Even at a young age, Gillian Shen was a shopaholic. She loved buying things, especially pretty things.

She was the child who would not be satisfied with having one sticker book – she had to get her hands on 10 or 20 of them.

Growing up, her obsession with things shifted to clothes.

“I found myself appreciating the interesting details of each piece of apparel. But I could also always see two to three ways in which I would change how it was made so that it functions better,” Gillian, now 33, told Salt&Light.

One could always find safety pins or tape on her – she would use them to modify the clothes she wore so that she could style it better.

Parcels arriving even before online shopping caught on 

During her secondary school years, at a time when online shopping was still nascent, her mother used to nag her for the incessant number of parcels that were sent to their doorstep.

The parcels contain second-hand clothes from different clothing brands that Gillian used to buy and sell online through her LiveJournal blogging account, aptly named “Fanatic Fanatics”.

It had been Gillian’s dream since she was little to design clothes.  

“I thought the best way would be to study at the renowned Central Saint Martins (in London) and start my career overseas since the market in Singapore was so small and underdeveloped then,” she said.

However, she and her family did not have the means to make that plan happen.

Instead, she continued her studies in Mass Communication at a polytechnic in Singapore. At first, she also hustled on the side, operating her blogshop to sell clothes that she shipped in from overseas. Later, she stopped the business to focus on her studies.

Gillian with her family at her polytechnic’s graduation ceremony.

After graduating from polytechnic, her GPA score was technically high enough to get her into Singapore Management University (SMU).

“Strangely, I received their rejection letter in response to my application to SMU’s Business School,” said Gillian, who was then left clueless about her next step.

Entering a uniform design competition 

At that time, in 2012, she chanced upon an advertisement by an upcoming new shopping mall – JEM. It was running a uniform design competition and the winning design would be made into uniforms for all its service staff. In addition, the winner would get S$3,000 in prize money and a scholarship to study at the Textile and Fashion Industry Training Centre (now known as the Singapore Fashion Council).

Deciding that she had nothing to lose, Gillian entered the competition despite having no formal training.

“I only had ideas and Photoshop skills. What I didn’t know, I just learnt it myself from YouTube,” she told Salt&Light.

Against the odds, she won the competition and went on to study both fashion design and merchandising. That also led her to work with two local designers in Singapore – Jo Soh from Hansel and Elyn Wong from STOLEN.

Gillian with the uniform designs she submitted for the competition.

The uniforms when worn in person.

“I wasn’t really walking with God then. But on hindsight, it was clear that God had a plan for me and He opened doors for me,” said Gillian.

From those stints, she learnt more about bringing designs to real life and the realities of running a fashion business. Following that, she had opportunities to work in different roles related to the fashion industry, such as in public relations and marketing.

The role which shaped her personal style the most was a marketing role with Australian skincare brand Aesop. She liked its “back to basics” philosophy of quality, practicality and aesthetics.

Seeking out purpose in her work 

But a sense of dissatisfaction nagged at her soul.

“(Aesop) inspired me the most. Yet I realised I was still jaded and unhappy. From young, I have always sought a deeper sense of purpose in all that I do. I felt empty. So what if I marketed a brand well? What is the end goal? It could not just be about money,” Gillian told Salt&Light.

By this time, she was beginning to take her faith seriously. She attended prayer and fasting sessions at Cornerstone Community Church and sought out churches in the Central Business District so that she could spend time with God and His people even during lunch hour.

She started taking on marketing roles in Christian organisations such as Prison Fellowship Singapore and Anglican Preschool Services, where she helped to design the uniforms of its preschoolers.

The Little Seeds Preschool uniform that Gillian designed. Photo credit: Little Seeds Preschool Instagram page

In 2022, Gillian came to a crossroad. She had left her job at Anglican Preschool Services to focus on a business venture with a friend, but she left that shortly after because of creative differences.

“I was at my lowest at that time. I found out that I was pregnant with my third child and was battling nausea and fatigue. But our income was unstable so I knew I needed to get out there to earn some money,” said Gillian, whose husband Jeremy runs a personal training business.

