Yeo, We’ve Glown Up
A Very Long Letter from Our Founder
We’ve spent the past year undergoing an extensive rebranding effort, and we’re unveiling
YeoMama Batik — Be Batikfully Yeoself at this significant moment because…
We are FIVE!
It’s been over a year in the making, and it was as organic, chaotic, eye-opening and beautiful an experience as this journey could and should be.
As a brand, we’ve always been about bringing a creative, modern spin to tradition, and growing with our community. As its founder, I’ve always loved the platform YeoMama Batik gave me to reimagine traditional batik in a more fun and refreshing way. I was given free rein to wield and unleash my ideas on how to transform this rich and traditional art form into pieces that would be relevant to today’s consumer.
We did not initially start YeoMama Batik with big dreams, and our OG plan (after YeoMama spotted these on one of her strolls in Indonesia) was pretty simple — to bring enchanting batik to our mainland and introduce it to the community here. Then a spark of passion (and possibly, a brain fart!) did lead us to carve out a small space at the Eiko Hair Salon along Lim Tua Tow Road.
What started as a small, family-oriented and -run business exploded before our eyes.
Over the course of five years, we’ve shifted studios twice, renovated once, engaged minority communities like the elderly, ran campaigns for breast cancer survivors (since Oct 2021), customised pieces, curated pop-ups both locally and overseas, from Tangs to Art Lane Penang, launched our activewear sub-brand NINJA by YeoMama, and collaborated with ASICS. Additionally, we’ve had the privilege of sharing our stories with notable media outlets like CNA and VOGUE, and were even featured on various platforms from print to broadcast… it has truly been a WHIRLWIND, to say the least!
With that said, our values have always been a constant since our inception — it’s all about family, interpersonal relationships, and inclusivity. As we expanded over the years and as our community flourished alongside us, we began to realise that these carried deep resonance with them as much as they did with us. It was a heartwarming revelation and perhaps, we’d like to think, this common ethos was why they’ve stayed invested in our brand and journey for so long.
These “soft”, unspoken guiding principles haven't changed; it's just the way we express them that has evolved. What began as a sharing of the batik culture grew into a stronger statement that we wanted to live and breathe into our brand… and the quest to reinvigorate YeoMama Batik together with our community began.
From ideation to launch, YeoMama Batik’s zinged-up look has been baking for over twelve months! It was in mid-2022 that we first officially engaged our rebranding partner, conducted brand audits and consumer surveys… and we then reached one of our favourite parts — the exploration, ideation and creation of our entirely revamped look and feel, which truly brought our brand's glow-up to life!
Looking back, emotions definitely ran high at different points in the course of our adventure. Initially, it was pure unbridled excitement and a bunch of nerves. “Anticipation” is too weak a word to describe the state we were in when we first kickstarted the entire process. And the closer we got to our grand debut, the more nervous we got.
Very candidly — it wasn’t always smooth sailing.
When YeoMama Batik was founded, I started it like I start every other creative project — wild, limitless, and unbound. Meaning, our ideas and visions were incredibly fluid and flexible, resulting in an extremely fun melting pot of possibilities. (After all, this is true for my quirky self, or in more colloquial terms, “tingtong”!) Anything and everything could be turned into reality, as long as it sparked enough joy (ha ha) and caught enough of our fancies. Unfortunately, it also meant that we were running slightly amok and outwardly, it might even have come off as unfocused.
This was where our partner, Studio DAM, gently took us by the hands. Creativity was great, they said, but we needed to “glow up”… Okay, they didn’t really tell us to grow up 😂 but they did tell and show us how to strengthen our vision and identity, and harness our inspirational surges more cohesively and meaningfully.
Telling a creative to temper her creativity is a tall order, and there were definitely moments of frustration while we navigated the fine line between old habits and new beliefs — maybe even confusion. Over time, we did establish a common meeting point between our newly-formed guidelines while staying true to our brand DNA (and my own!). Ultimately (and finally) after months of intense discussions, we came out the other side bigger, stronger, brighter.
“I did then what I knew how to do.
Now that I know better, I do better.”
— Maya Angelou
Just over 365 days later, we’re incredibly proud to unveil YeoMama Batik — Be Batikfully Yeoself. Some of you might have already noticed the whole new look while attending our Batik Tea Party earlier in September, or visiting our spanking new studio!
This is just the beginning, my dear community and friends, because our parents (Studio DAM) did tell us to not run amok, but they didn’t tell us we couldn’t run (; And running we are!
Here’s how:
- We’re deepening connections with you — I’ve repeated this so many times I probably sound like a broken recorder, but community is so important to us. We’ll thus be focusing on bringing you together and engaging with you a whole lot more!
- We’ve got a brand new Phoenix Edition collection — In this new range, explore a timeless collection in subtle golden hues, featuring dresses, jumpsuits, tops, and bottoms, each showcasing four unique prints (Blaze, Cosmo, Ember Phoenix, Sundown). Plus, we have equally stunning options for men too!
- We’ve got brand new (and upcoming) product lines too — You asked, and we listened! Many have asked us how best to wear and pair our batik pieces. With that, we’ve launched a selection of super-comfy linen basics, thoughtfully designed to complement our vibrant batik pieces.
- We’re not just your average fashion label anymore (not that we were average, we hope!) — Somewhere down the line, we’ll be delving into the world of batik cushions and wristlets as part of our accessories line. You might have spotted these at our studio opening, in our Batik Tea Party photos, or even received them in our door gifts and goodie bags! In the grand scheme of things, we're working towards becoming a lifestyle brand, extending beyond batik apparel to Be Batikfully Yeoself and being part of your entire life journey ;)
We’re incredibly proud, grateful, and beyond ecstatic about our evolution — both in terms of where we are as a brand, and beyond a doubt, with you.
We have come such a long way, and we still have SO MUCH to look forward to.
Here’s to more creative explorations, hearty conversations, and being Batikfully Yeoself,
Desleen Yeo
Founder of YeoMama Batik
