While there are many local streetwear brands around, only a few infuse local elements into their designs. Hello Neighbour, however, does this effortlessly.
Having started around 2015, this June will mark the third year since the brand’s conception. Behind it is Andrew, a year 1 student at Lasalle.
He tells me that the idea first came about during his first year of serving the army – he was doodling sketches and his girlfriend had suggested turning those into t-shirts.
“Before that, I did try out a few t-shirt designs but it was just for fun. My friends in the army said “ya you should do it!” and so I did some preorders.”
Well received by his friends, Andrew managed to secure between 30 to 50 preorders for his shirts. Since then, the brand has grown – it no longer has to accept pre orders and most of its stock sells out within a few months. For a local streetwear brand, this is no easy feat.
I then decide to probe the reason to the brand’s name – why Hello Neighbour?
Without skipping a beat, he says:
“I wanted something that spoke about culture. Most of the stuff that I do is based on Singapore culture or culture in general.”
“For us, neighbours in Singapore can be of any race and any culture so that was the main idea. The hello was to make it more catchy,” he tells me with a shy laugh.
Currently, only Andrew and his girlfriend are spearheading the brand. Working with your other half can be a cause for friction, and so I ask Andrew if this applies for him as well.
“Maybe it’s true for other people? But we are pretty good as a team. I would definitely love to have someone else help with the marketing.”
He then proceeds to tell me about the “triangle of balance” – with social life, school grades and sleep on each end. It’s obvious that amongst the three, Andrew has been sacrificing sleep.
He nods, “yeah, so if someone else comes in then it helps to make it a bit more balanced. But my girlfriend is very, very supportive – like they say, “Behind every successful man there is a woman.””
True Blue Singaporean
Unlike many of us who may only feel patriotic once a year, Andrew makes it quite obvious that he takes pride in being a Singaporean.
When I ask what he hopes to achieve through his brand, he seems hesitant, but says:
“I hope that one day I will be noticed and hopefully design National Day Parade shirts or merchandise. The designs I put out are not exactly outright “I “heart” SG”, but there’s a little bit of Singapore somewhere inside.”
He mentions the brand’s best selling shirt, “Lepak Until Death” and explains how he uses local slang, “but nothing too cliche.” He tries his best to achieve a balance between the two.
Andrew’s design inspiration sparks from daily life – it could be a slang, something that is trending in Singapore, or it could be something that is classic.
“Lepak was quite a big slang back in my polytechnic years. I also try to do a lot of research and filter out what may not last for more than 3 months.”
Of all his designs, one of Andrew’s favourites is expectedly – the Lepak Until Death shirt. It’s clear that this design is special to him.
After all, it is – in his words – “the one that started it all”.
Yet another one he mentions is one that was inspired by his life in the army. “I wanted to go for a minimalistic look so I went for military patches.”
While he admits that this design may not be as popular as the other ones, he considers it a personal favourite.
“I try to have concepts behind every item rather than just slogans or tattoo designs.”
Like every aspiring entrepreneur, I’m sure Andrew has brands and personalities that he looks up to. He cites American label Benny Gold.
“He also started on his own, gained support and eventually had his own store. His designs are inspired by San Francisco, which is the state that he’s from.”
He explains how Benny’s story is relatable: “In Benny’s designs there is always something about his city and his country, so I hope to do that in Singapore.”
Beyond a relatable story, Benny also acts as a testament that dreams do come true:
“Seeing him grow from one person into a team and then having a store – that’s the dream.”
Andrew’s eyes sparkle as he says this, and I can tell that Benny has had a huge influence in motivating Andrew to push for the brand’s growth.
Apart from an aspiring figure, a fiery passion is also important.
With a chuckle, Andrew says:
“Although it’s a bit cliché to say – when you do the thing you love then it’s not a job anymore, that’s how it is for me. There is stress that comes with the job, but when I sit down, brainstorm and get that spark; seeing what you hope will be successful become successful, that joy is pretty huge.”
Even so, Andrew has to endure the unpredictability of the reception towards his designs, especially since there is always a Singaporean element in them. On top of that, he has to juggle between school and his brand.
Fortunately, his girlfriend has a good idea.
“She suggested that I create a bank of ideas during my holiday, so that when school starts I can print them out rather than having to worry about school and also brainstorm the designs.”
Future Plans
While having his own store would be the ultimate dream, Andrew hopes to raise brand awareness at the moment, and to receive for government funding.
“I know there’s a lot of support from the government for local designers, but maybe not as much for streetwear. The fashion school students here have a lot of support when they graduate but their designs are more avant-garde and experimental.”
Even so, Andrew says that he is glad to have growing local support.
With a hint of excitement in his voice, he adds that he’s hoping to collaborate with more established brands such as Pras The Bandit, which he looks up to as well.
On a larger scale, he’s also trying to change the perception of local streetwear.
“People don’t really trust local brands; maybe it’s the pricing – local brands are usually more expensive. Which is why even though the profit isn’t as good, I try my best to make the apparel affordable.”
Despite the brand’s growth thus far, Andrew remains humble. He admits he feels starstruck when he sees his designs being worn by others on the street.
“There are times when I’m out and I see people wear our merchandise and it’s as though I’m seeing a Hollywood star. I feel like going up to thank them, but it’s also a bit weird.”
It’s also the reason why Andrew loves having pop up stalls – so that he gets to interact with the customers, and share the story behind the brand as well as the designs.
While Hello Neighbour currently has their apparel stocked at Naiise stores, Andrew shares his hopes to one day enter local stockists stores such as SUP Clothing and Goodluck Bunch.
“I hope that we reach that level where we can compete with the other brands in the store.”
To find out more about Hello Neighbour and to get yourself some apparel, click here.
