Having grown, evolved and flourished throughout the years, the iconic lady poses the rhetoric – “Would you ever dream a hairdresser would be the President of the Branding Association? That is legendary alone,” she reasoned.

And, not many who dare to dream can make their dream come true or turn it into a reality.
“For me, whether it’s in the field that I am involved or in the business angle of what I’m involved in – I really feel that that turning dreams into reality is how I carve a vision and a mission for myself. I set goals. I set things so difficult that why I am doing it is because I feel that there is always something out there,” she added.

“And, when I depart one fine day, in my footprints (I hope) people will say… ‘I like her story. It’s something. that I want to be like her one day… I hope to be like her. I want to be unstoppable’. So, people will look upon me and maybe tell their children that ‘If you want to cut people’s hair, then you better cut hair like Winnie Loo, you know, the hairdresser. Be like her ok. They can quote unquote say there was someone like her,” she enthused adding this vision leaves her with goosebumps and while she can’t explain it, she still feels an air of buoyed excitement with this.

Acknowledging the toughest thing is to stay relevant, the iconic aura surrounding her with her being instantly recognisable wherever she goes, establishes her as a Brand Legend ahead of her time. Relating how she chose hairdressing over fashion design which she now makes up for it in the clothes she wears, she felt at 19 that “there is a space and definitely a prestige and position” for her to venture into this creative industry, guaranteeing her father that she would shine when getting his blessings to study hairdressing in the UK.

Touching upon what it takes to be a legend, whether as the founder or the person who takes over a founding brand that has what it takes to continue breaking boundaries, “doing innovative things that people don’t see but you spot first” she said is key.

“It’s very important in any business that the one who is starting first is always the one who gets the pioneering status and the attention. For anyone to stay legendary, they must stand out and attract attention instantly rather than wait for people discover them. This element has to be uniquely there,” she offered.

An endearing trait which she credits to her success is the way she puts it “It’s never been about me, me, me. But it’s always ‘we, we’ we’.” Humility she said is such an important trait for a legend to stay relevant. “Even though legends are successful, they need to continue to stay humble and more importantly, there’s always a saying ‘I stopped studying but I never stopped learning’ while “Life is all about improving ourselves” of which lifelong learning is key.

“Since we are touching on the story of the legend, it’s why I boldly dare to do a legendary award. There’s no legend award in this country. It’s a legacy that I want to create for branding association as a president. And, I want this to be an opportunity for BAM to claim it. Whether the future president want to do it or not is immaterial, as I’ve done it. And there is a path, a footprint that someone eventually said, let’s do it again. It’s like once in a dream. Because I dream, I created it,” she shared. Creating the award at a time like this is a challenge as she realises that as President of BAM, there’s always a term in one’s contribution to the association.

“I cannot be leading the association as a president forever. So why not now and therefore, I take action now. I strongly feel that if I take action now as I feel I’m healthy and fit in launching this awards that has never been done before.”

“I feel that whatever I’m doing is for the goodness of the association at large. So that more members one day will say, ‘I want to join Branding Association because they’re inspiring and members out there, and they’re inspiring us as young entrepreneurs’,” she elaborated.

She concludes that she identifies legends based on the years for them to be in business while also taking into account the four years of the pandemic in which they have thrived and are doing even better now. “That’s a legend,” she quipped.

Reasoning that while sometimes, one may be a legendary brand but after 30 years. if one just cannot even render the business and quit – the ability to have a brand that can ride the waves of changing with time is non-existent.

“There is also an award for the young Emerging Brand Legend as they’re legacy in the making. Her son for example is handling the reins of Restyle + and the Aveda range of products.” Above all, she remains thankful for both men in her life – her husband Dato Richard Teo and her son Marcus Teo who she credits as her unsung heros who do not want to claim credit but are pillars supporting her success. They in turn, credit Datin Winnie as the true Brand Legend.