In an industry plagued by mass production and hollow sustainability claims, Rachel Liou is taking a different approach. The 36-year-old founder of Rock Daisy, an independent Singapore-based womenswear label, isn’t interested in fleeting trends or vague eco-friendly promises. Instead, her brand is built on something far more enduring: Craftsmanship, considered design and a commitment to low-impact fashion.
Beyond its ethos, what sets Rock Daisy apart is how Liou balances responsibility with desirability. While many sustainable brands default to pared-back basics, Rock Daisy delivers structured, contemporary silhouettes with an edge. Think oversized silhouettes that exude quiet confidence, impeccably tailored pieces that skim rather than cling and a design philosophy that prizes longevity over excess.
(Photo: Rock Daisy)
“I’ve learned that it’s really important for people to desire the pieces first,” said Liou. “If they fall in love with the design and later realise it’s responsibly made, even better.”
Born in the US to a Singaporean mother and Taiwanese father, Liou spent nearly a decade in corporate finance before making the leap to fashion. Her last role was at a US firm overseeing a portfolio of global fashion and lifestyle brands – an experience that opened her eyes to the staggering scale of overproduction.
Rachel Liou, founder and creative head of Rock Daisy. (Photo: Rock Daisy)
“I worked in a corporate office for years, and as my career progressed, I started to see how difficult it was for major brands to implement real sustainability changes,” she shared. “They had the resources and the means to actually do things right and yet they kept extending their targets because they couldn’t meet them. That was a wake-up call for me.”
The disillusionment nudged her towards something more hands-on. While working in Antwerp – a city known for producing avant-garde designers like Dries van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester – Liou enrolled in sewing classes as a creative outlet. Then the pandemic hit, forcing her into lockdown with nothing but fabric, a sewing machine and endless hours to experiment.
Her first creation? A simple T-shirt, stitched together at home in 2020 – one she still wears to sleep. “I even made my own little label for it that said ‘Rock Daisy,’ not knowing at the time that it would one day become my brand.”
(Photo: Rock Daisy)
As her skills deepened, so did her sense of purpose. She started teaching herself pattern making, draping and garment construction, poring over YouTube tutorials, ripping apart failed projects just to salvage fabric, and refining techniques that would later define Rock Daisy’s aesthetic.
By the time she moved back to Singapore in 2022, she knew it was now or never. “I had business acumen from finance and now I had the technical skills. If I wanted to do this – create something authentic – I had to start.”
From the outset, Liou’s vision for Rock Daisy was clear: Small-scale, low-impact, and rooted in natural materials. But in an industry where sustainability is often more marketing than action, how does a small, independent brand genuinely uphold these values?
For Liou, it starts with sourcing. “When I tried asking fabric suppliers where their cotton was from, they couldn’t even give me an answer,” she said. “You only get transparency if you’re a huge manufacturer ordering thousands of units.”
In the end, the designer opted for Tencel, a brand of lyocell fabric made from wood pulp. “It has traceability across the entire supply chain,” she explained. “You know exactly how the trees are grown, how the chemicals and water are processed – it’s a material I can stand behind.”
Beyond fabric choices, Rock Daisy pieces are built to last. Flat-felled and French seams, bias-bound interiors, and construction techniques that double labour time but extend garment lifespan are just some of the invisible details that elevate each piece.
“It’d be easy to cut corners,” Liou admitted. “Tencel costs nearly ten times more than polyester. Sewing a single piece takes half a day because of the techniques I insist on using. But that’s the cost of making something responsibly.”
With Rock Daisy’s pieces ranging from S$75 to S$185 (US$56 to US$139), competing in Singapore’s price-sensitive market isn’t easy. “I could talk about sustainability all day, but sometimes, people just want to know how to style it,” she said. “And that’s okay. If they love it and end up buying something better for their wardrobe without even realising it, that’s a win.”
That said, Liou is refreshingly candid about the limits of conscious consumption. “It’s a little hypocritical of me to say this as a fashion designer, but buying sustainable and responsibly and ethically made pieces is actually not enough to fix the climate crisis that we’re in. While making more intentional purchases is a good start, real change requires shifting our habits too.”
Named after a resilient wildflower Liou encountered in the Alps, Rock Daisy embodies a duality of contrasts – rock, evoking strength and structure, and daisy, symbolising grace and femininity. This balance of hard and soft, masculine and feminine, is woven into every design.
