Kawaii Goodies for the Young at Heart

If kawaii cats make you smile, you probably are a big kid at heart. (=^w^=)

Hi, I'm Irene, the artist and owner of Irene Koh Studio where you'll find clothing, accessories and more with absolutely adorable designs that celebrate who you are and what you love.

Working from my kitchen | Irene Koh Studio

My Story

When I was young, my dream was to work in an ice cream shop. In my young mind, that was the best job in the world because ice creams make people happy.

Somehow, I ended up in the financial services industry, doing stressful "adult stuff" like equity trading, banking, and investor relations. Fortunately, art offered me a sanctuary where I could drop the pretense of a serious adult and feel safe letting my inner child go wild.

Happiness is when you're free to be yourself!

Kawaii Cat Gray-gray

In 2019, a group of artists at Instagram started an art challenge to do daily illustrations based on "word of the day" for seven consecutive days.

Instead of making individual artworks for each word prompt, I created a story of a cheeky kawaii cat, named Gray-gray.

Gray-gray the Kawaii Cat | Irene Koh Studio

Many people told me my art makes them smile. 

The world is not perfect. Every day, the media is full of negative news that makes us sad or angry. Situations that are out of our control increase our anxiety and make us worry. 

Sometimes, all we need is something to make us smile.

In 2020, I took the courage to leave the financial services industry and work full-time on my creative business.

Childhood dream come true

Over the years, many customers shared their happiness with me when they receive their kawaii goodies. I LOVE seeing photos of their beautiful smiling faces.

In 2022, I set up the Happy Customer Gallery. Seeing a wall full of customers' smiling faces made me suddenly realize, I am living my childhood dream!

Instead of ice-creams, I am serving happiness in the form of kawaii goodies that I create. Irene Koh Studio is my "ice-cream shop" in real life!

My creations have delighted thousands of young at heart around the world. I hope they will brighten up your day too, even if you're feeling down.

So go ahead, browse the shop and find something that makes you smile. 

Professional Bio

Photo of Irene Koh and Kawaii Cat Gray-gray

Irene Koh is an artist and creative entrepreneur who specializes in kawaii illustration. After working in the financial services industry for over two decades, she took the road less traveled to become a full-time artist and established Irene Koh Studio. Her online kawaii shop offers lifestyle products, such as clothing, stationery and accessories, all adorned with her super cute designs.

Irene's adorable and inclusive art has delighted thousands of fans and customers from all over the world. Her signature Kawaii Cats Pride Collection is widely recognized in the LGBTQ+ community. Besides managing her eCommerce stores, she licenses her art to other companies, such as Amazon. Her designs have generated multiple six-figure revenue for her art-licensing clients.

She is available to comment on topics such as design & illustration, creative entrepreneurship and mid-career switch. Irene lives in Singapore with her husband.