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Prettyfit’s Sophia Ng: Shoes need to feel great, too

SINGAPORE — For Sophia Ng, founder of Prettyfit, shoes aren’t just a symbol of refinement; they are also a subtle indication of one’s happiness and self-confidence.

Prettyfit’s Sophia Ng believes that confidence is beauty, and there’s never a right or wrong when it comes to fashion.

Prettyfit’s Sophia Ng believes that confidence is beauty, and there’s never a right or wrong when it comes to fashion.

SINGAPORE — For Sophia Ng, founder of Prettyfit, shoes aren’t just a symbol of refinement; they are also a subtle indication of one’s happiness and self-confidence.

And she had this in mind when she established the company 20 years ago. Ng said her approach was to “take some time to craft a more specific direction for the brand”, so her shoes would not only look great but also feel great.

“We don’t go overboard in our designs. I like shoes that are easy to put on and comfortable to wear. We stick by our direction of providing on-trend fuss-free shoes with comfort always on our minds,” she said.

The brand’s ever-evolving sense of style is carved by Ng’s constant search for influence and inspiration. “I look at shoes by different designers, from top-end ones to the second liners, learning something from all of them each time,” she said, attributing her clarity of mind when designing shoes to a good session of meditation. “The feeling of bliss, sense of peace and immense happiness that come with a good session of meditation is hard to describe. It helps me see things with improved sharpness and precision.”

However, being a shoe designer wasn’t Ng’s initial career choice. Graduating with a degree in Finance and Decision Science, Ng first worked as an internal auditor at a bank.

“It obviously didn’t suit me and I didn’t stay long in it,” she said.

The banking world’s loss is fashion’s gain. Currently, Prettyfit is in 10 countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Mauritius and the Philippines.

Q: How would you describe your personal style?

A: Comfort is essential to me. Next would be a good coordination of pieces in basic colours and designs. I am very particular about cuts and fits. For shoes and bags, I would go with stronger colours and embellishments because I think clothes are big pieces, so they should be kept simple, whereas shoes and bags are much smaller, and are great to express the fun aspects of my personality. Refinement and comfort are my personal preferences. I feel that when a person is comfortable with what she wears, she is at ease and confident, and that makes her beautiful.

Q: Is there a type of clothing that you avoid wearing?

A: I don’t wear anything that is too tight because I can’t breathe! I don’t wear things that need constant adjustment like a bustier, as I don’t like to keep checking on my clothes to see if everything is in place. I also don’t wear complex prints or too many colours at a time.

Q: Do you live by any self-imposed fashion rules?

A: I hardly wear green — it’s just not my colour. I also don’t wear sleeveless items much, it makes me look too much like a skeleton.

Q: Do you have any fashion pet peeves?

A: I don’t understand how some people could not care a bit about the quality (of fashion) and only look at an item’s price.

Q: What is your opinion of Singaporeans’ style?

A: There was a period years ago when I agreed with critics, that Singaporean women were dressed too casually and sometimes too sloppily. Now, I feel the younger generation is a lot more discerning, putting more effort in dressing themselves. I believe this is all thanks to bloggers and Instagrammers’ fashion tips and influences. LAETITIA WONG

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