Tensions ran high at home. Gillian was exhausted being pregnant and having to care for two children, yet she also felt aimless being jobless.

Gillian and Jeremy with their first two boys

Her husband Jeremy felt the pressure of having to be the sole breadwinner at a time when people were cutting back on “extra” expenses like personal training in the wake of the pandemic. In one of their fights, he got so frustration that he punched his fist into a door and broke a bone in his wrist that required surgery.

One day, Gillian had an honest conversation with her husband while he was driving their car.

“I was moody and crying. I didn’t know what to do with my life, and I knew I couldn’t follow my husband to his work. I really wanted to design clothes but was crippled by fear of failure. With three children in the house, I dared not make any wrong move,” said Gillian.

Her husband dispensed practical advice.

“Just go to LinkedIn, see if any of the jobs listed there interest you and apply for it. It would give you a comfortable income,” he said to her.

Immediately, she told him that she had already done so.

“Looking at the list of jobs there made me feel sick. I could already see what those jobs entailed, and foresee the lack of purpose or burnout that I would feel eventually,” said Gillian candidly.

But there seemed to be no other choice except to settle for a salaried job.

During that time, her body was growing bigger. Having had two children previously, she has been reusing a particular dress that fit her well.

Gillian with her husband and two sons. She was pregnant with her third son then.

“I wore it over and over as it was hard to find clothes that fitted a pregnant body nicely. I noticed its seams were breaking and its fabric had holes,” said Gillian.

She went shopping to find a replacement, but could not find any. The maternity clothes she came across were not only expensive but ill-fitting or of poor quality.

Taking the plunge 

It was then she decided to try and design something for herself, and for other mothers who needed similar clothing solutions.

“I took it one step at a time and told myself, only when I really see the prototype then maybe I will have the courage to embark on my own entrepreneurial journey,” she told Salt&Light.

So she took her favourite dress that was breaking apart, and thought about how she could improve on its design to better support pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

Then she sent the design to a supplier to develop a sample. After two months, the supplier still had nothing, and by then Gillian was well into her second trimester. Knowing she could not wait any longer, she approached other suppliers.

“Some suppliers said my design was too complicated, but others were willing to research and develop it with me,” said Gillian.

The first sample that came to her looked so different from what she had in mind that she almost gave up.

The first sample.

It was then that she had an epiphany.

“God showed me that every experience I had in the past had culminated in this sweet spot where I not only have the skills and passion to design something, I have found my purpose in creating something that solves existing problems for mothers. I realised I have found a niche market and that I was ready for this,” said Gillian.

She dug in her heels and tweaked her designs.

Launching Olive Basics 

In November 2023, she launched Olive Basics on Kickstarter, with a vision to provide stylish and functional staples for mothers and women. 

She raised about $11,000 on the platform, enabling her to start production on two products that make up a multi-functional maternity outfit.

The multi-functional maternity outfit that Gillian designed – comprising of a nursing-friendly cardigan and a reversible dress.

By then, she had already given birth to her third son Jireh – he was about two months old.

Gillian with her third child named Jireh.

That month, she heard about the trendy Boutiques Singapore holding a fair at the F1 Pit Building and went to check it out.

Inspired by the many designers and brands that she saw there, Gillian whispered a prayer to God: “God, I want to showcase my brand at the Boutique Fair here in one year’s time. Would you help me reach that goal?” 

She had no other business plan or targets to achieve as she was also navigating a new season with a newborn, on top of caring for her other two sons. She was not even able to work on some days.

During her very first pop-up event at Sentosa, it happened to rain heavily that Saturday. Unlike its past runs where the event was packed with people, this time there were no customers.

“I was extremely disappointed and wondered if I made the right decision to participate  because I had to handle so much logistics on the home front for the kids to be cared for in order to go for this,” said Gillian.

So on the second day of the event, Gillian wondered if she ought to pack lightly and not bring any stock over.

“At that moment, I felt a little tug in my heart and the Holy Spirit told me to have faith and act upon it by bringing some stock over,” she said.

Though it still rained, she had two customers that day – one of whom is still her customer today.

