Who: Ms Pang Yi Xian, 32, founder of vintage luxury purveyor Welovechanelsg, which specialises in importing authentic vintage luxury handbags, watches and jewellery from brands such as Chanel, Hermes, Dior, Gucci and Cartier.
The home-grown online company was born out of the former teacher’s personal interest in collecting vintage Chanel bags. In 2018, she started selling her curated finds via Instagram (@welovechanelsg).
On Jan 13 and 14, she hosted Welovechanelsg’s first solo trunk show at Kith Cafe at Millenia Walk, where local bag lovers, regular customers and vintage collectors were able to preview, try on and purchase over 200 items, including purses, timepieces and accessories.
Similar pop-up events previously took place at a private residence in Orchard Road in 2018 in collaboration with local clothing brand Tria The Label, and at online marketplace Carousell’s Carouselland bazaar in 2019.
“For me, my trunk show weekend was the perfect weekend. The bag and coffee lover in me has always dreamt of and envisioned an event where vintage collectors – regardless of occupation, gender and age – gather and have conversations in a safe, non-judgmental space. It was such a thrilling way to kick off 2024.
In a way, being a full-time curator with flexible working hours allows me to have truly perfect weekends with my family and friends in the form of play dates and family gatherings.
My husband and I often take our two sons, aged four and one, to playgrounds and libraries. Indoor play areas like The Polliwogs and The Joy Of Toys at Clarke Quay Central, as well as open spaces like the one beside Millenia Walk, are our favourite hangouts on weekend mornings and, sometimes, evenings.
Some parts of the weekend are also spent at home with the boys just playing with their toys if the week has been exhausting.
At times, we head to my parents’ and in-laws’ homes for dinner. My kids enjoy interacting with their aunts, uncles and grandparents, so I’m blessed that we have a ‘village’ looking out for them.
On some weekends, my husband and I get to hang out and have meals without the kids. We take the chance to eat all the hawker food we can, since it’s less convenient to take the stroller and set up a baby chair at hawker centres.
My favourites are the Hokkien mee at Kaki Bukit 511 Market & Food Centre and prawn noodles at Old Airport Road Food Centre. At times, we also enjoy having dinner at Dempsey Hill and taking a long walk afterwards to decompress, or having grilled mala fish at Ba Shu Sichuan Restaurant in Bedok Central.
