\n<\/p>\n
A National Day wish months in the making<\/strong><\/p>\n The emotional moment was the culmination of a campaign Serena had started more than two months earlier.<\/p>\n In an Instagram post in May, Serena appealed to Singaporeans to help get her Vanda Miss Joaquim brooch to Mdm Halimah in time for National Day.<\/p>\n She had designed the accessory to honour Singapore’s \u201cpowerful women\u201d \u2014 women who \u201clead, nurture, build, sacrifice, and inspire\u201d.<\/p>\n Her biggest dream was to see Mdm Halimah wear it to the NDP.<\/p>\n \u201cTo me, she represents strength, grace, humility, and leadership with heart; everything I wanted this piece to stand for,\u201d Serena wrote.<\/p>\n In the weeks leading up to NDP, Serena also managed to give the brooch to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong<\/a>‘s wife, Loo Tze Lui<\/a>.<\/p>\n Still, she had no indication that any of the women would wear one at NDP.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone I spoke to reassured me that if [Mdm Halimah] doesn\u2019t wear it for NDP she might wear it for some other events. So I really tried not to get my hopes up,\u201d Serena said.<\/p>\n Serena had previously described the anticipation as \u201copening the biggest blind box of my life\u201d, and invited her followers to join her on a live stream to watch NDP and see if they could spot one of the brooches.<\/p>\n Looking back, Serena said the significance of the moment went beyond seeing her product on a prominent figure.<\/p>\n \u201cI think in that moment, it hit me that something I had created with my own hands, inspired by Singapore\u2019s national flower, was being worn by someone inspiring and empowering during our National Day celebrations.\u201d<\/p>\n Fresh interest after NDP<\/strong><\/p>\n The NDP appearance has since sparked fresh interest in the Vanda Miss Joaquim collection, which includes brooches, earrings, kerongsangs and dokohs.<\/p>\n Serena said she spent hours replying to messages and enquiries the day after NDP.<\/p>\n She had initially intended not to restock the collection after the last few pieces sold out just minutes before NDP. But the influx of enquiries following Mdm Halimah’s appearance changed her mind.<\/p>\n Batik Sayang has since opened limited pre-orders, with Serena hoping to restock about 50 pieces across the collection. Each piece is handmade and can take between one and five hours to complete, depending on the design.<\/p>\n For Serena, however, seeing her creation on Mdm Halimah meant more than renewed interest in her business.<\/p>\n She left her job as a music teacher to start Batik Sayang in 2024, a move she described as \u201cone of the biggest and scariest decisions\u201d she has ever made.<\/p>\n \u201cI had spent years as a music teacher, so walking away from something I knew and was comfortable with to build Batik Sayang from scratch was a huge leap of faith,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n With no background in visual arts, Serena admitted she \u201chad no idea\u201d what she was doing when she left teaching.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I knew I wanted to craft and build something that serves the community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Two years on, seeing something she had made with her own hands worn by Mdm Halimah at NDP marked a significant point in that journey.<\/p>\n \u201cIt means I\u2019m moving to a new season in my life,\u201d Serena said.<\/p>\n \u201cI had to let go of the past seasons, but bring forth what I\u2019ve learnt in order to grow even more as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n