An amalgamation of the past, the present and the future – ipse ipsa ipsum celebrates the people behind the brand, the unique materials they present and the craftsmanship they provide. We shine the spotlight on what they’ve been up to since Crazy Rich Asians – from Zoom Walls to working with local and overseas designers.

Singapore is a melting pot of culture and subcultures – everywhere you look, an intermarriage of various ethnic influences can be seen, from our infrastructure to the furniture we possess. ipse ipsa ipsum reflects that in all their designs – the brand’s pieces are heavily inspired by floor tiles, arches of shophouses or architectural elements found in Singapore, some of which were involved in the sets of the film, Crazy Rich Asians.

The brand was one of the first few who were awarded the distinguished Made with Passion brand mark, of which 47 were branded with the mark of recognition celebrating their fervour and dedication towards their brand and products. It is a symbol of passion, and pride for well-made, quality products found in Singapore. A new batch of 67 were recently announced in September this year. 

“Sometimes as an entrepreneur you feel like you are a hamster on a wheel, juggling everything around you, ” said Saurabh Mangla, founder of the brand. “Made With Passion was a pat on the back for all efforts so far. We are humbled by the recognition and we are ambitiously looking at the future.” 

Aside from designing beautiful handcrafted pieces, ipse ipsa ipsum makes it a point to stay curious about the trends and keep abreast of the current happenings around the world. Saurabh mentions that apart from working with guest designers often to bring in cross industry expertise, the brand finds most inspiration in how their traditionally made products can be solutions to modern day problems. “As a brand, we remain curious and willing to push the boundaries with what people perceive as acceptable.”

One such example would be their newest concept of Zoom walls – customised wall tiles with bone inlay and semi-precious crystals that can be used as an accent piece on the wall, or an aesthetic background for zoom meetings during the pandemic. “It’s a hit with interior designers and architects,” Saurabh says. “Covid-19 has created a massive remote working culture but we realised virtual backgrounds are not very stable. Whilst having meetings, people would like to have a nice physical backdrop.”

Seeing the success of their collaboration with Crazy Rich Asians, ipse ipsa ipsum has moved forward to supplying furniture to beyond homeowners looking to personalise their space. “We worked with an interesting Boutique Hotel near Jerusalem called the Edmond Hotel. Our products can be seen in the common areas of the hotel, the foyer and the reception area,” says Saurabh. “Closer to home, we have been involved with the Dempsey Cookhouse & Bar to supply some interesting pieces for the project.”

Moving forward, ipse ipsa ipsum will be focusing on their sustainable development goals with regard to product innovation. “We are a brand based on sustainable materials with high social impact. We have been working with these long before sustainability became a buzzword,” says Saurbh. “Many materials are reclaimed or sourced from sustainable means, whether its wood from railway tracks, bone inlay material which is cruelty free or our recent introduction of melted coke cans to make furniture.”

“We are also intrigued by the NFT market and also exploring if we can make sense of it within ipse ipsa ipsum’s ecosystem.”

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All images courtesy of ipse ipsa ipsum.

For more information on ipse ipsa ipsum, visit: https://www.ipseipsaipsum.com/

Discover more about the Made with Passion brand mark at https://www.visitsingapore.com/madewithpassion/