Celebrity Life

Frustrated with the lack of tailoring options for women, Frederieke van Doorn decided to throw caution to the wind and start her own brand – Frey was born from a desire to dress women to fit their bodies, not the other way around.

It was certainly a bold venture, tailoring was – and still is – a male-dominated sector in the fashion industry, but van Doorn hopes to change women’s mindset towards tailoring and offer better fit and better quality for all. Nothing boosts confidence more than a perfectly fitted jacket or suit, and at FREY the options are endless.

A visit to its flagship store on Ice House Street starts with a digital body scan (this could also be done at home) to get your precise measurements before you take your pick of the many looks available. There’s a wide range to choose from, power suits for a boardroom meeting, to flowing skirts for a long saunter by the beach. Every clothing option is fully customisable, you can pick and choose from a range of patterns and fabrics available in the store. Each order takes about three weeks to create, and fittings are arranged back at the store to refine each and every outfit.

Name: Frederieke van Doorn
Profession: Tailor / Womenswear Designer
Industry: Fashion Design
Company Size: 7
Startup since: September 2020

Read on below to see how Frederieke van Doorn started Frey to bring our attention to women’s tailoring.

When was Frey started and how much has the team grown?

I started Frey in September 2020, the first thing I did was hire a designer, Yulia Tlili. The store opened at the beginning of September 2021, we are now seven, including myself.

What is your own background in fashion design and what led you to tailoring?

I studied Fashion in Amsterdam and I worked in men’s tailoring for the last 20 years. I lived and worked for 12 years in China where I produced high-quality men’s tailored suits.

When did you have the idea to start your own women’s tailoring brand?

I was always a bit annoyed by the fact that there isn’t a good woman’s tailoring brand available for women. Jackets and suits are a side business for a lot of brands, so the options are quite limited, and the quality level is mostly poor. Men have much more options in terms of tailored designs and better quality. Since we couldn’t travel anymore in 2020 the idea of starting a tailoring brand grew on me and I decided to go for it.

What are the challenges in your industry?

To expose and grow the brand socially, tell my story, tell what I do. The world is so fast now, you only get a few seconds of attention, you need to tell the whole story in just a few seconds when there is so much more to tell and show.

Describe a normal day for you.

I usually get up very early to do my workout, then I can be back in time to bring the kids to school. I am in the office around 9 o’clock where we do all kinds of things. We are a very small company, so I am involved in all aspects, design, marketing, sales, merchandising, finance, so my days are very different from one to another.

Tailoring has been the domain for gents for so long, how do you make it less intimidating for women to get into it?

I think it is a bit new for us women, which is strange since we do wear jackets and suits since the 40s and 50s, and it is required for many jobs nowadays. We offer pieces which fit very comfortably, in the best fabrics and in classic styles. In Hong Kong, men have their own preferred tailors, they go there for fittings to find the perfect fit, unfortunately, these tailors are not attractive for women. We would like to become known for the perfect female tailoring place with a modern flair and exquisite fit.

Is it quite different when designing for a female body versus a male body? Do women look for different fits and details?

Designing for the female body is more complicated but this is not only for my brand, but this is also for all the brands. Apart from the body, we have more options and choices out there, as well as more fashion orientated desires.

Your collection is also designed in a much wider range of sizes beyond what’s standard in the industry. Was this important for you?

The industry is slowly changing but I still cannot understand why you would have a sample size EU 32, and you grade that up till EU 42, that just doesn’t work. Especially in Hong Kong, the stores here hold such a small range of sizes, and so many women say I cannot shop in Hong Kong, they don’t have my size.

Frey’s personalised tailoring service is done digitally. How accurate is the technology and is this the future of tailoring?

I have been working with this app for a long time now. After doing some tests measuring by hand versus the app, sometimes the app was more accurate.

Can you tell us about the sustainable measures at Frey and why that is important for the brand?

It has become clear to all of us that whatever we do, we need to think about sustainability. This doesn’t happen overnight, but all decisions should be made with this in mind. We need to shift away from fast fashion and make better choices. That is why I choose natural materials because they are just better for life and last longer.

Using dead stock is sustainable but does it compromise design or style?

Not at all, we see this challenge as an inspiration. The design process starts with fabrics, it often dictates the shape, silhouettes, and design details, which together makes the collection.

What is your own personal favourite look for every day?

