SingaporeMotherhood | Parenting
August 2016
The Blue Pouch that Ho Ching Took to the White House is Just One of Pathlight School’s Fabulous In-house Designs
Images of PM Lee and his wife, Mdm Ho Ching, on an official visit to the White House in the US have gone viral. One of the reasons for this is a little blue pouch.
When Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Mdm Ho Ching were welcomed at the arrival ceremony on the White House South Lawn by US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on 2 August, Mdm Ho was caught on camera carrying a little blue pouch. It soon transpired that the pouch was designed by 19-year-old Seetoh Sheng Jie and a product of The Art Faculty by Pathlight.
The Art Faculty by Pathlight features the artwork and merchandise of talented students and alumni of Pathlight School’s Artist Development Programme. The student artists in the programme are nurtured by professional art teachers and given the chance to exhibit their works in the form of high quality products.
The programme helps promote the unique talents of people with autism and related challenges, and the artists also earn royalties from the sale of the merchandise. This results in not just earnings for them, but also a sense of achievement and self-worth in the knowledge that they are contributing meaningfully to society.
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Just ask Sheng Jie – thanks to Mdm Ho and proud Singaporeans, the adorable blue pouch is now sold out (but you can pre-order)! Can we just say that Mdm Ho Ching has done for the Dino Japanese Boro Blue Pouch what the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton has done for high street brands?
No worries, you can pre-order the pouch if you just have to have it. Or take a look at the other delightful items featured on their website. Here are just a few highlights:
1. Pathlight x Devilrobots T-Shirt by Tay Jun-Yi
Jun-Yi loves to imagine animals in social situations, living vicariously through his drawings of them. This is just one of a range of T-shirts and other merchandise that his artworks have been featured on. This colourful T-shirt ($29.90) was created in collaboration with Tokyo-based design team, Devilrobots.
The black and gold T-shirt ($39.90) pictured above in its boxed packaging is a design by Pathlight graduate, Amos, who loves drawing robots and uses bold and confident lines in his art.
2. Secret Garden Umbrella by Jolie Lim
Jolie draws beautiful comic characters with a marker or fine liner pen. This time, her drawing of a lush garden is featured on an umbrella ($22). The striking lime green or classy navy blue variations make carrying a brolly around due to Singapore’s unpredictable weather much less of a drag.
3. Dino Denim Pouch by Seetoh Sheng Jie
The now-famous blue pouch ($14.80) with cute dinosaurs running all over it was designed by Sheng Jie, an artist who is passionate about dinosaurs. He can spell those paleontological names as well as he can draw them from memory! It makes a great accessories pouch and also works as a clutch – just ask Mdm Ho Ching!
4. Animal Congregation Sling Bag by Tay Jun-Yi
Another design by Jun-Yi is featured on this sling bag ($48), the biggest difference being that he designed it when he was 12 years old! Definitely a precocious young artist, here he draws a variety of animals coming together as friends. This functional sling bag also offers four interchangeable flaps to choose from.
5. Ice Cream & Lollies Leather Travel Pouch by Grace
Hand-made with genuine leather, this pouch can be used as a wristlet ($48) – it comes with a metal chain, a travel wallet − it fits a passport and boarding pass comfortably, or simply a clutch for bits and bobs. Grace enjoys using repetition as her visual language and combines it with her favourite treats using coloured pencils and ink.
6. A Pair of Parrots iPad Skin by Selena
Achieving feathery details with very well-sharpened coloured pencils, Selena has a way of portraying birds in curious moments of stillness. In this iPad skin ($14.90), the parrots exude a sense of calm and peace despite their brilliant plumage.
7. The Helix Bridge 3-in-1 Handy Notebook by Khairul
16-year-old Khairul uses precise line work and play on light and shadows with his humble pencil to create images of this iconic bridge and other architectural forms. Here, it graces a hardcover folder ($9.90) that when flipped open, reveals a kraft paper pad and sticky notes, refillable lined notepaper and a pen.
8. Pay Attention, Alex! Children’s Storybook by Carolyn Kee
A children’s storybook ($6.50) about a boy with a lively imagination and vibrant inner world at odds with daily life, this story by Carolyn is great for kids who often feel misunderstood by adults, and for parents who are at a loss as to how to help them.
9. Lacquerware Tealight Candle Holder by Sarah Wong
Sarah’s free-spirited way with patterns makes these tealight candle holders ($69) a fun accent in any setting. She enjoys combining diverse elements in intricate compositions using coloured pencils and ink. They come as a pair in an upholstered gift box, making it a thoughtful gift as well.
10. Gold Cathedral Dewey Stool by Glenn
This piece of statement furniture ($138) for the home or office demonstrates a keen attention to detail by Glenn, the artist behind the intricate and high stamina ink work. Apart from architectural forms, he also loves doodling Cantonese typography and liquor bottles.
The Art FacultyPosted by The Art Faculty by Pathlight on Tuesday, February 23, 2016
The Art Faculty by Pathlight – Enabling Village (20 Lengkok Bahru, #01-07):
The Art Faculty by Pathlight – Pathlight School (5 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10):
Alternatively, to see more of the uniquely designed merchandise and purchase these items online, visit www.theartfaculty.sg.
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