Cofounders, Monocle

Hejia Zhang and Zhe Yi Lee

Monocle was established in 2019 when two friends, Hejia Zhang and Zhe Yi Lee, decided to bring affordable eyewear that are of designer-quality to the local market. The duo expresses their love for the arts through naming their products after various playwrights, filmmakers, musicians, and poets they admire, as well as their love for plants with their current store at Keong Saik Road being decorated with their curated collection of trees and plants.

Hejia and Zhe Yi enjoy indulging in simple pleasures such as reading Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha, listening to Beach House’s Bloom, and viewing Georgette Chen’s Lotus Symphony art piece, which have also helped to shape the duo’s outlook on life. A piece of advice they would like to offer to all aspiring entrepreneurs is to take unsolicited advice, but of course, not to provide any of that sort!