I really like to wear a good jacket that is tailored or a nice, oversized piece.

Are tailoring and suits for business only or do you dress women for different occasions?

Not only for business, but we also think of the process from day to night. Why not have dinner after a workday in a powerful suit, kick off the heels and put some sneakers under it?

Do you think owning and wearing a well-fitted suit can be empowering for women?

Absolutely, nothing is more annoying than wearing clothes you are not comfortable in. If you feel good in your clothes you feel freer and more empowered.

What advice would you give to other people who want to start their own business, especially girls and fresh graduates?

Be creative in finding solutions, never give up. Never stop learning, remember everyone’s path is different. Invest in good relationships with manufacturers and suppliers.

The post Startup Life: Frederieke van Doorn of Frey on Championing Women’s Tailoring appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

In this instalment of Startup Life, we speak to Jason Yau of Zyphr about activewear, the power of sport and the importance of mental health.

A young brand rooted in innovation, Zyphr was founded with the intention of combining science and high performance fabrics. Most importantly, millennial founder Yau is committed to building a local community that fosters social change and inclusion through sports.

Name: Jason Yau
Profession: Founder of Zyphr
Industry: Sportswear
Company Size:  10 people
Startup Since: January 2018

When did you launch your company and why?

I launched Zyphr in January 2018. Being a sports fanatic myself, I've always felt that in Hong Kong, we never had a sportswear brand that was truly born and breed locally. This inspired me to be the first one to try and make that dream a reality.

We are currently working with over 100 professional athletes in 12 different sports. They help us to test our materials and push our fabric quality to the next level. I wanted to create a brand that allows our professional athletes to have a voice and showcase who they are as people, while inspiring others.

What's Zyphr position in the activewear and wellness industry?

We are a life-performance wear brand. The concept is to blend lifestyle with high performance fabrics that excel in sweat-wicking and breathability. Hong Kong’s weather is extremely humid and hot, especially in spring and summer, and this is why using excellent sweat-wicking and breathable materials is key to our product development. Making it accessible to everyone is also important for us.

What were your main goals when you first started?

To develop products that I love and finding materials that are extremely comfortable to wear casually or during training. At the time, I felt that there were not many sportswear brands to choose from in Hong Kong and the quality was often compromised. I wanted to create my own version of life-performance wear and to build a community around the brand.

What's the inspiration behind your company's name?

Zyphr comes from Zephyr, the name of the Greek god of the west wind. He represents freedom, which aligns with our slogan, #DreamFearlessly. We believe that each human being is unique and special. Being fearless doesn’t mean that you are not afraid; it simply means that you are accepting that fear but you keep pursuing your dreams because nothing can, or should, stop you.

Have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur?

To be honest, I’ve always wanted to become a professional footballer growing up. I had the opportunity to study abroad in England and the United States and within those ten years, I’ve played high level rugby and football for my school and university. But while I was working for Reebok at their headquarter in Boston back in 2016, I had this inner feeling that starting my own company was the right step for my career... I was 23 and the rest is history!

Tell us about the main milestones and challenges of your startup journey.

We came a long way since we started back in 2018. From reaching out to the fitness trainers and gyms to promote our products to working with over 100 professional athletes across the world including Olympians and some of the top Hong Kong athletes, like Sasha Palatnikov in the UFC, Russell Webb and Max Denmark in Rugby 7’s and Dudu Klein and Wai Wong in Football.

Opening our own popup store this year was also a massive step forward for us to engage and speak with our customers directly. The next step is to expand globally and our team is working hard to make that goal a reality this year.

Starting a company is the hardest thing I’ve done in my life and It doesn’t get any easier, but you just get more experienced with time. Mental health is a key topic these days and I think it is very important to talk about it as you will definitely experience a roller-coaster of emotions and struggles as an entrepreneur because of the uncertain nature of the business. You must build a strong support system around you and have close friends and family to talk about the issues you are facing. It is ok to admit you need help and have the right people to guide you through the right path.

What are some dos and don’ts of starting your own company?

When you are starting a company, you have to develop the skills and the ability to read situations on a macro-level. You have to have your own vision, be honest and be direct with the people you are working with. We tend to run away from uncomfortable conversations, but that's not possible in business.

Good things do take time. It is important that you test your idea out on a small scale to then develop something bigger. Do not dwell on your failures because failures are the key lessons for you to be mentally stronger.

