Mei Ling & Siew Lan opened as a small boutique in a shophouse on Joo Chiat Road, Katong, in 1998. Behind it were two young sisters, Mei Ling and Siew Lan Lim, who learned everything from their mother at her old Singer sewing machine.
For 28 years they dressed the women of Singapore by one simple rule: “Would you wear it yourself?”
This year the shophouse was sold and the lease will not be renewed. They looked at other units for weeks — double the rent, and none of them was their shop. So after 28 years they are not moving. They are closing, and everything Mei Ling and Siew Lan chose so carefully over the years is going, with up to 70% off.
Olivia, Mei Ling’s daughter, grew up on the shop floor between rolls of fabric. She is the one packing your order.
— Mei Ling & Siew Lan
