Celebrity Life

Entrepreneur Sandy Ip has tapped into the pulse of her clientele by providing holiday brands under the aegis of her signature store The Beach Project.

The project is a subdivision of The Holiday Project, which transitions to its winter incarnation The Ski Project as the seasons change: in summer you’ll find swimwear, hats, and tennis ensembles; on the eve of winter, ski to après-ski ensembles, stylish winter accessories, and outerwear for men and women will line the racks. 

Like the signage on top of the entrance, everything in the store changes as the store has a “see now, buy now” philosophy. Any time you return, you’ll find an entire new collection - there are no warehouses filled with replenishable stocks, there is no wastage of space or storage. What you see is what you get, which you can pretty much say of Ip as well. 

Full of effervescent charm, she's known for her impeccable taste as the store is essentially a reflection of it. There isn't a piece she wouldn't personally wear - well, except for the menswear of course.

Housing a finely curated collection of brands she’s discovered while jet-setting around the globe for herself, her friends, and those who have similar lifestyles - you'll find brands like Devotion Twins, accessories from Nayam, hats from Blanc, and swimwear from Arabella, Gyre and Reina Olga among a host of others. Ip painstakingly (and at great cost) changes the sign above the store to reflect the time of the year.

It's casual elegance, refined taste and a hint of mischief. There’s a palpable sense of fun in the sun motif in the store – but by the time you read this feature, perhaps the entire shop will have morphed into a winter wonderland. There's never a dull moment with Ip.

How long have you been in Pacific Place now? 

Three years ago, we opened The Ski Project in Pacific Place, in Admiralty Hong Kong. It was a great success during November, just before people took off for winter vacation - many came in to shop and I sold out nearly everything. I wasn’t really hesitant as I knew I was looking at clients like me, who wanted to wear something fashionable and practical when on vacation. People don't just shop for known brands, they are willing to discover new things. Also, 90% of our customers are local like me - so I feel like this is a good place for them: the brands are on par with what is already in the mall, be it price-point, style, or elegance.

How do you describe the collection?  

Beautiful activewear and resort-wear. That's where we initially started because everyone in the market was wearing a certain kind of luxury brand or the really technical brands - such as the performance gear when you go on ski holidays. There was a huge gap in transitional activewear - something that you can wear from the slope to the city or to a ski chalet or, in summer, something that you can wear by the pool or on the beach. There are swimsuits we have that are so pretty, you can wear shorts over them, grab a sun hat and hit the town. I pick colours, cuts, and fabrics that I’d want to wear personally. I knew the store will be a reflection of not only my taste, but me. 

You have a limited collection and stock - no wastage.

Exactly, so any time somebody comes here there'll be new material, new items, new designers. The concept is "see now, buy now". There’s no saving it for next season – let alone the next year! Now, whenever we do replenish the stock, if we sell out, then we’ll bring in something entirely new.  

How did you pick your brands or designers? 

When I’m travelling, I pick brands and designers, first and foremost, based on what I like personally. I have to be authentic to the concept. It is based on what I believe the market is missing.

I also live the life of a modern traveller; they ski in the winter and they go to Greece in the summer! Well, that’s what I do! I'm catering to those who are active, exploring and are enthusiastic travellers. People who will snowboard [in winter] and, in the summer, will play tennis, travel on boats and yachts, swim at the beach - and want to look good while doing it.

The collection is for a wanderlust, who is active and healthy – she or he (we have menswear too) relates to the store and we want to create a community where people can share these values.

Since we last met, the menswear is a new and welcome addition.  

Yes, designers are introduced to me all the time. The Italian label Sease (a portmanteau of 'sea' and 'ease') was founded by Franco and Giacomo Loro Piana. All the fabrics are incredible. This is a capsule collection and we are the only retailer in Asia that sells it. The brand also believes in us and is is also in line with our philosophy. It's limited-edition excellence.  

What’s new in store today? 

At the moment, it's Chase swimwear – we are the only retailer that have it. If you ask me in a few weeks, I’ll have a different answer for you. Every two weeks we have new arrivals because we want to make sure that we have a great turnaround. 

So for every holiday, you plan to be the one-stop destination from head to toe, hat to boot.  

Anywhere in the world, it's very hard to find a one-stop destination where you can get everything from head to toe. You have to get your goggles somewhere, your jacket elsewhere, and for helmets and ski pants you have to go to a technical brand. But then you don’t have a full coherent look for winter. I hope to do that full look for everyone in one place. Our winter concept will start in October, until April next year. Then we switch again.

It isn’t just what's on the rack - the entire store gets an overhaul?   

Yes, we order furniture and display cases and we have an LCD screen where we play different videos. We also do mini popups with the brands that are exclusive to us. The only thing permanent right now is the location at Pacific Place.

The post Sandy Ip Would Like to Take You on a Holiday appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

After realising a gap in the market for a sophisticated, fun and stylish winter wardrobe in Asia, Sandy Ip along with three friends decided to take a leap of faith to fill the growing demand with The Ski Project. Though her new business has only been around for just over two years, her curation of slope-side fashion has made quite a name for itself, attracting modern travellers with its collections inspired by style, performance and comfort. Stocked in upscale department stores such as Lane Crawford in Hong Kong and Shanghai and the Emporium in Bangkok, her vision of the ski-set lifestyle has become easily accessible to snow carving lovers on this side of the world.