What's next for Zyphr?

2021 was a great year for us. We learned a lot in terms of how to deal with the changes brought by the pandemic and to adapt to a new life. We opened five popup stores across Hong Kong and that was very helpful as a learning process as well.

The next step is to continue to push the brand to the next level by expanding our offerings, working on our online store and building an even stronger community and set of resources for youth in Sport. We are currently working with Nation Soccer, a Brazilian Football School in Hong Kong, AS Football Centre and Azzurri Football Club in the Yau Yee Division 1 League. The goal is to help kids and amateur football players to gain new skills to support their future career endeavours.

The post Startup Life: Jason Yau of Zyphr on the Unifying Power of Sport appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

In this instalment of Startup Life, Simran Mohinani of MOHLIA talks infinity roses, luxury gifting, and getting ahead of the designer florist-curve.

It’s the season of giving and gifting, making it an excellent time to chat with expert Simran Mohinani. She launched her floral company MOHLIA during the peak of the pandemic, when customers were rushing to find ways to connect with loved ones. With Mohinani's wide network, she was able to ensure that her cheerful, long-lasting floral arrangements reached recipients all over the world, and on time. The company has now evolved to include much more – here’s a look at this enterprising entrepreneur.

Name: Simran Mohinani
Profession: Founder and CEO of MOHLIA
Industry: Luxury Gifting
Company Size: 26 people
Startup Since: August 2020

When did you decide to launch your own company and why did you start it?

I launched my first company back in 2017, during my second year of University. I had just started my career as an author and was eager to start investing my first source of income into something wonderful, as I had always been told you should make your money work for you. I learned about the stock market and put quite a chunk of money into it. While reading about the companies I was choosing to invest in, I thought about how fun it would be to start something of my own. I always knew I wanted to be my own boss, so it was just a matter of time.

When I started MOHLIA, I already had two businesses and had written three books. But with this project, I immediately knew there was different energy associated with it. I got the idea of starting an infinity flower business because I had so many bouquets and arrangements dotted around my apartment in Boston and house in London, and once Covid hit, my space lacked so much without it. When I tried looking for alternatives here in Asia, there were none. We decided to bridge the gap between luxury and innovation in the flower industry by creating our own version of the product, whilst keeping things affordable and sustainable – here in Hong Kong. 

There are obviously a lot of designer florists in the region – how are you keeping ahead of the curve?

MOHLIA has grown out of being just another flower company. We are a luxury gifting and lifestyle business with so much to offer. We've collaborated with small, medium and large-scale businesses worldwide to make ourselves the one-stop gifting shop for any client, of any age around the world. We've created our own private label of extraordinary, sulfite-free, sustainable, Italian DOCG wines that pair beautifully with the other products on our site You can expect to find anything from candles to cookies, jewellery and more at MOHLIA. In terms of our flowers, we have our own twist on the classic flower arrangements, but now are venturing out into flower sculptures, wall art and even flower handbags, speakers and trunks.

What are the challenges in your industry?  

Like with any industry, we do face challenges, we've actually gotten into a legal battle at one point a few months ago with someone trying to duplicate our business concept, products and name! As a team, we face every new challenge with a level-head and the utmost support for each other and confidence in what we create.

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of this business is... truly everything! I wake up excited to go to work every day, and I anticipate my to-do list, meetings and events. The most rewarding thing for me is being the connection between two loved ones, when we deliver a gift across the world from someone who wants it sent to their best friend, significant other, parent, sibling, colleague, it makes it all worth it. 

Describe a normal workday for you.

Any entrepreneur will tell you that there is no 'normal' workday. A typical day for me would include at least an hour of exercise, as much family time, time with my dog. Daily meditation, sage-ing my space, reading and catching up on TV in my downtime. There are constant calls in different time zones, meetings, touching base with my team, keeping track of orders and accounts, sometimes cool networking events, pop-ups, emails, lots of pre-planning for events, designing, talking to suppliers, the list goes on and never really ends.

Where did you study and did that inform your career?

I studied at Northeastern University in Boston and had the best four years of my life. I majored in entrepreneurship and innovation, minored in global fashion studies. I did two sets of six-month work experience; first, at an app company in London. The second, at the W hotel in Boston – which I think definitely helped with my people skills. I also did a study abroad in Sicily, where I toured Italy and actually discovered the vineyard that I work with now to produce my wines. Every professor, class and person I met or took on along my journey shaped me into the individual I am today and gave me the confidence, skills and drive to tackle the entrepreneurial world.

