WHILE I'm proud to say I'm Singaporean, I would hardly consider myself a chest-thumping patriot.
Still, I couldn't help but feel my heart swell with pride when I got a chance to talk to retailers at the Get Singapore event I covered on Friday. These were local entrepreneurs who had passion for their products, whose hard work has paid off.
Some really stood out, such as Mr Hozen Yong, the man behind Maestro Guitars. From just a small shop at Excelsior Shopping Centre four years ago, he has expanded his business to four outlets across town.
While his guitars have yet to be used by guitar superstars, they are gaining a following among many professional guitarists and have travelled the world. They have been played and sold in places like Italy, Norway, and er, North Korea - British guitarist Jason Carter nervously strummed one in front of Kim Jong Il recently.
But I daresay apart from the handful of local guitarists who endorse his instruments, such as Paul Ponnudorai, not many amateur musicians in Singapore have heard of the brand and probably still go for more famous brands like Taylor or Fender.
Indeed, the whole reason why Get Singapore has been conceived is to inspire local brand loyalty among the masses here, and create more brand awareness of local products.
Many Singaporeans, they feel, need to know that Singapore is capable of, and has been, producing good quality goods.
But despite over three years of coaxing, organisers could only get 37 out of the 100 brands they approached to take part - the rest declined, still believing in that very "local equals shoddy" mindset that the campaign seeks to overturn.
More local retailers really ought to "step out of the closet", so to speak. Why pretend to be foreign with fancy European-sounding names or pictures of exotic models posing in Exoticland?
Sure, sometimes it helps to put across the idea that your brand has international appeal. But shoppers will still buy your product so long as it's of good quality and you put across a marketable stylish image.
This has borne out with local fashion brands such as Charles and Keith, m)phosis, GG<5, bYSI which have seen roaring success here thanks to their value-for-money togs.
Their items are staples in my wardrobe and I'd be happy to try out even more local retailers like them - if I knew who they were.
But let's not forget that two hands are needed to clap. We consumers need to get over our colonialist hangover and remember that slapping a picture of a blond model on a shop's storefront doesn't necessarily a good brand make.
I'm a consumer, I'm a Singaporean, and I want brands that have good quality and style. If I knew that a particular brand is local, I'd be even happier to support it knowing that I'm rewarding homegrown talent.
Would you?
Read Tessa Wong's story about the Get Singapore Brands programme.