Skip to content
Get 10% off with your first order using code NEWRETYKLER ✨
Get 10% off with your first order using code NEWRETYKLER ✨
Interview with Ase Wang, Model, Actress & Entrepreneur

Interview with Ase Wang, Model, Actress & Entrepreneur

Interview with Ase Wang, Model, Actress & Entrepreneur

We were so lucky to catch up with Ase Wang, the Singaporean model, actress and entrepreneur, this week. Having worked in the entertainment industry in Asia since she was young, Ase is currently based in Thailand with her husband Jon Lor and their 16 month old daughter, Kaya. She shares with us her experience of being a first time Mum, the transition back to work and why we should all ditch the Mum guilt. 


Hi Ase, please tell us a little bit more about yourself…

I am half Singaporean, half Swedish. I was born and raised in Singapore but I currently reside in Bangkok, Thailand. I have been in the entertainment industry since I was about 15 years old doing TV series in Singapore and Thailand. I am a first time mother and have a 1 year and 4 months old daughter called Kaya.  I am also a working mother, just trying to juggle everything!



What projects are you currently working on? Can you share about your experience transitioning back to work after having your baby? Any tips?

I am currently working on a collaboration with my daughter and Snow Owl, an in-house brand of Punnita.com, a well-known Thai baby gear and products retailer. We are working on designing matching organic bed sheets for newborn, toddlers and adults. Her line incorporates a dragonfly which represents life, love and new beginnings. We also have more baby products and a clothing range in the pipeline. 


I am also working on some projects in Singapore as well as finding out how to be a Mum everyday. Kaya was born in the pandemic which has actually been a blessing. It allowed my husband and myself to really enjoy the process and get to know her without having lots of people around. We had a good year where I couldn't work even if I wanted to so I didn’t feel like I was really missing out on much. Rather than doing nothing however, I slowly started working on Kaya’s collection. I was fortunate that the pandemic has allowed me to transition easily. 


I am more picky with what projects I choose now. I have been working since I was 15 so I feel like I have paid my dues. I have done projects before that I’ve not wanted to do but have felt like I should. I am now at a place where I can be more selective and my managers understand that as well. I would rather be with my baby than putting work in front of her.


The number one struggle that Mums face today is Mum guilt and you don’t really understand what that is until you have a baby. If I want to go back to work, does that make me a bad mother? If it is going to make you happier, it is going to make the baby and your family happier. Life should not stop 100% just because you had a baby. You should continue doing things you want to do as a person, that doesn’t involve anyone else other than you, to make yourself happy. If you want to go back to work, my tip is screw the Mum guilt and do it for yourself. 



Exercise is clearly important to you. Not only have you founded a couple of fitness studios, you are also a Nike ambassador. How do you make the time to workout with a little one? Do you have any favourite prenatal or postnatal exercise tips? or favourite exercises?


Exercising is a lifestyle, not a trend. You have to embody it in yourself. It all bows down to discipline and finding the right way it works for you. For myself, I know that if I don’t exercise before 11am then it is just not going to be done so I have to put aside that time. Whether you are a working or stay at home Mum, you find a way to do it. 


For my workouts, I enjoy doing HIIT as I have always been very active. I am always the one who gets really sweaty. I was lucky as well to be able to keep exercising during pregnancy but I toned it down by more than 50% . I did some body weights using a TRX as well as experimented with yoga. I also practiced a lot of meditation whilst I was pregnant as I was experiencing a lot of migraines. 


For my postnatal recovery,  I had a C-section so I had to wait a long time before I could exercise again. I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was pregnant so I had to be very careful about what I ate. In the end it meant I only put on 9kgs when I was pregnant. When I gave birth the weight came off quite easily as a result. I ate very clean and consumed a lot of Chinese soups. I worked hard to not have to do a finger prick diabetes test every day. I very slowly got back into exercising. It has been 1 year and 4 months since I gave birth and I have only just learnt how to do proper sit-ups again.


You are a very fashionable Mom! What is your personal style philosophy and how do you shop for yourself?


My personal style for me and Kaya is very care-free, casual and simple. I am not very girly and therefore don’t dress Kaya in girly clothes. I love putting her in nudes, grays and even frequently dress Kaya in black. Her clothing is also very functional. For Kaya’s upcoming clothing collection I am making it very easy to wear. 



Do you have any favourite kids brands to dress Kaya in? How do you feel about dressing Kaya in secondhand clothing?


I love Pink Chicken, which is a shop in New York that has really cool baby clothes. But to be honest, I am not stuck on any kind of brand and it is the same for my own style, I will shop from anywhere.  


I am, however,  all for secondhand clothing. I donate either Kaya’s outgrown clothing to an orphanage or I donate to two refugee families that live here in Thailand. I have also received a lot of hand me downs from my friends as well. With babies they grow everyday and you can end up wasting a lot of money buying first hand clothes. If I do buy first hand, it just gives me a pleasure to pass it down. 


The new generation are much more open to second hand whereas the older generation are much more cautious about it particularly in terms of cleanliness. I just don’t feel that it is that way anymore. How clean are you supposed to keep a baby anyway? 


What are some sustainable practices you incorporate into your daily life? How do you plan to raise Kaya with a more eco-friendly mindset?


I have to admit that before I met my husband, Jon Lor, MD of Wonderfruit, I did not know much about sustainability. 


As an Nike Ambassador, I have seen Nike using more sustainable materials such as in their sneakers which is great to see. They also send reusable bags when they send me merchandise which I use to go grocery shopping. I would feel embarrassed now about using a plastic bag to go grocery shopping. 


It has been a natural slow change to the way things are. Like with Kaya’s clothes, receiving hand-me-downs and passing them on, becoming more sustainable has become more of a lifestyle. 


I am still learning but it is important to me to raise Kaya with an eco-friendly mindset. I am due to donate another batch of clothes to an orphanage and I would like Kaya to come with me so she can learn - it is important to give back and we don’t just throw things away, it is important to reuse them and give them to other people to reuse. 



We love seeing your beautiful family holiday photos. Where are your favourite places/resorts in Thailand to vacation with a toddler?


We recently went to the Kimpton hotel in Koh Samui for four days. Traveling when you don’t have kids versus when you do have kids, you start to pay a lot more attention to detail. They had a phenomenal kids building with a huge playhouse. They had everything set up there for children and even pets. 


We also spent two weeks quarantining in Phuket at Sri Panwa. I used to always go there before kids  so it was interesting to see how they would be with children. They were so accommodating with Kaya and made her daily purees as I was in the midst of weaning her. They had all the baby necessities as well such as cots and high chairs. 

Previous article Featured Closet with Christine Field-Hall
Next article Meet the Founder: Georgia Mor, One Planet (Singapore) @one_planet_singapore

Leave a comment

Comments must be approved before appearing

* Required fields

English

Log in and start Retykling

X