As a teen, was this your passion? 

As a teen my passion was everything, and I think that really helped me to create and imagine what I do today. I am a serial entrepreneur and author now, but I want to be so much more. I want to dip into F+B and conceptualize my own restaurants in the future, produce music and film with my love for visual arts, and help philanthropic causes particularly with animal conservation in the future.

What advice would you give to other people wanting to start their own business, especially young girls and fresh grads? 

Ladies, the world needs YOU. Not who people want you to be, not the expectations and standards we are conformed to adhere to, individual, authentic, beautiful you. Follow your dreams even if you're scared, you have one life, and everything is temporary anyway so you might as well take the plunge, and if you by chance fail, pick yourself up and start again. There is nothing the universe doesn't notice, so surrender to it and manifest your destiny. Making up reasons not to start is invalid because all you need is your passion and drive, you'll learn the rest as it comes. J.K. Rowling started writing Harry Potter on a napkin in a coffee shop, Ellen DeGeneres had a thousand doors slammed in her face before she was given a 'Yes', but they followed their gut, and one 'Yes' is all it takes to live your purpose every day.

Where do you want to see your company in five years? 

I want to be selling our flowers on the Moon! There is nowhere I can't see us going, my vision for MOHLIA is to be the one-stop-shop of luxury gifting worldwide. I would love to be a household name globally. I want to make a shift in making the floral industry a more eco-conscious place, a true change in the world.

You say you're a serial entrepreneur. What else are you working on? 

My first business is in denim supply, my second is a consulting firm for young entrepreneurs, MOHLIA is my first direct B2C company, and we are planning on creating a sister brand that launches next year, called 'Sof's' – luxurious products for pets and paw-rents that don't break the bank

And what’s next for you in the coming year?  

We have a lot of huge projects and partnerships coming up which is so exciting. Expanding our product line and retail presence globally as well as scaling our online business to the next level. I am very excited to launch Sof's which will fill a very authentic and much-needed gap in the pet market, sourcing the best goods for every type of pet. I don’t know what’s in the future – but I do know the best is yet to come. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The post Startup Life: Simran Mohinani of MOHLIA on Designer Florists and Luxury Gifting appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Serial entrepreneur and cultural maven Joanne Ooi talks curating diverse, sophisticated and inspiring art and culture content.

Since moving from the Hong Kong hustle to the idyllic English countryside, Joanne Ooi had been looking for a project that would make an impact in her new home. The EA Festival in East Anglia was born, debuting at the end of July at the ancient Hedingham Castle. From music to culture and sex, Ooi talks about curating diverse, sophisticated, inspiring content and how her previous careers informed the way she’s taken on this latest, very different challenge.  

Name: Joanne Ooi
Profession: Founder of EA Festival
Industry: Culture & Arts
Company Size:
Startup Since: 2020

Tell us about your business. What do you do and why did you start it?

I’m the founder of a new music, art, and culture festival in the UK called EA Festival. I started it during lockdown because, since I moved to the UK from Hong Kong, I had been mulling ideas about, first, what to do with my life, and, second, how best to make a contribution to the community where I now live, the rural countryside on the border of Suffolk and Essex counties in England.

What is the message behind your brand?

The EA Festival brand is very much about fastidious, personal curation combined with the concept of ‘glocalisation’. The latter means presenting issues of importance to regional and local audiences, but through a lens that allows those discussions to resonate universally. To take an example, one of our panels in the opening festival is entitled 'The Ethical Carnivore'. The goal is to debunk pernicious myths about livestock farming’s contribution to climate change by speaking to farmers and experts from East Anglia involved in regenerative agriculture. Grazing ruminants are indispensable to the latter. There’s no point in talking to audiences out here about the preoccupations of urban millennials, like vertical farming or going vegan. It’s important to remember my audience but also to create content of universal fascination and utility.

