The former management associate-turned-entrepreneur decided to turn his travel memories into fragrances, creating a uniquely Singaporean brand in the process.
There are many ways to capture precious memories of a holiday; most choose to take photos, or buy gifts and souvenirs. Singaporean Jason Lee, however, has chosen an extra special way to reminisce over those beautiful moments travelling with his wife.
Lee was formerly a management associate at Givaudan, one of the world’s biggest flavours and fragrance companies. He left to embark on his entrepreneurial journey, and created a pair of unisex fragrances in 2015. When he married his wife in July that year, he turned those fragrances into gifts for his 800 guests. His creations proved to be popular among his family members, friends and business partners.
“Because my fragrances were so well received, I decided to go on to create a full fragrance collection, and SIX was born,” says Lee.
(Related: The Insider Guide to Singapore’s Fashion and Beauty Brands)
123 Tribeca.
27°F Biei.
1724 Puka.
Jason Lee.
Last month, Lee launched the first three fragrances from his unisex collection: 123 Tribeca, 1724 Puka and 27°F Biei, inspired by New York City, Boracay and winter mountains respectively. The ingredients that go into each bottle are responsibly sourced. “I get premium ingredients from established suppliers who source from credible farms that adopt sustainable practices,” he shares. “This is important as it also helps build trust with our customers and partners.”
Although it’s not easy running a business, Lee firmly believes that “failure is not falling down but falling down and refusing to get up.” We find out more about what makes the 32-year-old entrepreneur tick.
I start my day with... a thankful prayer for a brand new day, followed by a morning hug with my wife and newborn.
When I’m not working, you’ll find me... spending quality time with my family and when time permits, either race karting at the KF1 karting circuit in Kranji or spending a day on the track at the Sepang F1 circuit.
I know I can click with somebody... when my sixth sense tells me so.
My proudest accomplishment to date is... being a father.
Most people don’t know this about me... I was an avid figure skater during my teenage years until I tore my anterior cruciate ligaments in both my knees because of the intensive training sessions. I’d start practising at 10am, and only left when the rink closed at 10pm.
Most people seem to have forgotten to... take time to be thankful for everything we have.
Read more of our Up Close with series here.