Celebrating 10 Years of Lovingly Signed: A Decade of Personalised Baby Gifts, Big Dreams and Beautiful Beginnings

An Interview with Lovingly Signed’s Owner, Tanya Rolfe

Last month, Lovingly Signed turned ten. What began with one new mum in Singapore wondering why every personalised baby gift had to be shipped from overseas has grown into an international brand with a presence in three countries that has brought joy and helped welcome tens of thousands of babies and families. A decade on, the heart of the business is still the same: to make those first moments of life feel even more special, with gifts that feel truly personal.

Ten years in, how does it feel to look back at the journey so far?

It feels both humbling and energising. When I look back, I see the moments behind each order: a baby finally arriving after a long wait, colleagues celebrating a teammate, friends sending love across borders. Lovingly Signed has grown, expanded and become more sophisticated, but it is still about that quiet moment when someone opens a box, sees a name carefully embroidered and feels that someone really thought about them.

Take us back to the beginning. How did Lovingly Signed actually start?

Lovingly Signed was originally founded in Singapore by Amy Read. I joined early on as an investor who believed deeply in the idea and the potential of a truly local personalised baby gift brand. Over time, when Amy became busier with her other businesses, I jumped on the opportunity to step into the role of leading the company.

The spark, though, was always the same: in a place that cherishes family and where gifting is so important, there was no homegrown option for premium personalised baby gifts. Everything was being ordered from overseas. We wanted to change that and create something rooted in Singapore that could stand proudly next to international brands.

In your experience, what makes the “perfect” baby gift?

The perfect baby gift lives where emotion and practicality meet. New parents receive many things, so the question is: what will they reach for again and again, and what will they want to keep years later?

A personalised baby blanket is still, to me, the best and most idyllic baby gift. It is useful every day, and the embroidered name or date turns it into a keepsake that can be treasured long after the newborn stage. I even wrote a separate post just about why a blanket is such a special first gift. A well-chosen soft toy with the baby’s name has the same magic. It appears in photos, travels with the child and becomes part of the family’s story. The best gifts are not necessarily the biggest; they are the ones that feel considered and genuinely personal.

Lovingly Signed is now in Singapore, Hong Kong and the UAE. How do you keep the brand feeling local in each place?

For us, being local is about how we operate, not just what we say. In every country, we intentionally work with local photographers, creatives, couriers and boutique brands. Our hampers and gift sets are a blend of well-loved international labels and carefully chosen local partners.

Today, we offer more than 40 local and international brands across our sites, and that will continue to grow. The aim is simple: when you open a Lovingly Signed gift in Singapore, Hong Kong or Dubai, it should feel like it belongs to your city and your culture, not like something imported without thought.

You often say customers get boutique-level quality with marketplace-level speed. What does that mean in practice?

People are used to ordering almost anything and having it arrive very quickly. For a long time, personalised gifts were the exception – beautiful, but slow. We wanted to remove that compromise.

Behind the scenes, that means in-house personalisation, smart stock planning, fine-tuned workflows and strong relationships with our delivery partners. The result is that you can order a premium personalised gift from Lovingly Signed and have it delivered as fast as you would expect from platforms like Amazon. Only here you are not just getting speed; you are getting a truly thoughtful gift, beautifully wrapped, with a name on it.

Soft toys seem to be playing a bigger role at Lovingly Signed. What is happening in that collection?

Soft toys have always been part of the Lovingly Signed story, but we have really elevated that category. We are curating more characters, more textures and more designs, all held to the quality standards our customers expect.

By the end of this year, our soft toy collection will be the largest curated personalised soft toy range in Singapore. That means even more choice for parents and gift-givers, from timeless bunnies and bears to modern comforters, all ready to be embroidered and presented in our signature gift boxes.

We are seeing more and more baby gift companies in Singapore and around the world. How do you view the competition?

I see it as a sign that the category is vibrant and that people care about marking these moments properly. There is definitely room for different types of brands. Some companies focus more on low-cost products that will fill a hamper, and we know that budgets vary, and sometimes a simple, inexpensive gift is exactly what someone needs.

From the beginning, we chose a different path: to invest in quality, thoughtful curation and a very high level of service. As a mum, and with my experience, I can say with confidence that one well-chosen personalised item is often more valuable than a hamper full of low-cost products. That approach has helped us build a strong, loyal community. Our rate of returning customers is extraordinary. Families come back to us for the second baby, the third baby, birthdays and gifts for friends. That long-term trust is the most meaningful answer to competition we could ask for.

Where can people find Lovingly Signed beyond the website?

Our online stores in Singapore, Hong Kong and the UAE are still our main home, but you can also find Lovingly Signed in some very special places offline. In Dubai, for example, our products are available in a select number of the city’s best six-star hotels.

These partnerships make a lot of sense for us. Hotels that care deeply about every detail of their guest experience naturally gravitate towards baby gifts that are equally considered. Seeing our blankets and gifts in those environments is something I am very proud of.

What does the future look like for Lovingly Signed?

Oh, it is exciting just to think about it. I will try to stay modest and simply say that there is a lot of work happening quietly in the background. We cannot reveal too much yet, and there are many surprises to come.

What I can share is this: you will see Lovingly Signed in more countries, with new personalisation ranges that go beyond babies, and with some very big names joining our brand family. The heart of what we do will stay the same, but the ways you can gift with us are going to grow in some really fun and meaningful directions.

Anything else to say?

Yes! a very genuine thank you.

First, to our team in Singapore, Hong Kong and the UAE. You are the ones who turn an idea into a real gift in someone’s hands. Your care, speed and attention to detail are what make Lovingly Signed what it is. A vision alone is never enough; it is your daily work that makes all of this real, and I am incredibly grateful.

I also want to thank everyone who has chosen Lovingly Signed over the past ten years: you are the reason we are here. When you pick one of our gifts, you are not just buying a product. You are supporting a team that obsesses over the stitching, the colours, the packaging and the timing, so that your gift lands exactly the way you imagined.

We are a very client-driven brand. If you ever want to change something in your order, if you have a special request or even an idea for a new product, just call or message us and we will always do our best to make it happen.

To our community in Singapore, Hong Kong, the UAE and beyond, thank you for trusting us with your most precious moments, for coming back again and again, and for recommending us to the people you love. Here is to the next chapter: more babies, more names carefully embroidered, more local brands discovered and many more beautiful beginnings, lovingly signed.