So, how did a girl with a background and degree in architecture and town planning establish herself to great heights in this niche industry? We stole a moment with the Founding Director herself for her tricks of the trade and what living the startup life means to her.

Name: Sandy Ip

Profession: Founding Director

Industry: Fashion/Lifestyle

Start up since: 2017

Company size: 20

Tell us about your business. What do you do?

Having spent 10 years working for luxury brands, I wanted a change. I started The Ski Project with 3 partners 3 years ago, feeling that there is a lack of stylish and technical slope to city winter-wear for fashion savvy customers in Asia. Our goal is not just to open a retail store but to bring to life the European lifestyle of the “Ski-Set” which at the time was not prominent in Asia. We began the business from Niseko in the winter of 2017. Since then, we have expanded to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Bangkok and we will open our all year-round winter to summer vacation wear concept at the newly opened Park Hyatt Hotel Hanazono, in Niseko Japan.

[caption id="attachment_175844" align="alignnone" width="960"] Sandy Ip of The Ski Project[/caption]

Tell me about your best and worst day at work? 

The best days are when we receive returning customers complimenting the style and functionality of the pieces they used while on their winter trip, coming back for more, and referring us to their friends and family. This really gives us a sense of satisfaction as we are providing a solution to something that is missing in the market.

The worst days are when the stress with working on store opening deadlines hit. Sometimes it is not a single person’s job to make things happen, all parties must be aligned and it is hard to get everyone working at the same pace or have the same sense of urgency as you’d wish.

What do you do when you’re not at work? 

Find me up in the mountains in the winter, or by the sea in the summer.

Looking back now, what would you have done differently?

Getting more comfortable with the unknown situation. As a Founder, you have to make decisions without knowing exactly what is coming.  But there is no need to stress about the outcome when there is no way of knowing. You just have to get comfortable with the situation and go with the flow.

[caption id="attachment_175847" align="alignnone" width="1125"] Hong Kong fashionista and mother of two, Alison Chan El Azar[/caption]

What is a normal work day like?

I start the day with reading about industry news and checking sales against plan and forecast. I'll also communicate to my team, reply to emails on the go, visit the point of sales, speak to customers and also review plans for the next months to come.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start up?

Be original and don’t copy a concept because others have made it happened. Authenticity is the most important. Stay relevant to what is going on and try not to be too consumed by just making money out of the business.

[caption id="attachment_175849" align="alignnone" width="1125"] Taiwanese-born and Hong Kong-based socialite, Feiping Chang[/caption]

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing what you do now? 

I would still be working in the corporate world of fashion. I actually really enjoyed working in a corporate environment and working with all the different departments. I don’t think I would have the same confidence starting my own business if not for all those years of training.

As a child, what did you aspire to be?

A ballerina when I was a child, and then a fashion buyer when I was a teenager. I thought it was the best job, which takes you to all the most beautiful cities in the world – the fashion capitals – New York, London, Milan and Paris. It wasn’t until later did I find out that it is more about number crunching and being a geek at excel spreadsheets. I have an Architecture and Town Planning degree from University, so it is funny how I ended up doing what I do now.

[caption id="attachment_175850" align="alignnone" width="960"] Sandy Ip of The Ski Project[/caption]

What has been your biggest hurdle?

The biggest hurdle would have to be the economic and financial situation in Hong Kong right now. This has taken the industry completely by surprise and there is nothing you can do about it.

How did you overcome it?

Luckily, we are still performing according to plan as we have diversified our point of sales to other parts of Asia this year.

[caption id="attachment_175851" align="alignnone" width="1119"] Loui Lim, the chairman of Genting Group[/caption]

Why is Hong Kong an important market for you?

People often ask me why I would start a luxury skiing retail concept in Hong Kong -- a city without any immediate ski slopes. The fact is, through this project, we have met so many people who are so passionate about the winter lifestyle. They are very open-minded and curious about the newest edits every year which made it very enjoyable to create this connection with them and it pushes us to create more elements within our curation.

If you were to invest in another start up, which would it be?

A drone that can withstand the adverse weather and can follow you around on the slopes taking video and pictures as you ski. Or a heated phone case, so your phone doesn’t freeze at sub-zero temperatures. These are the two things I wish I have with me when I am skiing.

[caption id="attachment_175848" align="alignnone" width="1042"] Singaporean socialite Arissa Cheo[/caption]

What are your goals for 2020? And in the near future?

We plan to expand on The Ski Project footprint – bringing the best winter edits to modern travellers.

How hands-on are you?

100%! I have a 360-degree role from merchandising, branding, marketing, social media, logistics, accounting to retail design and retail sales and operation.

How do you define success? Do you consider yourself successful?

I think part of being successful is building a brand from scratch and following your passion – it gives you a real sense of accomplishment. However, I do believe that it is best not to be give yourself too much credit when times are good, and not too much stress when times are tough. Stay humble, focus on growing the business and keeping it alive is key.

The post Startup Life: Sandy Ip of The Ski Project on Luxury Winter Apparel appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.