This festival also disregards silos completely and operates across a breathtaking range of subjects and styles, from traditional arts and letters to talks about sex and eco-fashion. Siloed content is usually the product of marketing or manufacturing convenience rather than programming devised to optimise the pleasure of the consuming audience. The most obvious example is the traditional literary festival, which is essentially a marketing platform to launch new books. But that’s not how people necessarily want to consume content. Anyone with a vibrant intellectual life is interested in a wide range of issues, not just history or wine or poetry or chamber music. Rather, most sophisticated audiences want excellence more than anything else. My sincere belief is that anything can be interesting.

Tell me about your best and worst days at work?

Monday is god awful because of the sheer quantum of work that has piled up over the weekend. The best day of the week is Saturday, for the simple reason that it’s the only day I take a wee spot of time off. At least that’s the way it’s been for the past three months.

How hands-on are you?

I’ve basically launched this festival by myself with 1.5 interns and a quarter-time volunteer. But I love it -- because a festival is all about quality control -- literally down to the sentence.

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

I’ve done and been in many startups and startup situations. Be ready to acknowledge major mistakes and modify or correct the business model IMMEDIATELY to take those into account. Second, great ideas never translate automatically into large audiences. Building the latter is hard graft and unavoidable. It takes three years to make anything big or great.

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

I’d be doing what I’ve been doing for the past five years since moving to the UK, consulting companies on marketing and SEO. My consulting clients are always in big cities, so I launched this project to implant myself where I actually live.

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

I’m insane about tennis and watch and play it every day literally. Outside of tennis, I’m usually reading about tech, sociopolitical analysis or listening to a podcast about the same thing.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

In my thirties, someone told me my writing really sucked and I took that very, very seriously and actively worked on improving it.

As a child, what did you aspire to be?

All I can remember is that I was obsessed with fashion and wanted to work at Vogue instead of becoming a corporate lawyer.

What has been your biggest hurdle and how did you overcome it?

I’ve enjoyed a privileged life, armed with a blue-chip education, so there haven’t been many hurdles, objectively speaking. The main hurdle anyone faces -- in life -- is connecting thought to action -- acknowledging flaws in yourself or your plan -- and making the changes necessary to ameliorate either the outcome or one’s character.

My biggest “hurdle” is definitely my perfectionism. I can’t accept a mere 80/20 Pareto outcome. This personality trait leads me to do everything myself instead of relying on others. Consequently, I didn’t start relying on other people until I was around 45 years old and, considering the very big projects I had undertaken until then, it was a very stressful and exhausting way to live one’s life. That’s my way of saying all my hurdles have been mental ones -- in my own mind.

What's kept you sane during the pandemic?

Switching off the phone and delving into old -- as in classic and ancient -- masterpieces - in short, serenity and aestheticism. This was a new diet I overlaid on top of my usual one of voraciously consuming tech and tennis.

What's been your career highlight so far?

I’m still remembered and introduced as the former creative director of Shanghai Tang who turned it around when the Richemont Group invested in the brand BUT, in fact, my main career highlight is starting an environmental group and being an activist on the street. It was my introduction to third sector life and forever changed my perspective on what I should be doing with my life. There is no reward greater than contributing to civil society and influencing attitudes and behaviour that shape the polis, to use the Aristotelian term.

What are your goals for 2021? And in the near future?

For 2021, my goal is just to survive this upcoming festival without losing my shirt or my mind. But longer-term and following on from my answer to the last question, it is literally to increase the supply and demand of culture in non-urban areas, beginning, I hope, in East Anglia, where I live. After moving to England four years ago, finally, I figured out what I want to do with my life -- what I SHOULD do with my life. That mission entails increasing the supply of high quality art and cultural events where I live.

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

Considering my workaholism and perfectionism, you’ll be surprised at this answer: What really counts is your children; it’s really the only thing that you’re concretely leaving behind for sure. My son, now 22, shows me that I’ve already succeeded in life.

The post Startup Life: Joanne Ooi of EA Festival on Curating Diverse Art and Culture appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Fifty metres underground — this is the depth that local winemakers chose when they decided to store 10,000 wine bottles in the Aven d'Orgnac caves, an underground tourist attraction located at the southern end of the limestone plateau of the Gorges de l'Ardèche.

The experiment began in March 2018, when a new storage facility was specially created in a disused access tunnel to allow wine to mature in what amounts to a highly stable and peaceful environment.

A living product that ages best in undisturbed darkness, the wine will have benefited from ideal conditions: A constant temperature of around 12°C and an all-year-long rate of humidity of over 95%.

