Women are known to be great at multi-tasking, and Shen-Tel Lee, Kuching-based designer and co-owner of Sereni & Shentel and Bowerhaus, is a living testament to that. She is also a mother of two.
We had a chat with the designer-business mogul as she shares on how she’s living out her “crazy life”.
Hi, Shen-Tel! Tell us about yourself.
I’m a designer based in Sunny Cat City, mum of two boys Benjamin and Kingston Ting and a serial junk shop visitor. I was born and raised in Sydney Australia but moved to Kuching after marrying my high school sweet heart.
After moving to Kuching, I started the Playground Borneo with my business partner and best friend Sereni Linggi, creating two businesses: Sereni & Shentel, a headband company; and Photo Booth Events, a portable photo booth rental service. After the success of Sereni & Shentel I jumped back into the designer seat with my sister Elizabeth Lee and created Bowerhaus. We now have a stand-alone store for S&S and Bowerhaus at The Gardens Mall in KL.
Tell us about your kids. How old are they?
I have two boys: Benjamin is 2, and Kingston is 2 months old. Benjamin is like a Mexican jumping bean with the mouth and attitude of a 5-year-old. He can out-negotiate anyone. It amazes me how funny toddlers can be. Benjamin’s day revolves around how and when he is going to get ice cream. I’m sure many mums and dad can relate.
What is it like raising two children? Is it true it’s easier to raise boys than girls?
I would love to meet the person who said that! Boys are HARD work. Their energy levels are insane. We plan the day thinking of things we can do with Benjamin to tire him out. The park, swimming, Gymboree – the activities are endless. We thought we got little to no sleep with our first child, having the second we now know we will never sleep again.
What was your go-to maternity style that you would swear by? Any brands to recommend?
ASOS is amazing. I would watch all the runway clips for inspiration. The website has so many affordable pieces that you can work into your wardrobe. Ripe Maternity was another great brand and Hatch Collection. My go-to look was jersey dresses paired with accessories from Bowerhaus and Sereni & Shentel.
How different was the second pregnancy compared to your first?
Both my children were conceived by IVF. I have problems conceiving naturally. My first round I was lucky and fell pregnant immediately. The pregnancy however was rather difficult with many trips to the hospital. The morning sickness was horrible, and it was a daily battle trying to run a business and not be sick at my desk.
Conceiving the second time took much longer. I failed my first attempt and that was a new kind of emotional experience for me. At the time I thought I was strong enough to not let it affect me, but weeks later after the loss I hit a major low and cried for about a week straight. I think it’s important for women to let their guard down and talk about how hard falling pregnant can be. I reached out to close family and friends and gathered the strength up to continue IVF. On my second attempt, I was fortunate enough to conceive and on the 18 December 2014 baby Kingston was born.
The second pregnancy was a walk in the park compared to the first. I was more prepared and more determined to bounce back. I suffered post natal depression with my first pregnancy and wasn’t mental ready to cope with the downward spiral. Thankfully, it only lasted a few weeks and I got a lot of support from my husband and mum. My mum read somewhere that you need to eat a lot of fatty fish after you give birth so she feed me lots of salmon and strangely enough the depression went.
How does an average day for you look like?
At 7.30am the family leaves the house and go to the office where we have breakfast. Benjamin then leaves for pre-school, while baby Kingston goes to his room. We’re lucky that we work in a hotel so the kids have a space of their own. I get into the office by 8.30am where I check on the workshops for Sereni & Shentel and Bowerhaus. I reply emails and work on upcoming designs for various brands.
By noon my desk is a bomb and I meet up with the kids for lunch before their naps. Then it’s back to work for me. In Kuching the day ends at 5pm, and I have an early dinner with my family then we head home for quality time with the kids.
Being a successful entrepreneur mother, how do you juggle between your kids, family and business? Any advice for struggling entrepreneur mothers out there?
I’m only able to all this because I have two nannies who are worth their weights in gold. They enable me to have some mummy time out. I’m not doing all this solo. I’m very fortunate to have the help. I also have a very supportive husband who lets me live this crazy life. He’s the soul reason why I’m able to be a working mum. Without him all this wouldn’t be possible. He always makes time for our family and still knows how to make me feel special even after many sleepless nights as parents.
If you’re a working mum, you need to make sure your have the support structure to allow you to have some quality time during the day to attend to your work. After having kids I learned how to make decisions quicker, and how to delegate work so I wasn’t doing it all.
Any plans to launch a Sereni & Shentel collection for boys?
We have already worked men’s accessories in with our ever popular Eton Bow tie, which buttons on easily to any top button. Dads were so impressed by it that we added in an Adults version and it’s one of our top selling products. The bow tie is excellent for those days when you want your little man to look that extra special. I love it because I can button it on in seconds. We also have buttonaire pin wheels and alphabets which are great on jackets or just for a special occasion. I made a B for my son to wear on his birthday and it looked adorable.
Finally, where do you shop for your boys’ clothes?
I have a weakness for Zara and Jacadi. For everyday fun you can’t beat Cotton On Kids and Target. I think Boys fashion has exploded and there’s so much you can now buy. I love tucked in shirts and skinny jeans with a belt. People think I’m crazy but thankfully my boys don’t seem to mind, this is until it’s changing of diaper time!
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Image Credit: Courtesy of Shen-Tel Lee.
