Canny collaborations

LIKE most Singaporeans, the cute and loveable Ang Ku Kueh Girl has caught the travel bug and is going places. Ang Ku Kueh Girl is part of a series of food characters created by Singaporean designer Wang Shijia. Previously, the series of merchandise which includes brooches, necklaces and totebags were only available in Singapore.

But now, they are available at Singapore Airlines (SIA) KrisShop too. "SIA wanted an exclusive collection to commemorate SG50 with designs that are stylish and chic, which will appeal to the global and sophisticated traveller," says Ms Wang.

Specially for KrisShop, Ms Wang and her team of designers created a pouch and a mini totebag - useful for carrying daily essentials while travelling. "We wanted something that travellers can use while they are on the go," says Ms Wang, whose dream holiday would be a visit to Norway or Finland to see the Northern Lights. Ang Ku Kueh Girl is seen prancing on top of a row of shophouses in the design, to capture the heritage and culture of Singapore as part of the SG50 theme. "I've always fancied living in a shophouse myself so it was one of the first things that came to mind," she says. "I thought that traditional shophouses, with their colourful history, contrast beautifully with modern-day Singapore with its new, high-rise and contemporary buildings, on many levels."