Neighbourgoods

Thank you everyone who popped by K+ at Scotts Square on 17 Dec to say hi, stayed to chat, passed us your tote bag to "customise", bought and picked up a book or two, and gamely posed at the Furrie & Shortie cut-out photo wall! This quick comic sketch is dedicated to all those wonderful you's :) For those of you who would still like to pick up a copy of Furrie & Shortie Issue #1 (S$30) "To be the most wonderful you", you can via...

At some point in our lives, some of us may ask ‘How did my life turn out this way?’ Sometimes, it is hard to accept who you are, and the situation that you are in. 

Photo by Edward Teo Update 12 Sept 2016: Sorry folks, the very few hankies we have left are only retailing at the stores below. Get'em before they're sold out! Best give the stores a call before you go, limited designs are left  Friends, super thanks for dropping by the Good Sweat launch on 4 December, sharing your company and love, and supporting the project! Our thanks to Edwin Low, founder of Supermama, for adopting all 440kg of gravel we loaded into his shop (it would have cost us to get someone to remove it!). Our gratitude also to all the contributors of the Good Sweat inspirations: Theseus of Work, Kenny of BooksActually, Edwin of Supermama, Tan Pin Pin, and Carrie of The Freshman. They generously donated their honorarium to the Chen Su Lan Methodist Children's Home, together with the project's donation from the proceeds of the sale. The display continues until 18 Dec at The Supermama Store at the Singapore Art Museum (71 Bras Brasah Road), 10am-7p...

Friends, join us at Supermama (71 Bras Basah Road, Singapore Art Museum) on the 4 December, Friday, 7pm to 10pm for a little gathering and launch of the Good Sweat project! A couple of the folks involved in this will be there to say hi. We'll be serving our special own cold-brewed Alishan Oolong autumn tea. So drop by to relax, chitchat, and pick up your Good Sweat hankie. Together with the featured creatives who donated their honorarium, we have made a donation from the proceeds of this project to the Chen Su Lan Methodist children's home. 

Has it been 3 years already? We hope our  Good Sweat hankies have helped to encourage and cheer you on during times of sweat and tears. This December, Good Sweat  comes back with 6 new designs and words from some folks we've always admired for their persistent vision and attitude towards work and life.  As with Good Sweat 2012, we'll be donating part of the proceeds to a charity that looks at supporting young persons needing an extra bit of help. Look out for more information on the hankies featuring the phrases from: Theseus Chan / Work Kenny Leck / BooksActually Edwin Low / Supermama Tan Pin Pin James Teo / ampulets Carrie Yeo / The Freshmen Pre-orders are starting soon - email info@ampulets.com. Follow us on Facebook for the latest news.  

An apron won't change the world. But we hope it is a small reminder that the ability to make something good with our hands is a gift. The Goodcraft show wrapped up on 3 November! Our sincere thanks to old friends and new ones who turned up over the 3 days, stayed to chat, as well as those who bought an apron or two. Of course, we cannot thank enough the folks who contributed their creativity, time, and resources to make the Goodcraft project and show happen. If you missed the show, click read more below  to see some of the event photographs and credits. p/s The   Goodcraft Show Aprons are sold out, but some of the Goodcraft Artist Aprons are still available. Email info@ampulets.com for more info.

Image copyright FIN In addition to these  8 Goodcrafters who customised the Goodcraft artist aprons, Neighbourgoods has real fortunate to have worked with these 3 fantastic individuals for the Goodcraft apron show: Fahmy Ishak, founder of FIN and our fellow mastermind for Goodcraft Jovian Lim, photographer (Goodcraft photography studio sponsored by Woods Studio ) Joanne Lim, calligrapher Curious about what they say about their work, inspiration and views on craft? Read on...

