowing your worth. If more women are able to do that, and step into our power (whatever it is we know we’re meant to do, whatever our calling is), then we’d be doing society more service and justice!

My advice to women and everyone is to set goals and work hard for it. There is no shortcut to success. Don’t be afraid to take on any challenges. Don’t say you cannot do it if you have not tried. And don’t be disappointed with failure. Because in every failure there’s a lesson to learn and that is already success to me.

Freedom is being able to break free of these chains that tie us down from what we want to achieve, or to pursue our life’s purpose, our ikigai. We can be happy without a lot of money, and just take things one step at a time, moving with the flow and rhythm of life as it comes without worrying about the future.

As we turn 13 this 26th May, please know how immensely grateful we are for your continued loyalty and support. We look forward to continuing this journey with you.

Coming from a workaholic, it takes losing something dear to you for you to learn how to cherish what’s important. Learn to say no once in awhile, though friends and family can be tolerative and supportive, support is a two way street. 

Having the freedom to do whatever I want and travelling. I love being able to discover new places and the culture, architecture and nature brings me so much joy. 

Yes, always set time for yourself and family members. Also know that while we may be replaceable at work, we’re never replaceable in the hearts of our family members.

Make a list before sleeping, like all the things you need to do the next day, set your alarm, forget about it and really sleep. Then try your best to accomplish all the things on the list, whether it’s just a small task or a big one, be proud you did it. 

I’ve always loved using flowers as a medium of creative expression. It wasn’t till I created wedding flowers for an ex-colleague that I realise I can enjoy working with flowers and make someone’s day!   

Bloom where you’re planted. Remember that good things take time. Also, be a lifelong learner and keep on soaking up new information no matter where you are in the journey. It’ll help you grow and become a better version of yourself.   

Since last year, our design team had to work on creating smaller collections to reduce risk of dead stocks and it enabled us to stay sustainable by reducing wastage. We took the chance to engage with our customers on a personal level, experimented on new fabric and refined our designs. The pandemic gave us a chance to reflect and we believe it is for the better.