Kenneth Kuan and Chia Pei Qi of Delugs reflect on their business journey and how has their relationship dynamics changed.
Watches and watchmakers are often in the limelight but that does not mean we should overlook watch straps and strapmakers. Men’s Folio speaks to three Singapore-based strapmakers, as part of a three-part feature story, who share their passion, challenges and joys of running their business.
Suppose you had to wear just one strap material between leather, fabric and metal for the rest of your life. What would it be?
Kenneth (K): Can there be rubber? [Laughs] It’s ironic because we started from leather, but rubber is a fuss-free material that we can just put on and go about our day in Singapore’s climate and for the things and chores we do as young parents.
Pei Qi (PQ): I’ll wear our white rubber CTS (cut to size) because it’s nice in a professional setting and equally so in a casual lifestyle. If I had to pick a leather strap, it would be our light grey nubuck.
Let’s touch on the brand’s name, Delugs. How did it come to be?
PQ: Delugs is a pun on the words deluxe and lugs, the part of the watch that holds the straps. We thought having a little reference and homage to watches would be nice. Delugs was a grand idea. It was our hobby turned full-time career; when we think of Delugs, it’s our hopes and dreams.
It was not till last year that you guys entered Delugs full-time. What was the push or pull factor?
K: It started as a hobby. We picked up leather crafting together about six years ago. We started taking on commission projects and got quite obsessed with the craft. We watched YouTube videos, posted our works on forums and interacted with other crafters to learn techniques.
At some point, we also got into watches — myself more seriously. Whenever I took on a commissioned strap project for someone else’s watch, they mostly wanted something immediate. They understood the lead time with my position as a solo crafter and hobbyist. Ultimately, what they wanted was something of high quality.
When I looked at the rest of the industry, there wasn’t a lot of emphasis on the leather quality. Back then, people only knew alligator and calf leather. But within calf leather is a whole universe of different textures, et cetera. There’s more than calf hides, there’s goat, shell cordovan from horses and many exotics besides alligator. With this knowledge and from a business point of view, I wanted customers to experience some of the high-quality leather straps.
On a personal level, it’s about having a passion. We both worked in the government sector and wanted to pursue something that aligned with our passion. Being involved in the watch industry, craft, product design and marketing, managing a small team, and trying to see how internationally we can take this Singapore-based business inspired us to take a leap and make this a full-time endeavour. It allows us to bring value to the watch community and our lives.
PQ: We just knew there’s so much more we can do when we put our heart and energy into it full-time. There’s so much more we can explore and experiment with.
K: And also to have the right team with us and bring it to the next level. It was very much a home-based business early on, but we’ve grown beyond that. Now you can see the team around us and how we can bring in other people with similar passions to build a team that enjoys what they’re doing.
How have the dynamics of the relationship changed since you guys share the same household and the office now?
PQ: It’s amazing because I see him 24/7 now. [Laughs] Working together is something that we have to learn as well. It’s not the easiest, especially when we both have strong ideas. But we realised we both have good ideas that are complementary. If we work together and listen to each other, we can come up with even more amazing things than we can do alone.
K: She covers the blind spots as well. She brought a different lens when she joined. One example is the female market. There’s a very large pool of female collectors that many brands have often overlooked. When we started, it was to cater to everyone, but there was a slant towards the male audience. Now, she brings that perspective to the ladies sector.
Delugs is established internationally, going beyond Singapore and the Southeast Asian region. What were some goals you set for Delugs at the start of the business, and are you getting nearer or further from achieving them? I say further because you certainly want to push yourselves to do more.
K: That’s true. Honestly, I didn’t set a goal for the first two or three years. It was figuring out what the next two or three months would look like.
We took a more active role in planning the business in 2021. One of the roadmaps then was, do we see ourselves as a leather or strap brand?
We launched a line of leather products, but the uptake wasn’t great. That was one fault we took. Customers knew us as a watch strap brand, not a leather brand. After, we set ourselves the goal to no longer be bound by just leather products even though that’s where we started and were comfortable.
