SINGAPORE – How do you build a successful business with your spouse without straining your marriage? Ms Salina Chai, 30, and Mr John Chung, 32, the Singaporean founders of Margo & Smith, the eight-month-old subsidiary brand of local leather craft company Mason & Smith, say it is all about accepting each other’s flaws and making time for the relationship outside the workplace. This is even as they work daily at the Margo & Smith premises in Ann Siang Road. Ms Chai refers to Margo & Smith as Singapore’s “first artisanal bag restoration atelier” that aims to elevate the experience of restoring leather goods into a luxurious one.
Rejuvenation and maintenance services start at $200, depending on the size and complexity of the work required, while bespoke colour matching services start at $400. For larger items, such as vintage trunks and furniture, prices can rise into the thousands. Since the company’s launch in October 2023, it has repaired more than 500 bags, mostly from luxury labels Hermes and Chanel.
Mason & Smith, an award-winning artisanal leather care, shoe restoration and retail store run by Mr Chung since 2013, is located a few units away in Ann Siang Hill. The couple have been married for three years and have no children. “We were really clear from the start that if we wanted to build a business together, it cannot affect what we have,” says Ms Chai.
“We don’t want that to be a sacrifice.” She says their relationship, while not always smooth-saili.
