Founder Of Local Accessories Brand “Ugly Cried” After Spotting Halimah Yacob Wearing Her Brooch At NDP 2026

For months, Serena Wong, founder of local handmade accessories brand Batik Sayang, had been nursing one wish: to see former president Halimah Yacob wearing a Vanda Miss Joaquim-inspired brooch she had designed at the National Day Parade.

On August 9, that wish came true.

The 33-year-old was watching the NDP live with her followers online when she burst into tears after spotting Mdm Halimah at the parade wearing the brooch.

“Sorry! I’m crying,” Serena exclaimed during the livestream, before the news appeared to fully sink in.

“I’m so happy guys! I cannot believe it… I’m ugly crying.”

Speaking to 8days.sg, Serena said she was still in disbelief.

“It was honestly just this huge burst of joy,” she said. “I don’t think I can properly describe the feeling because I’ve never experienced anything quite like it before.”

“I’m also not usually someone who cries easily, so the fact that I was tearing up really surprised me.”

Mdm Halimah had bought a brooch herself

Serena did eventually manage to gift Mdm Halimah a brooch after someone from the former president’s team contacted her.

She sent over a smaller kerongsang from the Vanda Miss Joaquim collection.

What Serena didn't know at the time was that Mdm Halimah had bought another Batik Sayang brooch herself.

Serena only learnt about the purchase two days before NDP, when she received a letter from Mdm Halimah.

“She shared that she was glad to have bought one of our brooches and received another one of our beautiful works,” Serena said.

Serena believes Mdm Halimah wore the brooch she had bought herself to the parade as it appeared to be a larger piece.

“I had no idea that she had bought it until just two days before NDP — or that she was going to wear it — which made seeing her wear it even more surreal,” she said.

A National Day wish months in the making

The emotional moment was the culmination of a campaign Serena had started more than two months earlier.

In an Instagram post in May, Serena appealed to Singaporeans to help get her Vanda Miss Joaquim brooch to Mdm Halimah in time for National Day.

She had designed the accessory to honour Singapore's “powerful women” — women who “lead, nurture, build, sacrifice, and inspire”.

Her biggest dream was to see Mdm Halimah wear it to the NDP.

“To me, she represents strength, grace, humility, and leadership with heart; everything I wanted this piece to stand for,” Serena wrote.

In the weeks leading up to NDP, Serena also managed to give the brooch to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's wife, Loo Tze Lui.

Still, she had no indication that any of the women would wear one at NDP.

“Everyone I spoke to reassured me that if [Mdm Halimah] doesn’t wear it for NDP she might wear it for some other events. So I really tried not to get my hopes up,” Serena said.

Serena had previously described the anticipation as “opening the biggest blind box of my life”, and invited her followers to join her on a live stream to watch NDP and see if they could spot one of the brooches.

Looking back, Serena said the significance of the moment went beyond seeing her product on a prominent figure.

“I think in that moment, it hit me that something I had created with my own hands, inspired by Singapore’s national flower, was being worn by someone inspiring and empowering during our National Day celebrations.”

Fresh interest after NDP

The NDP appearance has since sparked fresh interest in the Vanda Miss Joaquim collection, which includes brooches, earrings, kerongsangs and dokohs.

Serena said she spent hours replying to messages and enquiries the day after NDP.

She had initially intended not to restock the collection after the last few pieces sold out just minutes before NDP. But the influx of enquiries following Mdm Halimah's appearance changed her mind.

Batik Sayang has since opened limited pre-orders, with Serena hoping to restock about 50 pieces across the collection. Each piece is handmade and can take between one and five hours to complete, depending on the design.

For Serena, however, seeing her creation on Mdm Halimah meant more than renewed interest in her business.

She left her job as a music teacher to start Batik Sayang in 2024, a move she described as “one of the biggest and scariest decisions” she has ever made.

“I had spent years as a music teacher, so walking away from something I knew and was comfortable with to build Batik Sayang from scratch was a huge leap of faith,” she said.

With no background in visual arts, Serena admitted she “had no idea” what she was doing when she left teaching.

“But I knew I wanted to craft and build something that serves the community,” she said.

Two years on, seeing something she had made with her own hands worn by Mdm Halimah at NDP marked a significant point in that journey.

“It means I’m moving to a new season in my life,” Serena said.

“I had to let go of the past seasons, but bring forth what I’ve learnt in order to grow even more as a person.”