ALL THINGS HANDMADE
AT FIRST GLANCE of their website, it doesn’t seem unlike any other fashion retailer. Fictive Fingers is a local independent textile print company, on that has come a long way since their humble beginnings. Behind the brand is a sister pair, Hani and Aisah, who have seen the brand grow through the years since its founding. Their firm belief towards their founding principles has pushed them towards becoming the brand they are today.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ALWAYS ASKED US HOW WE TOOK THE PLUNGE. BUT I THINK IT WASN’T REALLY A PLUNGE, IT WAS SOMETHING WE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO. IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF HAVING THAT CALL AND THAT WAS IT.
Cliché as it may sound, Fictive Fingers was born from the dinner table discussions and has since then come a long way. The development of Fictive Fingers has seen various stages through the years. Despite the lack of support from the Singaporean community during their initial years, their drive and passion for crafting has continuously fueled them to explore with alternative methods of gaining interest and confidence from the locals.
In 2011, Aisah kick started the Handmade Movement Singapore initiative together with other like-minded creatives. This gave the crafting community a platform to be engaged and interact, while slowly building awareness towards a larger audience. Although the Aisah left the initiative eventually, the spirit of sharing remained in the form of their regular craft workshop series as an effort to continually inform and educate. These workshops have been very well received and played a critical role in building the Fictive Fingers brand today. The workshops have officially ended late last year and moved online for the classes to reach an even wider audience through the power of technology. It is not difficult to notice their strong commitment to reach out and engage with others, evident in their sizable social media following and various note-worthy collaborations.
AS A STARTUP, PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS GIVE US THEIR OPINIONS. BUT I THINK WE REALLY STUCK TO OUR GUNS FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS AND REALLY BELIEVED IN CHANGING THE CONSUMER CULTURE.
Apart from garnering support from the community, their founding principle of staying true to the slow design philosophy persists throughout the brand. From fabric, design, color to stitching, every decision has been chosen carefully and to create the final product. Products purchased from Fictive Fingers are presented as a gift from their makers to their customer. The sisters believe vehemently and wholeheartedly in the slow design philosophy as they hope to bring back appreciation for details and traditional creation process which have been lost in the consumer culture we have today.