The 1980s was the golden age of Singapore fashion, and one of the biggest names was Celia Loe. She was one of two women in the ‘Magnificent Seven’, the group of Singapore designers handpicked by the Trade Development Board to exhibit their work abroad and promote Singapore fashion.

At the peak of her business in the early 2000s, there were more than a dozen Celia Loe stores in Singapore, London, and Kuala Lumpur, and she was looking at establishing franchises in China, the Middle East, and the Philippines.

Celia’s success, say those who know her work, was due in large part to her ability to know what her customers need. “Celia gives the market what they want. She is not too trend led. Whether it is designing clothes for women with ample figures or designing affordable gowns, she is always the first to tap into the needs of her clients,” said a fashion stylist.

The eldest of seven children, Celia was born in Johor, Malaysia. When she was five, the family moved to Singapore. It was when she was a student at Cedar Girls’ Secondary School that Celia discovered her talent and passion for fashion. “All my art teachers had been educated overseas and they were constantly dressed to the nines and I dreamt of being like them,” Celia said.

She had always been interested in fashion, so she made time, in between classes and household chores, to learn to sew. “After learning the basics, I made my first dress when I was 12. I loved it so much and was so proud of it that I wore it till it tore. Following that, I started making dresses for my two sisters.”

At school, Celia excelled at Art and Domestic Science. She told her parents she wanted to go to London to study fashion design. Her parents were supportive, but they could only afford to buy her an air ticket to London. Once there, she would have to find a way to support herself.
Celia enrolled in nursing school – the one course where she could earn a salary while studying. She enjoyed nursing and topped her class.

But her first love was still fashion, and when she had saved enough money, she applied for and was awarded a scholarship for the three-year diploma course in fashion design at Chiswick Polytechnic. What convinced the polytechnic to give her the scholarship was the dress she had designed and sewn when she was doing her O levels.

Celia returned to Singapore in 1970 and the following year she opened her first boutique at Tanglin Shopping Centre with an initial capital of $10,000 that she borrowed from her father-in-law, who was a businessman. She called her boutique ‘First Stop’ – because it was the first store shoppers saw as they came up the escalator.

The store did very well but Celia was cautious about expanding her business. She worried that she would not be able to produce enough clothes as she only had a few seamstresses working in a backroom of her home. It was her mother who encouraged her to expand.

So Celia roped in one of her sisters to help with the operations, and in 1974, she opened her second boutique, at Plaza Singapura. In 1979 she opened a third store, at Thomson Plaza, followed in 1983 by her fourth outlet, at Centrepoint. By this time, her clothes were being sold in stores in London, New York, Belgium, and Tahiti.

Initially her customers were primarily expatriates; Singaporeans then were still mostly getting clothes made by home-based tailors. But her customer base began to change in the 1980s as more local designers emerged and the media started paying attention to and promoting local fashion.

Meanwhile, the Trade Development Board provided opportunities for local designers to participate in trade shows in cities such as Sydney, Tokyo, Paris, New York, and London, paving the way for Singaporean fashion labels to enter these markets.

In 1990, Celia opened her first boutique in London and a second one two years later. She had a factory in Shanghai that, by 1994, had some 500 workers. In 1996 she began to open stores in Malaysia and by the early 2000s, she had more than a dozen stores in Singapore and abroad.

In 2013, Celia decided it was time to retire, and she closed the business. She and her family had been at it for a good 40 years and, she said, ‘we just felt that we should call it a day and spend some time on ourselves.’

The 1980s was the golden age of Singapore fashion, and one of the biggest names was Celia Loe. She was one of two women in the ‘Magnificent Seven’, the group of Singapore designers handpicked by the Trade Development Board to exhibit their work abroad and promote Singapore fashion.

At the peak of her business in the early 2000s, there were more than a dozen Celia Loe stores in Singapore, London, and Kuala Lumpur, and she was looking at establishing franchises in China, the Middle East, and the Philippines.

Celia’s success, say those who know her work, was due in large part to her ability to know what her customers need. “Celia gives the market what they want. She is not too trend led. Whether it is designing clothes for women with ample figures or designing affordable gowns, she is always the first to tap into the needs of her clients,” said a fashion stylist.

The eldest of seven children, Celia was born in Johor, Malaysia. When she was five, the family moved to Singapore. It was when she was a student at Cedar Girls’ Secondary School that Celia discovered her talent and passion for fashion. “All my art teachers had been educated overseas and they were constantly dressed to the nines and I dreamt of being like them,” Celia said.

She had always been interested in fashion, so she made time, in between classes and household chores, to learn to sew. “After learning the basics, I made my first dress when I was 12. I loved it so much and was so proud of it that I wore it till it tore. Following that, I started making dresses for my two sisters.”

At school, Celia excelled at Art and Domestic Science. She told her parents she wanted to go to London to study fashion design. Her parents were supportive, but they could only afford to buy her an air ticket to London. Once there, she would have to find a way to support herself.
Celia enrolled in nursing school – the one course where she could earn a salary while studying. She enjoyed nursing and topped her class.

But her first love was still fashion, and when she had saved enough money, she applied for and was awarded a scholarship for the three-year diploma course in fashion design at Chiswick Polytechnic. What convinced the polytechnic to give her the scholarship was the dress she had designed and sewn when she was doing her O levels.

Celia returned to Singapore in 1970 and the following year she opened her first boutique at Tanglin Shopping Centre with an initial capital of $10,000 that she borrowed from her father-in-law, who was a businessman. She called her boutique ‘First Stop’ – because it was the first store shoppers saw as they came up the escalator.

The store did very well but Celia was cautious about expanding her business. She worried that she would not be able to produce enough clothes as she only had a few seamstresses working in a backroom of her home. It was her mother who encouraged her to expand.

So Celia roped in one of her sisters to help with the operations, and in 1974, she opened her second boutique, at Plaza Singapura. In 1979 she opened a third store, at Thomson Plaza, followed in 1983 by her fourth outlet, at Centrepoint. By this time, her clothes were being sold in stores in London, New York, Belgium, and Tahiti.

Initially her customers were primarily expatriates; Singaporeans then were still mostly getting clothes made by home-based tailors. But her customer base began to change in the 1980s as more local designers emerged and the media started paying attention to and promoting local fashion.

Meanwhile, the Trade Development Board provided opportunities for local designers to participate in trade shows in cities such as Sydney, Tokyo, Paris, New York, and London, paving the way for Singaporean fashion labels to enter these markets.

In 1990, Celia opened her first boutique in London and a second one two years later. She had a factory in Shanghai that, by 1994, had some 500 workers. In 1996 she began to open stores in Malaysia and by the early 2000s, she had more than a dozen stores in Singapore and abroad.

In 2013, Celia decided it was time to retire, and she closed the business. She and her family had been at it for a good 40 years and, she said, ‘we just felt that we should call it a day and spend some time on ourselves.’