Saying goodbye to people at work or friends who have become like our family in Singapore is never easy but giving them a lovely memento or unique gift from Singapore can soften the blow – for them, at least! Here are some gorgeous farewell gift ideas for colleagues or friends to help you bid them adieu.
Glam goodbye presents
Local brand Forbidden Hill creates stunning jewellery and home accessories that are perfect for gifting. Known for its customisable jewellery inspired by Southeast Asia, the brand pairs precious metals with interchangeable elements like silk and gemstones. With 30 silk colours to choose from, its range of bangles – including the Peranakan Grace and Iskandar – can be easily styled with your friend’s other favourites. Similarly, the gemstone earrings, such as the Jalan Besar, can be customised with a dazzling selection of stones, including moonstones, rubies and emeralds.
The brand also has a striking range of illustrated lacquerware in eye-catching colours. Drawing from the rich cultural tapestry of Southeast Asia, these distinctive collections make stylish farewell gifts with special meaning for friends leaving Singapore.
All Forbidden Hill collections are designed in Singapore and then brought to life by the brand’s production partners in Southeast Asia. Each piece also comes gift-ready in a beautiful green box.
Hand-painted farewell gifts
Bid farewell with a lasting impression! For those departing Singapore, capture cherished memories with By Fable’s exquisite ink illustration prints that offer a minimalist yet elegant portrayal of Singapore’s iconic landmarks.
These tasteful and unique artworks make wonderful farewell gifts for yourself, colleagues and friends as they beautifully distil the essence of the lion city. With their neutral aesthetic, they’ll go with any décor style, elevating any space. They’ll also act as a permanent reminder of your Singaporean adventure, wherever your journeys may lead.
Available unframed or framed at Badger & Fox, #02 -151 Tanglin Mall.
9724 9720 | badgerandfoxsingapore.com
Farewell gifts from Karenmade
Karenmade is an independent Singapore company founded by local photographer Karen J Fernandez. She has created a colourful collection of well-made and wallet- friendly Singapore-inspired farewell gifts for colleagues and friends. It all began when her search for keepsakes for friends visiting from abroad seemed to be limited to either the very tacky or the very expensive. Armed with her camera, Karen took her own photographs of Singapore and turned them into coasters and desk calendars. When her friends repeatedly asked where to buy them for their own loved ones, she started Karenmade.
Every product is created to encapsulate Singapore’s energy and rich heritage of culture and traditions. You’ll find gorgeous fine art photographic prints and canvases, umbrellas, reusable tote bags, cushion covers, notebooks, greeting cards and coasters. They’re all based on Karen’s colourful and eclectic collection of photographs which are also featured in her 72-page coffee table book, Singapore. My ABC of Favourite Things, which you just might want to purchase for yourself!
Unique gifts from Singapore
Lou Lauwerys makes limited-edition linocuts of flowers, palms and foliage. The design is cut into a traditional linoleum or rubber block, before rolling ink across the surface, all are individually is original and printed by hand on to cotton rag paper.
These are perfect for leaving presents and a lovely reminder of Singapore.
A Raft of Otters is at #03-102 Tanglin Mall.
8125 5725 | araftofotters.com
Farewell gifts of Singapore
The iconic Peranakan teapot on this Talking Textiles tea towel from Silk Walk is a quirky leaving gift. The Chinese characters are for herbal tea or cooling tea (凉茶, liang cha) when your friends use it they’ll always think of Singapore, and you!
Talking textiles also have some amazing artwork at Silk Walk for your home here, or as a leaving gift.
#03-101 Tanglin Mall, 163 Tanglin Road
9230 1802 | silkwalk.com
Ceramic Peranakan tiles for teapots
These handpainted Peranakan ceramic tiles celebrate the love, joy and heritage of tea culture. The “Double Happiness” symbol in Chinese is great to have in your home too, wherever it is. There’s a big array of colours and stiles at Silk Walk in Tanglin Mall.