“I love oversized silhouettes,” said Liou. “There’s power in clothes that suggest rather than reveal. It’s about strength and softness, masculine shapes balanced with feminine details.”
Amelie Sleeveless Zipped Tencel Dress. (Photo: Rock Daisy)
Her favourite piece, the Amelie Sleeveless Zipped Tencel Dress, embodies this ethos. “It’s got invisible darts that shape the body. From the waist down, nothing on that dress touches your body, so it’s great for Singapore’s humidity,” she explained.
Alex Boxy Cropped Tencel Short-Sleeved Shirt. (Photo: Rock Daisy)
Another standout is the bestselling Alex Boxy Cropped Tencel Short-Sleeved Shirt. It’s the first piece Liou designed for her brand – and what she wore during our interview. Crafted from crisp, structured fabric, the top holds its shape while remaining lightweight and breathable.
Rock Daisy at Boutique Fairs. (Photo: Rock Daisy)
Since its launch, Rock Daisy has steadily gained traction, with collections debuting at Boutique Fairs Singapore, a platform known for spotlighting independent designers.
“Getting into Boutique Fairs Singapore was a milestone,” Liou shared. “I followed them for years before launching, so being accepted even before my first collection dropped was so confidence-building. It’s one of my proudest moments.”
Rock Daisy will be launching new designs at the upcoming fair this month, featuring a custom charcoal grey fabric that required meticulous lab dyeing (“I wanted it to feel modern and cool but still professional”) and a buttery-soft cool lavender.
For now, Rock Daisy is available to shop online, at Actually at 313@somerset, and a boutique collective named OOS near Haji Lane. As for opening her own store? “I’d love to, but rentals are really crazy,” she admitted.
Liou's design board. (Photo: Rock Daisy)
Instead, she’s expanding her creative scope. Liou is already designing for Fall/Winter 2025, experimenting with Naia, a crinkled satin-like fabric made from responsibly sourced acetate, for a more feminine take on Rock Daisy’s signature structure. And in April, she’ll be debuting custom runway pieces for the Eco Fashion Awards Singapore.
Despite the brand’s growing momentum, Liou remains pragmatic about the challenges ahead. “Fashion is full of landmines,” she said. “Every day, I face decisions that could make things easier, but I always come back to my core values. It’s difficult, but if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.”
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Beyond its ethos, what sets Rock Daisy apart is how Liou balances responsibility with desirability. While many sustainable brands default to pared-back basics, Rock Daisy delivers structured, contemporary silhouettes with an edge. Think oversized silhouettes that exude quiet confidence, impeccably tailored pieces that skim rather than cling and a design philosophy that prizes longevity over excess.
(Photo: Rock Daisy)
“I’ve learned that it’s really important for people to desire the pieces first,” said Liou. “If they fall in love with the design and later realise it’s responsibly made, even better.”
FROM FINANCE TO FASHION
Born in the US to a Singaporean mother and Taiwanese father, Liou spent nearly a decade in corporate finance before making the leap to fashion. Her last role was at a US firm overseeing a portfolio of global fashion and lifestyle brands – an experience that opened her eyes to the staggering scale of overproduction.
Rachel Liou, founder and creative head of Rock Daisy. (Photo: Rock Daisy)
“I worked in a corporate office for years, and as my career progressed, I started to see how difficult it was for major brands to implement real sustainability changes,” she shared. “They had the resources and the means to actually do things right and yet they kept extending their targets because they couldn’t meet them. That was a wake-up call for me.”
The disillusionment nudged her towards something more hands-on. While working in Antwerp – a city known for producing avant-garde designers like Dries van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester – Liou enrolled in sewing classes as a creative outlet. Then the pandemic hit, forcing her into lockdown with nothing but fabric, a sewing machine and endless hours to experiment.
Her first creation? A simple T-shirt, stitched together at home in 2020 – one she still wears to sleep. “I even made my own little label for it that said ‘Rock Daisy,’ not knowing at the time that it would one day become my brand.”
(Photo: Rock Daisy)
As her skills deepened, so did her sense of purpose. She started teaching herself pattern making, draping and garment construction, poring over YouTube tutorials, ripping apart failed projects just to salvage fabric, and refining techniques that would later define Rock Daisy’s aesthetic.
By the time she moved back to Singapore in 2022, she knew it was now or never. “I had business acumen from finance and now I had the technical skills. If I wanted to do this – create something authentic – I had to start.”
