Meticulous construction, timeless design & tasteful fabrics. Painstakingly handmade in our own workshop in Singapore, our products are crafted with a combination of traditional techniques and carefully selected materials.
Our story began in 2008, when I (Gerald) chanced upon a roll of vintage kimono silk while travelling in Japan, and purchased it with the intention of using it as the lining for a suit. It turned out that the kimono bolt was too narrow, and my tailor refused to work with it. It sat unused for months, until it dawned on me that the kimono silk was just about the perfect size for a pocket square.
Diana (my wife and cofounder of Vanda Fine Clothing) has always had a knack for sewing, and she agreed to figure out hand rolling a pocket square for me. Kimono silk is special both in terms of texture and design, and makes for really unique pocket squares - so with the extra fabric we had on hand, we decided to put them up for sale on Styleforum in the classified section. They turned out to be a hit with fellow members, and we soon found ourselves stuck at home during the weekends sewing pocket squares on our bedroom floor instead of going on dates.
Since we had already figured out the hand rolling technique, we wanted to try our hand at making neckties - mostly because I couldn’t afford the really nice ones I wanted. We took apart vintage neckties, and after a year of reverse engineering and dozens of failed experiments, we finally made a tie I was happy enough to wear — and sell, which we did, again on Styleforum.
While on holiday in Portland, Oregon in 2011, Diana and I were really inspired by the DIY, small business culture there. We figured that since we loved sewing anyway, we should give this a go as a full time business, instead of wondering “what if?” down the road.
Hence, in 2011, right after I graduated from university, Diana quit her job in a fancy hotel, and we started Vanda Fine Clothing with the mission of creating traditionally handcrafted menswear of exceptional quality. The brand and logo signifies two elements close to our hearts - the orchid design is taken from the Vanda Miss Joaquim, Singapore’s national flower, and the Japanese mon or family crest style is a nod to our beginnings with kimono fabrics.
15 years later, we (Diana & Gerald) continue to cut and sew every single product with our own hands, one piece at a time in our home-based studio in Singapore. Nothing is outsourced. This artisanal approach ensures that every product is truly unique - something that mass-production settings can never emulate, whether in terms of quality or character.
We hope you enjoy wearing our products as much as we enjoy making them.
Our Team
Diana Chan has always had an interest in hand sewing and an eye for detail. Through Vanda Fine Clothing, she creates finely sewn mens accessories that satisfy even the geekiest of menswear aficionados. Diana enjoys giving neck scratches to dogs while out running, and playing tennis.
Gerald Shen graduated with degrees in finance and economics, but could not resist pursuing his passion in quality menswear. With his avid interest in classic menswear and eye for good design, Gerald is in charge of curating our product collections. When not sewing, he can most often be found working on hand thrown pottery or messing around in the kitchen.
Diana and Gerald met in 2004, and were happily married in 2013!
In 2022, we started selling pots and functional ceramic wares as Underdog Ceramics. 100% of the sales (not profits) go towards the care of abandoned, neglected, abused dogs that have come under the care of a Singapore-based animal rescue group called Hope Dog Rescue.
This cause is close to our hearts because Flannel (our dear mini schnauzer who passed away in Jan 2022) was also once a neglected and abused dog who went through four ex-owners before we found him. We hope to support dog rescue groups who are caring for neglected, abused, abandoned dogs and getting them ready for adoption again so they can have another shot at life, like Flannel did.