A happy customer who loves Olive Basics’ outfits for nursing mothers.

“Through this, I learnt to pause and give room for God to speak. Every opportunity to connect with others is also a seed sown and a stepping stone to things I can yet see or understand. If I am not faithful in the small things, how can I be entrusted with more?” she reflected.

A few months after her visit to the Boutique Fair, Gillian’s sister-in-law asked her if she wanted to rent a booth at an upcoming Mothercare fair.

Gillian was not too keen as she felt that she did not have enough finances and product range to make the investment worth it.

After praying about it, she decided to give it a shot by designing more clothes in time for the fair and finding fellow business owners to share a booth with.

Gillian’s booth at the Mothercare fair.

“Being at the Mothercare fair was such a blessing in disguise because I realised how unprepared I was. It would have been a disaster if I went to the Boutique fair without this ‘dress rehearsal’. It was also at this fair that God linked me up with fellow business friends who would guide me on how to make my entry to Boutique fair and another became my studio partner later on,” said Gillian.

A year later, Gillian’s prayer was answered. Though some business owners only manage to get a booth at the Boutique Fair after a few tries, Gillian’s application was approved on her first attempt.

Women shopping at Olive Basics booth at Boutiques Fair Singapore.

Today, the product range of Olive Basics has expanded from two styles to 14, and its newly-opened studio is in Ubi. Olive Basics is also headed for its second showcase at Boutiques Singapore in March.

Gillian giving her recommendations on suitable maternal outfits to a mother.

It has not been easy for the mother of three to juggle parenthood and entrepreneurship.

Navigating her first year of entrepreneurship while caring for a newborn was “too much”.

Yet the grace of God holds her steady within the chaos and she finds that He continues to speak to her in the most mundane of moments.

In their house, they store a week’s worth of clean laundry in buckets before a part-time helper comes to help with the folding.

One particular week, Gillian felt the pile of clothes was getting out of control and it was unbearable to look at.

So when her baby woke up and wanted to play at 5am in the morning, Gillian decided to start folding the clothes while she was at the playmat with the baby.

Jireh on the playmat.

“As I folded, I started looking at every seam, examined different types of construction and took time to feel the fabrics on each garment that belonged to different ones in the family,” said Gillian.  

“In that moment, I felt God say to me, that the effort which we put into one area of our lives will bear fruit in another,” she added.  

Like many busy women and mothers in today’s fast paced world, Gillian finds herself constantly faced with the questions: “Is this urgent or important?” “How can I kill five birds with one stone?”

“Many of us want it all – to be a strong independent woman, have a successful career, be a good wife and mother to our children. But in juggling it all, balls drop sometimes,” Gillian admitted.

Olive Basics’ simple and functional, yet flattering designs, as worn by models.

There was that parent-teacher meeting that she forgot to schedule into her calendar and thus missed it, unanswered text messages and unfinished conversations with friends, and plans that she feared committing to. 

“Marriage, family, friends, work, self-care and even time with God, it feels like when we focus on one, we neglect the other. And yet, God reminds me that His economy is different,” she said.

Gillian, Jeremy and their three sons – Jireh, 2, Joshua, 4, and John, 6.

Folding the laundry next to her baby at 5am was exactly what she needed to regulate her emotions, spend time with her child and get new ideas for designing her clothes.

“Looking back at the past year, nothing has gone according to plan and yet it all did. Nothing has been completed to a tee and yet it has. If I went by my ideals, I would be utterly disappointed. But if I trust in God’s plans and in the process of everything He deemed necessary for me to go through, then it’s perfect,” said Gillian.

What is increasingly clear to her now is the purpose for Olive Basics and for her life.  

“I want to live an authentic life – whether it is me slogging behind the scenes at home or in a front-facing role at Olive Basics. Only when I reveal my real self and struggles can I be a witness for God by showing His mercies and grace in my life.”

RELATED STORIES: 

She took the blame for her work partner’s shortcomings – and it rekindled his faith

From one tired stay-at-home mother to another: “God is with us”

Heartbreak of suicidal mum with postpartum depression spurred this mum to create “Aunty” babysitting app