#03-101 Tanglin Mall, 163 Tanglin Road
9230 1802 | silkwalk.com
Farewell gifts for colleagues
Scent by SIX is a Singapore-grown fragrance label specialising in perfumes and home scenting products such as candles and diffusers. The company uses responsibly sourced ingredients and scents reminiscent of Asian climes. Think lemon peel, mandarin, jasmine and orchid! By picking one of these farewell gifts, you’ll allow your friend to be metaphorically transported back to Singapore in no time.
The 2065 Ujong reed diffuser is owner Jason Lee’s interpretation of Singapore’s future, in the year 2065 (Singapore’s 100-year anniversary). Ujong is a less frequently used name for Singapore. It means ‘tip’ in the Malay language, referring to Singapore being on the tip of the Malay peninsula.
hello@scentbysix.com | Scent By Six
Papercut unique gifts from singapore
Looking for unique gifts in Singapore with that personal touch? The artist behind Dami, Beatrice Ng, crafts bespoke papercut artworks. Customers commission Beatrice to create an outline of a memorable Singapore sight and she can then papercut names or a meaningful quote into the scene.
Beatrice has always been fascinated with the older buildings of Singapore, and she felt that papercut was an unusual and uncommon technique here. She’s happy to work from photographs for these goodbye presents, and prices are according to size. (Prices also include the frame and delivery within Singapore.) An A5 piece is $45, A4 $75 and A3 $135.
damibybeatriceng@gmail.com | Dami Papercut
Nostalgic farewell gifts
These pieces make great farewell gifts for colleagues or friends with an eye for design. Louise Hill’s vibrant and detailed prints capture everyday elements of Singapore woven into multi-layered detail. Creating her pieces takes months of photo taking and also collecting vintage fabrics and curios. After this comes hours of editing, which eventually results in a digital print containing up to 500 layers.
Louise’s ‘Singapore Typographic’ is a lasting memory of the city using type combined with playful images. You can play ‘spot the Singapore reference’ in this design that celebrates love for the city with a hint of vintage nostalgia.
The piece is available in a range of sizes, printed in Giclee Museum Grade non-fade inks as a stretched canvas, or printed onto high-quality German etching paper and framed behind Acrylic glass. Prices start from $440 for a small size measuring 90cm x 38cm.
info@louise-hill-design.com | Louise Hill Design
Cushion the blow!
Farewell gifts don’t have to cost a fortune! This plush velvet Lah cushion is just one of a larger collection of cushion covers from quirky Singapore-based design studio wheniwasfour. Other fun farewell gift ideas include Lor, Sia and Meh Meh covers. There’s also plenty of other pieces that combine functionality with a unique Singapore memorabilia-style that also make great leaving gifts.
hi@wheniwasfour.com | When I was Four
Iconic and eco-friendly
These eco-friendly lunch boxes with a dash of local Singapore flavour make great kids’ leaving gifts. Not only do they look great but they’re reasonably priced. They’re also small and light (not much packing space needed!), dishwasher-safe and BPA-free.
This is just one of many Singapore-inspired pieces available at The Art Faculty, a social enterprise started by the Autism Resource Centre as a platform to celebrate the abilities of people with autism and related challenges. It’s the perfect spot to go shopping for farewell gift ideas. The range of products includes artwork and merchandise by talented students and alumni of Pathlight School, the first autism-focused school in Singapore. For every sale of artwork and products, the artists earn royalties and learn the value of work and financial independence.
Farewell gifts for colleagues or friends
Make it a little easier to say goodbye with one of these iconic ice buckets from Singapore Trading Post. (Filling it with bottles for your friends is optional!) The Singapore palm logo makes these a popular memento – a reminder of happy times in the tropics. Ranging from small to large sizes, the vessels can cater for intimate dinners and also larger soirees.
The silver tarnishes over time, giving it that vintage look. One great farewell gift idea, in particular, is the large gold-finish ice bucket. It can fit up to nine bottles in it. Perfect for sociable friends who love entertaining!
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