The brainchild behind Re{me}dy is Jon Lee of local stationery brand ana tomy, who is making his debut in sustainable skincare
Spurred by the desire to reverse the worsening climate condition, Jon Lee, the co-founder of ana tomy, launched Re{me}dy in January 2021, a multi-label concept store in Zhongshan Building, Kampung Attap, that champions eco-friendly and all-natural personal care products.
Sharing the same passion for sustainability is Mirzan Meer, founder of Vernakular, a concept watch store in Bangsar that is built on the philosophy of 'time and the art of living'. Together, they have collaborated on a pop-up refillery to spread the word on sustainable practices.
Available from now till November 14, Re{me}dy's pop-up refillery at Vernakular allows you to purchase antibacterial body wash, alcohol-free sanitiser cream, and scalp cleansers based on a 'weigh-and-pay' system, and using only refillable packaging.
"Twenty-twenty-one certainly pulled the rug under our feet," Mirzan says. "But amidst the clouds of Covid-19, we found a silver lining: a reminder that we're all in this together, and that every single individual has a role to play in building a sustainable future by adopting more eco-friendly habits and supporting environmentally-friendly products or materials."
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Lee tells Tatler more about his latest venture in this email interview:
What was it like to launch a sustainable skincare brand in the middle of a pandemic?
It's been super hard. I sort of expected it but expectation and reality never really align. A sane person wouldn't start a retail concept in the midst of a pandemic. However, I felt as though it was right moment for us to do something which can inspire and provoke change. It was Covid-19 that spurred me to fulfil a promise to myself to help the environment. I launched Re{me}dy in January 2021 because I was afraid of losing my drive, that if I had waited for the pandemic to be over, I would end up not doing anything at all.
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How did the collaboration with Vernakular come about?
I've been to Vernakular many times myself, and I know Mirzan personally. We both share an appreciation for great design, have retail experience and share a similar belief that sustainability needs to be advocated, now more than ever. He was all for it when I reached out to him to see if we were able to do a pop-up at his store, to introduce to the Bangsar community the concept of supporting quality local health and personal care products that are natural and sustainable.