Sarah Cheng-De Winne wears many hats. She’s a wife, a mother of two, a brand strategist, an entrepreneur, a singer-songwriter, a producer, an emcee, a radio DJ, and even a florist. Culminating her experiences from different pockets of the creative industry, Sarah is what one would call a bona fide “hustler”.
In an interview with CNA Lifestyle last year, the multifaceted creative explains how being a teen mum fuelled her drive and ambition as a creative, effectively proving her naysayers and critiques — who doubt her capabilities to make a mark in the industry while being a teen mother — wrong.
In late-2019, the entrepreneur launched her own lifestyle label Taizjo (hanyu pinyin for dai zou, which means “take it with you” in Chinese), offering thoughtfully designed cross body phone straps and cases to the masses. While most label launches are celebratory in nature and are high-spirited, Taizjo’s debut was somewhat subdued or if not, painful.
“Taizjo was ‘born’ on November 29, 2019, exactly two weeks after I experienced a pregnancy loss of my third child, Nadia Joy,” Sarah explains. “It was a massive effort to push through and launch the e-commerce site despite the emotional and physical pain our family was going through.”
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But the 33-year-old creative is far from done. On the contrary, Sarah is more ambitious than ever.
2020 marks the 10th anniversary of her debut as an artiste. A timely ode to her fortuitous transitions, Sarah is seeing a second coming through a rebranding of her own personal label. Her new moniker “Sarah X Miracle” tips hat to the trials and tribulations — from being a teenage mother, surviving a fatal car crash, and losing her third child — she faced.
“Sarah X Miracle is the sum of my past, the present that I’m pursuing, and the person I’m becoming. Sarah XM is my initial too. In this case, XM means ‘Xue Mei’ or snow plum blossoms that only blooms in winter. So, in a way, that’s a miracle,” Sarah explains.
Read on to find out more on Sarah’s story and brand story in an exclusive interview with hoolah Singapore.
Sng Ler Jun: Tell me more about your brand. What is Taizjo?
Sarah Cheng-De Winne: Taizjo was created to inspire our customers — that they can take their dreams and callings anywhere they want to go, starting with humble phone slings as our initial launch product. It is because we take our phones literally everywhere with us, they have come to represent all the things that are important to us, whether it is work, family or personal life.
Ler Jun: When was the label founded? Why was it founded?
Sarah: Taizjo was “born” on 29th November 2019, exactly two weeks after I experienced a pregnancy loss of my third child, Nadia Joy. I was 27 weeks pregnant at the time. Just a few months before, my dad signed me up for an e-commerce workshop and told me to try it out. The pregnancy loss was most unexpected. It was a massive effort to push through and launch the e-commerce site despite the emotional and physical pain our family was going through.
Now, Taizjo represents positivity and the beauty we can choose to have in our everyday, despite the challenges that we face. We believe that our customers can be empowered to “take it anywhere” with their lives and hopes for a better future.
Ler Jun: How would you describe the offerings at Taizjo?
Sarah: Well, we wanted to create something for our phones which we use daily. We have a range of phone slings that offer greater value for our customers – our launch range included phone slings with card slots for efficiency and black cases to also appeal to a more sophisticated, minimalist audience.
I mean, for our brand, we want it to be synonymous with not being afraid to live your dream. We believe that your phone, in a sense, represents everything that is important to you because you can bring your phone everywhere, whether it’s capturing life’s important moments or picking up network calls. A phone is more than just a phone.
Ler Jun: Tell me more about Taizjo’s phone cases. How are the designs created and what sets them apart?
Sarah: The designs are inspired from what we envision and sometimes, incorporating them into what that’s available. One thing that our customers love is our customisation. We allow people to put their names or initials through a monogram. One example is the Morris monogram, which is an original design by our creative director, Mark De-Winne, my husband. In the near future, we are looking at creating even more varieties of monogram to help more people personalise their brand names.
Ler Jun: Am I right to say that customers are part of the eco-system that inspires what you and your team creates?
Sarah: Yes. We have received a lot of feedback from our customers with what they want. The monogram is one of such personalisation that customers can do. Another one of such feedback was how many of them wanted to swop around with the different cords that we have. And so we created that Carnival Dacorn Cords, Minimalist Gold Chain and more to allow them that versatility to change.
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Ler Jun: On your website, you have also dedicated a blog documenting and paying homage to fellow female entrepreneurs. What is one question you always ask them?
Sarah: Well, I always ask them this question: If you can take your business everywhere, where would you take it?
Ler Jun: What is one takeaway that you received from each conversation with them then?
Sarah: I think it is really amazing to gather around so many likeminded and motivational individuals. I think it’s nice to have similar aspirations to get outside, and I do hope that we all get there! You know, one country at a time!
Ler Jun: I know that you juggle many different projects. How do you manage all that responsibilties?
Sarah: I guess it has got to do with knowing when to do the right things at the right time. Last year, I rebranded my music and it took time off several projects. Sometimes, I managed to promote my brand while and my music at the same time, like how I launched a giveaway using Taizjo products with 98.7FM, where listeners had to guess how many times my songs were played in a given time slot. These days, I dabble in creative work, such as content ideation. When I am free, I help put bouquets together. Of course, I also take care of my two children.
In doing more, I feel like I am becoming even more myself. Like a fuller expression of who I am today.
Ler Jun: What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
Sarah: I feel that International Women’s Day is just about honouring the feminine spirit, and that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be entrepreneur or not. It’s an opportunity for us to honour any friend or any woman in your life.
Ler Jun: What taboos related to the theme of women you wished were broken?
Sarah: I’m not sure if this is a taboo. But a lot of women do not get to choose between career or having children. For me, I am a mother of two, so it is a balancing act every day. A lot of women think that you have to choose either one or the other. Structurally and systematically, it is true that corporate organisations move fairly fast, especially since if you are going to be away for four months.
I do wish that there is something that can better support working mums. Because the truth is that if you put off having kids until much older, it’s going to be much more difficult for you to have them. The irony is that many people are encouraged to focus on careers first.
I wish there was more that we could do for those in their mid-20s or mid-30s, who are contemplating. I don’t know what the solution is, but I am living the struggle now.
Ler Jun: Which women are you inspired by in your local community, or globe?
Sarah: They are everywhere. The female founders I have interviewed with are some examples. I absolutely love learning from them or the other female creatives. It’s not easy as an entrepreneur to keep generating ideas and creating, and there are always things to learn! These women taught me much.
Ler Jun: What are the women themes that still need greater awareness?
Sarah: I think continuing education is one of them. For myself, I have had the privilege of being exposed to many things because of my work. What I realised is that only in university that real learning begins. I feel that many women sometimes feel stuck in their career and one way to overcome that stagnancy is to figure out what else they can learn.
So, I would say like continuing education. No matter what stage you graduate at, it’s important to keep learning and keep improving, whether it’s a formal courses or like having mentors in your life!
All images courtesy of Sarah Cheng-De Winne.
This story is Part Three of four stories (featuring Sarah x Miracle, or Sarah Cheng-De Winne from Taizjo) on the exceptional female figures in Singapore. In light of International Women’s Day, we tip hats to the everyday women who are narrating their own chapter of female inclusivity and empowerment in their own lives and in the 21st century.
Here’s wishing all ladies a Happy International Women’s Day!
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