Fashion has always been an international affair. From ancient times, the marketplaces of the world heaved with fabulous fabrics from across the globe. The east, in particular, has always held an allure to the fashion conscious. In antiquity, the Silk Road brought exquisite Oriental pieces to the world stage. History, it seems, has repeated itself. Asia is the cornerstone of the world’s fashion manufacturing. The fashion industry globally is worth over $1.7 trillion. In China it is expected to grow by 10% in a decade. However, as is evident throughout history, the East has more to offer the fashion world then purely manufactured products. One brother sister duo are determined to show how the cultural vibrancy and fashion focus of Taiwan, combined with London’s status as a global city, can make a significant mark on the fashion world.
Meet Albert and Yvonne Lin, the savvy sibling team behind Zelle Studio. A contemporary fashion label, Zelle Studio is committed to providing streamlined ready-to-wear fashion for the modern woman. The Lins feel that fashion should provide a strong personal statement. To keep this message strong, Zelle Studio produces its collections in limited quality, ensuring that it remains empowering. BRIC Plus News spoke to Albert and Yvonne Lin about Zelle Studio, and the challenges of running a business between two different continents.
What challenges did you face creating a business in the emerging world?
One of the biggest challenges of starting a business in the emerging world, especially in the fashion world, is to create value for customers. Customers these days are tired of being sold to; marketed to…people are fed up with buying just ‘inventories’. Buying clothes is no longer a practical need; it’s more an emotional one. At Zelle, we want to create a lifestyle, an identity and a philosophy that is aimed at the strong, independent professional women that are looking for quality, exclusivity, comfort and style. The biggest challenge is to make sure our messages and values are heard in this extremely noisy space. We want to grow with all the Zelle women out there and create a brand that they can enjoy in every aspect.
How do you coordinate with the business arm being based in London, and the manufacture in Taiwan?
Yvonne and Albert Lin, co-founders of Zelle Studio
My brother and I are both extremely hands on and responsive to each other when it comes to Zelle. Email, Whatsapp, Skype, cloud system, you name it. Technology allows us to be in touch constantly whenever there is an issue that needs to be solved or a decision that needs to be made. It actually works out nicely that we are on different timezones as we work different sides of the clock from each other. Although Zelle is essentially a two person company, we are actually running 24/7. There is nowhere we won’t go to make sure that Zelle is seen and heard.
What are your aims for the brand?
We want our brand to instil the values of success, independence, femininity, professionalism, all the qualities of a modern woman. All of the styles are manufactured at low quantity to make sure that every style is a limited edition. Once a style is sold out, we will not produce more. We aim to give our customers the feeling of owning something unique and different. As we are sourcing ourselves, we insist on good quality materials and craftsmanship. The way we want Zelle Studio to be is coherent with the consumers we want to appeal to. We believe a woman that buys Zelle would care about quality, sourcing methods and exclusivity.
What advice would you give to others seeking business success in the emerging markets?
Linking back to people today are tired of being marketed to, customers generally appreciate authenticity and transparency. If you are providing a solution to a problem, rather than packaging it in a fancy way, be honest and direct with your messages. Here at Zelle, we want to enhance the lives of all Zelle women out there. Whether that is with our design, our fabrics or our blog. We are just as happy when our customers come to our site simply to read an interesting article because it might help them improve their lives.
Do you think that being aware of different cultural norms is important for business success?
Yes absolutely. More than ever, we live in a multicultural world where people from different walks of life come together and live in one place. Business owners should be aware of different ways of thinking, norms and expectations.
To see the entire Zelle Studio collection, visit their website here.
