Esther Tay

Esther Tay (born 1955) is a pioneering fashion designer and dressmaker in Singapore. She was the first Singaporean designer to have had outfits sold in Japan.

Early life and education Tay was born in Pasir Panjang, Singapore in 1955. She was the daughter of a paper merchant and the second of six children. When she was young, she was amazed by her mother's sewing. Although she wanted to study overseas and learn to drive, her conservative father believed that studying overseas and driving were not for women. However, she ended up spending the money her mother had given her to buy textbooks for driving lessons instead. In 1987, she was voted the best female Singaporean designer by The Straits Times. By 1990, she had designed uniforms for OCBC Bank, Citibank and the National University Hospital.

In 1991, Tay began selling collections to prominent Spanish department store chain El Corte Inglés. In the same year, Japanese outlets of department store Takashimaya began selling her outfits. This made her the first Singaporean designer to have their outfits sold in Japan. Her collections had also been sold across the region, as well as in Guam, Tahiti, Bermuda and Australia by then.

During the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Tay closed down many of her boutiques. In 1998, she opened Esta — The Lifestyle Store, a home accessories shop. In 2001, she designed the Team Singapore formal attire for the Singapore National Olympic Council. Her last boutique, which was in the Scotts Shopping Centre, closed in 2003 along with Estabelle Fashions. She has since designed uniforms for several prominent Singaporean companies, including Singtel, NTUC Income and Singapore Airlines. She was approached by the National Olympic Council in 2015 to redesign and update the Team Singapore attire. The redesign was worn at the 2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony and several other official sporting events. In 2019, she relaunched her fashion wear label Esther Tay. She initially planned to take part in fashion fairs, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to her plans. In 2023, she was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame.

Personal life Tay married Paul Chua, who served as the director of Estabelle Fashions. They have three daughters.