Velda Tan

Founder & Head Creative, COLLATE

Singapore

Velda Tan’s first foray into the world of entrepreneurship was fresh out of Junior College at the age of 18. Noticing that the online shopping market in Singapore was then untapped, she was a pioneer in the local ‘blogshop’ phenomenon with her first blog-based e-commerce site BonitoChico. In a few short years, it evolved into a full-fledged online retail store now known as Love, Bonito, one of Singapore’s most popular online shopping destinations. Velda headed the company as co-founder and creative director. After leaving her executive position in 2013 to pursue other interests, Velda has since helped to set up Singapore’s first lobster-only restaurant Pince & Pints, completed the Business of Floristry course at Judith Blacklock Flower School in London, and also various fashion design courses at world renowned Central Saint Martins. Velda could not deny her affinity to fashion, and launched her new ready-to- wear womenswear line COLLATE, which made its runway debut at Singapore Fashion Week in May 2015. She hopes to create a brand of corporate chic that melds empowerment , femininity, and inspire a new wave of fashion entrepreneurs with COLLATE as her starting point. As one of Singapore’s top fashion social media personalities, Velda was chosen as one of the 10 ladies in Elle Singapore’s Power List. She enjoys brand building and social media marketing and hopes that her story can inspire more women, regardless of background, to embark on the path of entrepreneurship.