Flourishing five year-old Singapore fashion label Ong Shunmugam has moved into its new flagship store.

While many Singapore fashion brands are scaling back, Ong Shunmugam founder Priscilla Shunmugam, pictured right, says her brand has posted great growth in its short life to date – “because we introduced something very new to the fashion market in Singapore” as she told Channel News Asia in an interview.

“We gave women what didn’t exist prior to this so that served us well. But you know, five years on, we are not a startup anymore. And you have to ask yourself a big question: ‘Are you contented and are you happy with where you are? Or do you want to go further?’”

Shunmugam, 35, is being hailed as a rising star in the Asian fashion world. Clothes designed by the mixed Chinese-Indian heritage woman are being worn by the likes of actress Janice Koh – and the wife of the US ambassador at a White House state dinner.

The new 1300 sqft flagship store opened at Chip Bee Gardens on August 18 after relocating from Raffles Place.

Shunmugam is confidence she can take her fashion label a lot further yet.

“I think from day one right from the start, I knew that the key to existing and thriving in fashion was differentiation,” she told CNA.

“There’s nothing more… I mean, you can have capital, you can connections and you could have everything in place,  but if you didn’t understand the need to put something on the table that didn’t exist before you, then things would be tough.”

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