THE PURSUIT OF "LOW-IMPACT" FASHION
From the outset, Liou’s vision for Rock Daisy was clear: Small-scale, low-impact, and rooted in natural materials. But in an industry where sustainability is often more marketing than action, how does a small, independent brand genuinely uphold these values?
For Liou, it starts with sourcing. “When I tried asking fabric suppliers where their cotton was from, they couldn’t even give me an answer,” she said. “You only get transparency if you’re a huge manufacturer ordering thousands of units.”
In the end, the designer opted for Tencel, a brand of lyocell fabric made from wood pulp. “It has traceability across the entire supply chain,” she explained. “You know exactly how the trees are grown, how the chemicals and water are processed – it’s a material I can stand behind.”
Beyond fabric choices, Rock Daisy pieces are built to last. Flat-felled and French seams, bias-bound interiors, and construction techniques that double labour time but extend garment lifespan are just some of the invisible details that elevate each piece.
“It’d be easy to cut corners,” Liou admitted. “Tencel costs nearly ten times more than polyester. Sewing a single piece takes half a day because of the techniques I insist on using. But that’s the cost of making something responsibly.”
With Rock Daisy’s pieces ranging from S$75 to S$185 (US$56 to US$139), competing in Singapore’s price-sensitive market isn’t easy. “I could talk about sustainability all day, but sometimes, people just want to know how to style it,” she said. “And that’s okay. If they love it and end up buying something better for their wardrobe without even realising it, that’s a win.”
That said, Liou is refreshingly candid about the limits of conscious consumption. “It’s a little hypocritical of me to say this as a fashion designer, but buying sustainable and responsibly and ethically made pieces is actually not enough to fix the climate crisis that we’re in. While making more intentional purchases is a good start, real change requires shifting our habits too.”
STRENGTH MEETS SOFTNESS
Named after a resilient wildflower Liou encountered in the Alps, Rock Daisy embodies a duality of contrasts – rock, evoking strength and structure, and daisy, symbolising grace and femininity. This balance of hard and soft, masculine and feminine, is woven into every design.
“I love oversized silhouettes,” said Liou. “There’s power in clothes that suggest rather than reveal. It’s about strength and softness, masculine shapes balanced with feminine details.”
Amelie Sleeveless Zipped Tencel Dress. (Photo: Rock Daisy)
Her favourite piece, the Amelie Sleeveless Zipped Tencel Dress, embodies this ethos. “It’s got invisible darts that shape the body. From the waist down, nothing on that dress touches your body, so it’s great for Singapore’s humidity,” she explained.
Alex Boxy Cropped Tencel Short-Sleeved Shirt. (Photo: Rock Daisy)
Another standout is the bestselling Alex Boxy Cropped Tencel Short-Sleeved Shirt. It’s the first piece Liou designed for her brand – and what she wore during our interview. Crafted from crisp, structured fabric, the top holds its shape while remaining lightweight and breathable.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Rock Daisy at Boutique Fairs. (Photo: Rock Daisy)
Since its launch, Rock Daisy has steadily gained traction, with collections debuting at Boutique Fairs Singapore, a platform known for spotlighting independent designers.
“Getting into Boutique Fairs Singapore was a milestone,” Liou shared. “I followed them for years before launching, so being accepted even before my first collection dropped was so confidence-building. It’s one of my proudest moments.”
Rock Daisy will be launching new designs at the upcoming fair this month, featuring a custom charcoal grey fabric that required meticulous lab dyeing (“I wanted it to feel modern and cool but still professional”) and a buttery-soft cool lavender.
For now, Rock Daisy is available to shop online, at Actually at 313@somerset, and a boutique collective named OOS near Haji Lane. As for opening her own store? “I’d love to, but rentals are really crazy,” she admitted.
Liou's design board. (Photo: Rock Daisy)
Instead, she’s expanding her creative scope. Liou is already designing for Fall/Winter 2025, experimenting with Naia, a crinkled satin-like fabric made from responsibly sourced acetate, for a more feminine take on Rock Daisy’s signature structure. And in April, she’ll be debuting custom runway pieces for the Eco Fashion Awards Singapore.
Despite the brand’s growing momentum, Liou remains pragmatic about the challenges ahead. “Fashion is full of landmines,” she said. “Every day, I face decisions that could make things easier, but I always come back to my core values. It’s difficult, but if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.”
Continue reading...