If we were going to be a watch strap brand, how far can we take it? This goal pushed us from being a leather strap brand to wanting to be the go-to brand for all things watch straps and accessories, and we’re at that international level today. Another part is wanting to serve the watch brands and retailers, and be the brand that comes to mind when looking for straps.
PQ: The strap is our core and makes us Delugs, but we’re not focused solely on it. We’re trying to build a community around Delugs as well. It wasn’t fully intentional, but as we grew the business, people interacted and gave us feedback. We realised the (watch) community was fun and very valuable to the people. Building Delugs isn’t just about the brand and products but also building the people along with it.
Looking back at the days when Delugs started from your bedroom and the pipeline was for the next two or three months. How have those formative years aided the way you run the company and make decisions today?
K: There are a few principles and values that we stick by. The first is to always focus on the quality of the product. People start realising once you lose that drive to improve on the product. People’s regard for your brand will show when they see you releasing a subpar product.
Secondly, it’s important to keep improving — whether from a product, business, or operations perspective. We always try to do something better than how we’ve done in the past.
The third is to always listen to the customer. Many insights and wisdom can come from letting your customers speak, hearing what they want, and following through. Many things we do today are shaped by what customers are telling us.
The last and one of the most important things is to be very open. We’ve been on an uncharted path since the start; there was no brand for us to look up to or emulate, and because of that, many of the decisions we make today are based on our customers’ feedback. I try to be very open about our thoughts and intentions and see how people respond. So even today, as a much larger organisation, aspects of customer feedback and being open and transparent still come through.
PQ: We always get our hands dirty and be at the initial stages before we hand it over to someone in the team because we know how difficult it is to throw them a task or into the deep end. This allows us to understand the entire operation, our customers, why things are done a certain way or how difficult it is to do certain things. So I think for us, that’s something that we go through from then until today.
What does 2024 hold for Delugs?
K: A lot. We’re planning for the year ahead. Overall, we’re trying to be a brand that has a stronger purpose and identity in what we’re trying to do. It goes beyond just providing products; we’re trying to promote that lifestyle and appreciation of watches beyond what the watch brands tell us and what is original or stock. We want to showcase how the same watch can look or feel very differently with just a strap change.
PQ: We’re still working on the education aspect to encourage and let people know they can change their straps by showing how and what watches they can change out from.
The second portion lets people explore, almost like matching shirts, right? Because watch straps are like clothing, we change outfits every day, so why not our watch straps and match them for a special occasion, a night out or everyday wear to feel good? We’ve focused consistently on quality and craftsmanship, and now it’s bringing up the other aspects of it.
K: On the product side, we’ll continue developing our rubber straps and straps for popular watch models like Rolex, Tudor and Omega. Last month, we launched the Delcro fabric straps, and we’re starting some research and development in metal bracelets. That’s something we hope to release this year.
Just as a wristwatch cannot function without a strap, it is difficult to sustain a business in strap making without a passion and love for watches and the craft itself. Which of the two holds a special place in your heart?
K: Craft, that’s where I started, and it’s very personal. And I think craft is not just about crafting a strap. When I think of the word, it’s crafting the journey of the business, our roadmap, the vision, or how we’re building our team. I appreciate the intricacies in watches from a user and customer perspective, but when I think about craft — that is part of what I do here.
PQ: It’s also craft. It’s a lot more personal and emotional, and something you feel connected to when you lay your hands on it. Just yesterday, we brought the entire team for a crafting session to understand the hard work behind the strap. They now appreciate and look at straps differently because every stitch is not as easy. For me, it’s going back to the roots, appreciating and not forgetting that emotion tied to it.
K: To add on. I appreciate watches from a craft perspective. I’m drawn to the independent brands, where you meet the artisans and hear their thought processes. While we were in Dubai (Watch Week), some watchmakers explained the intricacies of how something works, and you feel their passion. It’s craft, but also craft applied to watches.
Photography Jaya Khidir
Once you’re done with this story, click here to catch up with our February 2024 issue!
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