Come on down to the Goodcraft Show! There'll be 8 one-off, customised aprons by these 8 Goodcrafters  and our limited edition Show aprons. We open this Friday evening 1 November at 7pm, and will stay open over the weekend 2-3 November 1-6pm. ( Click here for the Facebook event page ) The Show is at the Dwelling Concept gallery space  located at Blk 261 Waterloo Street, #02-30. Waterloo Street   (and its surrounding Queen Street, Albert Street, Victoria Street) is in one of the most culturally historic districts in the city. A hood for art and history buffs... Blk 261 Waterloo Street is one of a handful of HDB blocks developed right in the City Centre , replacing shophouses during the period of rapid urban development in Singapore's early independence until 1980. As such, these HDB blocks in Waterloo Street, but also Bras Basah, Chin Swee, Chinatown, Rochor, Tekka and Hong Lim are unique for not only featuring high-rise residential units, but several f...

Mastering any skill or craft takes dedication, years of patient practice, and a deep passion for making something good.  But in a culture that desires speed and change, few have the desire to even start on this long journey. And in a world of mass manufacture, neither do we  pause and wonder about the root of things, how they were made, what informed their design, and who made them.  G oodcraft  is a collaborative project by Neighbourgoods with  FIN , featuring some fantastic folks whose creative work and attitude we absolutely admire. They have started their journey and are definitely on to something good. Our hope is that this project will remind us all to pause, appreciate and encourage the person whose hands, idea and inspiration are the at the root of things we see, use, wear or love.   We will be making aprons. Workwear for anyone who desires to make something good. So stay tuned :) 

We are super grateful and humbled by the support you have all given to us and the Good Sweat project! We hope everyone had a good time hanging out and will continue to be encouraged and motivated by the messages the hankies carry! [Click on "read more" below to see photographs of the launch evening.] A limited number of Good Sweat #2-6 is still available for S$30 each...

The Good Sweat #2-6 handkerchiefs will be launched at a little get-together at Sunny Hills (Raffles Hotel Arcade Level 3), 29th November 2012, 7-9.30pm. Drop by to collect your Good Sweat pre-orders (cash payment only), meet the folks behind each handkerchief, relax on a Thursday evening and have some delicious pineapple cake with us! *S$28 for each handkerchief if you pre-order. They are also available for purchase at the launch. Retails at S$30 at Sunny Hills and SuperMama after 29th November. Drop us a note at info@ampulets.com to pre-order or to RSVP.

Good Sweat is an old-fashioned reminder that what matters is not the scale of the work or its reward, but to take care and to take pride in whatever we do. Good Sweat also celebrates the spirit of those who persist, however humble or challe nging their job may be, in perfecting their craft. Good Sweat returns this Nov/Dec! Neighbourgoods invited 4 creative individuals whom we admire and respect - Bob Lee (Fat Farmer) , Rebecca Toh (Casual Poet) , Jackson Tan (Black Design) and Yah-Leng Yu (Foreign Policy Design Group) - together with James Teo (ampulets) , to share with you what is worth their good sweat! 5 inspirations. 5 handkerchiefs. Good sweat #2-6 is in a limited edition of 100 each, embroidery on 100% cotton fabrics, lovingly made in Singapore. All the good folks involved have agreed that all profits will go to a charity, and in good faith, we have made an advance donation to a children's home for their arts enrichment programme.  The handkerchiefs are availab...

At the tailor's this evening to check out the samples for Good Sweat #2-6. We're biased, but we love them! It's hard to beat that feeling, seeing something you've been working on become real, "tangible". I remember watching the images slowly emerge on a 16mm film as it is being developed - magical! Look out for the new Good Sweat and the sneak peaks. As you can tell, we are no good at hiding our excitement... 

In 2010, a young man asked us for our advice on his career plans. He was torn between what seemed practical, what his parents wanted for him, and what he was passionate about. As we listened to him, the first thought that came to our minds was this phrase: " 做甚麼都好，用心做就好 ". That year, we created the Good Sweat project, embroidering this piece of advice on 100 handkerchiefs as a gift to friends. Since then, various folks, some strangers, have asked if we could bring back Good Sweat… And so... Good Sweat will be returning in Nov/Dec 2012! 5 different new designs will be launched under Neighbourgoods, in collaboration with 4 other designers/photographers/writers whose work and attitudes we have always admired.  To make sure you don't miss out on the news and limited editions of Good Sweat Nos.2-6, check back here in November, or "like" our facebook page for updates.