Ditch your single use plastic. A Magazine’s Pay It Forward campaign returns this year with an auction of one-of-a-kind tote bags fashioned by our talented friends; and it’s all for a good cause.
Some 50 amateur designers have spent the last few weeks painting, embroidering, and embellishing — transforming A’s signature red and black totes into functional works of art. Exceeding even our expectations, a total of 59 bags are going up for sale, with bidding starting on 28 June and ending on 15 July 2021.
Among those to have donated creations are Lim Sau Hoong, Chair of the Singapore Creator Awards 2021 judging panel, Martin Tan, CEO of The Majurity Trust, and Fly Entertainment towkay Irene Ang (who crafted seven bags!).
An overwhelming number of good friends also went hands on; many of whom you’ll recognise from society pages and black-tie affairs. Among them, Dana Cheong, Chermaine Pang, Vivien Ang, Genevieve Peggy Jeffs and mother-daughter pairs Fanty Soenardy and Lousia Ong and Stella and Ariel Mok.
We’re launching this Design A Tote Bag initiative as part of #JustOneThing, a fundraising campaign that benefits Halogen Foundation (Singapore), an IPC whose mission is to inspire and influence a generation of young people through leadership and entrepreneurship development.
Like Halogen, we here at Apical Media believe that every young person has innate potential to influence and lead, becoming positive change agents, which is why we will also channel every single subscription dollar we receive between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022 to the values-based non-profit. (Pssst, 10 print and digital issues are yours for S$100 and the amount is eligible for a 2.5x tax deduction.)
It should come as no surprise that many of the totes have been designed with the aim of spreading positivity — whether simply to put smiles on faces or to lend support for issues that concern all of us as global citizens.
Martin, for instance, has emblazoned his tote with the message: One of a Kind, Kind, Kind. As he explains: “Being ‘one of a kind’ is often an expression of one’s uniqueness in the form of a brand, an image, an idea. But beyond the concept, I think we should always focus on the uniqueness of a person and the many stories behind our journeys. Like the single bold yellow line on the reverse, you stand out with your individuality. You ARE one of a kind — the inspiring, nice and good kind.”
Dana, on the other hand, was inspired by her own recent zero-waste project, fashioning her tote from scraps of old Missoni dresses; while Irene made us chuckle by dedicating one of her seven designs to K-pop rapper G-Dragon: “Honouring G-Dragon with this beautiful flower. To all his fans, don’t give up and keep hwaiting!“
After the conclusion of Design A Tote Bag, Pay It Forward will take a delicious turn with the launch of Soul Food on 26 July 2021. For the second year running, the initiative will see some of our favourite home cooks whip up a storm to tease cash out of your wallet.
Till then, a huge thank you to everyone for paying it forward. We’ll see you all online.