Fashion Wake-Up Call with Snoozer Loser
Incorporated in 2009, the lines of Shanghai-based Snoozer Loser have been picked up by boutiques in New York, in several states around the US and internationally in cities like London, Tokyo and Berlin. The line’s hip appeal has caught the eye of websites like DailyCandy and Refinery29, as well as the shopping magazine Lucky.
At first glance, it seems natural to assume Sonia Tay made a decision to start her fashion label, Snoozer Loser. She graduated from Parsons New School of Design in New York City with a degree in fashion design and went on to work for one of America’s largest retailers, Gap, as an associate sweater designer.
But looks can be deceiving; Tay describes her label as something that sprouted from a random idiom she jotted down while she was still studying. “The brand wasn’t something that I planned on starting,” she says. “It happened organically and just got bigger and bigger.”
After graduating in 2005, Tay and her group of artistically inclined friends decided to start an art collective based around her idiom. Communally, the friends looked for or stumbled across large abandoned buildings where they could stage big, free art parties. Musicians would put on concerts, the artists would create installations and Tay would make one-off pieces her friends would wear while performing.
She primarily worked with organic or vintage fabrics that she hand dyed with natural pigments, and her unique DIY approach quickly built buzz for her designs. Tay began to sell embellished, one-of-a-kind pieces at events and started receiving custom-made orders. The hands on approach to production coupled with the design’s affordability (dresses were priced around RMB 700) created more and more demand. Soon Tay found herself resigning from her day job to focus on the label she had inadvertently created, but she didn’t have plans for leaving the city.
“Shanghai appealed to me because I wanted to use an independent design approach in the land of mass production,” she explains. By fall 2010, Tay knew she would have to expand overseas to meet demand and sustain her cottage industry ways, but she kept part of her line in the Paris of the Orient.
With production in both New York and Shanghai, orders are now filled by the closest production point to help reduce the environmental impact of transit, a decision that reflects Tay’s philosophy to produce on a small and local scale. "Design can be about little communities rather than massive enterprise," she says.
Her individual approach to production is one of the foundations of the label’s aesthetic; it’s also one of the reasons customers are so drawn to her line. They love the personal touch that resonates with them as a novel voice. Jessica Engle, a fan of Snoozer Loser’s designs, says the brand creates “gorgeous hues that can never be exactly reproduced.”
Currently two collections are made per year with plans for four seasonal ones in the works. Inspirations are diverse; her fall collection was influenced by poignantly fantastical outside artist Henry Darger, spring's by something light and fun: surfing. Seasonal products have become favourites among Tay’s loyal customers who snatch them up as the weather changes.
“I’m a bit obsessed with Snoozer Loser’s screen printed scarves,” says Melissa Ong, a customer since the beginning, confessed. “They make a great easy throw-on accessory and instantly add a touch of indie appeal to an outfit.”
Bold yet understated prints are scattered across each collection, a signature that seems to quietly whisper the label’s alternative credentials and unique sensibilities, as does the unique name that Tay brainstormed up on day.
“I sometimes think [the name Snoozer Loser] is a nod to the underdog,” she muses. “Or sometimes it's a reference to the notion that there isn't any problem that can't be solved by an afternoon nap or good night's sleep!” Her recent collection’s playful photos seem to nod in consent.
