Seamless investing for The Missing Piece founder

Side cut-outs, vivid prints, and pops of colour — these are the defining touches that make up the signature designs from The Missing Piece. A celebrated local brand, The Missing Piece dresses busy mothers, entrepreneurs, celebrities and personalities, as well as policy-makers in comfortable, elegant dresses that mix fun and functional elements into a classy get-up.

Founder Fock Ee-ling’s calling card can be observed in these three Cs: convenience, comfort, and confidence — the 3Cs that exemplify how the mumpreneur brought her accidental fashion brand to life, and incidentally, the way she looks at money matters too.

Ee-ling aims to create timeless designs that are comfortable for mums, particularly as the “mum-tum” may provoke an understandable sense of self-consciousness. With that in mind, she designs thoughtful, flattering pieces that time-starved mums can reach for without thinking twice, knowing that they can walk out the door clothed with confidence. 

“Whether we are going to take on an extra project, one extra pop up, or one extra store — always comes down to this choice. If it's going to compromise on time with my family, then I would choose not to pursue it.”

Ee-ling started the fashion line after leaving a corporate job at an MNC to be a stay-at-home mum. While being a mum to three young children was fulfilling, she also felt herself losing her sense of self. To keep her creativity going, she turned to a hobby that she enjoyed while studying for her PhD in medicine in Australia: sewing. 

What started out as a fun project to make matching clothes for family and friends turned into a budding enterprise that has grown from strength to strength over the last seven years. 

The big C: the children

The Missing Piece is not, as some might assume, named after the cut-out detail that has come to be synonymous with the brand. 

As Ee-ling would tell you, the brand is meant to represent family — each family member makes up a missing piece of the whole unit. 

“My family plays a very big role in my life. I come from a closely knit family,” says the 42-year-old. “My mum was a stay-home mum and she gave up her own passions to raise her children. And so I’ve been brought up with that same mentality of raising my kids.”

It is easy to understand then, why family remains the core commitment to Ee-ling today. Putting family first means that her afternoons are fully devoted to her children, with early mornings and late nights going into her business.

“The way I plan my time every day, and even with decisions I make for the business — whether we are going to take on an extra project, one extra pop up, or one extra store — always comes down to this choice. If it's going to compromise on time with my family, then I would choose not to pursue it.”

“I like to make a good decision and then see it through for as long as I can.”

Ee-ling’s dad was a banker, and taught her the importance of saving at a young age, bringing his kids to the bank to deposit their savings. “We had a joint account with my dad, and every year he would take us to the bank to deposit in our own money,” she recalled. “We loved seeing the numbers grow.”

She has instilled the same savings habit with her kids, by showing them on a laptop how their online savings are deposited and accumulated in their bank accounts. “It’s important because then it becomes second nature when they grow up to save and invest, helping their money grow passively.”

Convenience, comfort, confidence

Her biggest investment so far has been the business, and expansion plans may kick in after her children finish up their major exams. 

But with her priorities fixed on her family, Ee-ling has set her money goals on building up funds for her children’s future such as an overseas education. 

She also has retirement in her view, and wants to rely on passive income to be able to settle into her silver years comfortably. 

“My mum was a stay-home mum and she gave up her own passions to raise her children. And so I’ve been brought up with that same mentality of raising my kids.”

For the busy mumpreneur, the Endowus app fulfils her time-starved needs. Just as the 3Cs of convenience, comfort, and confidence define her design inclinations, they also shape how she chooses to invest her money. She’s also keen to explore investing in a fourth C — her CPF savings — through Endowus, Singapore’s first CPF digital advisor.

“My team would vouch for this: I'm not the most techie person. So it needs to be something that requires only a few clicks. It has to be easy to use and navigate,” she says.

“My lifestyle is quite hectic and I'm always on the move. So having my investment app on my phone provides me with a lot of convenience. I can check my investments on the go and have peace of mind.”

Her priorities are set on investing for the long term — an apt mentality for mums like her who know the days are long but the years are short. 

“I like to make a good decision and then see it through for as long as I can.”

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