On December 12, 1,000 bottles of Côtes du Vivarais "Grand Aven 2017" from this treasure trove will be passed from hand to hand by a chain of human volunteers who will bring them back to the surface after two years underground. Thereafter, they will go under the hammer with a range of other local vintages in an auction with modest reserve prices.

Lots on offer will include 150 magnums of Terra Helvorum 2017 starting at 30 euros, 350 bottles of 2015 Terra Helvorum for as little as 15 euros and 350 bottles of Grand Aven 2016 from just 10 euros.

On land and sea

These days, experiments to store wine deep underground are very much in vogue in France. On June 3 of this year, 500 bottles were placed in racks at a depth of 103 metres in caves in Padirac under the watchful eye of Serge Dubs, the Best Sommelier of the World in 1989.

The first of these to return to the surface will be brought up for an initial tasting in the spring of 2021. And let's not forget that this experiment is focused on a very particular wine: A Clos Triguedina Cahors, christened Cuvée Probus, which has been produced to honour the 130-year anniversary of the Padirac Chasm.

Surprisingly enough, this new approach to maturing wine was initially inspired by a find at sea. In 2010, divers in the Baltic discovered a wreck containing what turned out to be a cargo of champagne, which was probably on its way to 1840s Russia.

The wave of experimentation that is now ongoing began when the bubbly, which was made by such houses as Veuve Clicquot, Heidsieck and the now defunct Juglar, was discovered to still be delicious after some 170 years under water.

In Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the French Basque country, winemaker Emmanuel Poirmeur has registered a patent for a process that involves vinifying wine in special vats at a depth of 15 metres under water. For its part, Leclerc-Briant set a record when it vinified one of its champagnes at a depth of 60 meters under the Atlantic in 2012, not surprisingly the vintage was christened "Abyss."

The post Startup Life: Natasha Moor on Beauty, Female Empowerment and Philanthropy appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Fifty metres underground — this is the depth that local winemakers chose when they decided to store 10,000 wine bottles in the Aven d'Orgnac caves, an underground tourist attraction located at the southern end of the limestone plateau of the Gorges de l'Ardèche.

The experiment began in March 2018, when a new storage facility was specially created in a disused access tunnel to allow wine to mature in what amounts to a highly stable and peaceful environment.

A living product that ages best in undisturbed darkness, the wine will have benefited from ideal conditions: A constant temperature of around 12°C and an all-year-long rate of humidity of over 95%.

On December 12, 1,000 bottles of Côtes du Vivarais "Grand Aven 2017" from this treasure trove will be passed from hand to hand by a chain of human volunteers who will bring them back to the surface after two years underground. Thereafter, they will go under the hammer with a range of other local vintages in an auction with modest reserve prices.

Lots on offer will include 150 magnums of Terra Helvorum 2017 starting at 30 euros, 350 bottles of 2015 Terra Helvorum for as little as 15 euros and 350 bottles of Grand Aven 2016 from just 10 euros.

On land and sea

These days, experiments to store wine deep underground are very much in vogue in France. On June 3 of this year, 500 bottles were placed in racks at a depth of 103 metres in caves in Padirac under the watchful eye of Serge Dubs, the Best Sommelier of the World in 1989.

The first of these to return to the surface will be brought up for an initial tasting in the spring of 2021. And let's not forget that this experiment is focused on a very particular wine: A Clos Triguedina Cahors, christened Cuvée Probus, which has been produced to honour the 130-year anniversary of the Padirac Chasm.

Surprisingly enough, this new approach to maturing wine was initially inspired by a find at sea. In 2010, divers in the Baltic discovered a wreck containing what turned out to be a cargo of champagne, which was probably on its way to 1840s Russia.

The wave of experimentation that is now ongoing began when the bubbly, which was made by such houses as Veuve Clicquot, Heidsieck and the now defunct Juglar, was discovered to still be delicious after some 170 years under water.

In Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the French Basque country, winemaker Emmanuel Poirmeur has registered a patent for a process that involves vinifying wine in special vats at a depth of 15 metres under water. For its part, Leclerc-Briant set a record when it vinified one of its champagnes at a depth of 60 meters under the Atlantic in 2012, not surprisingly the vintage was christened "Abyss."

The post Startup Life: Janice Tam of Crunch Concepts on Bespoke Branding appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Fifty metres underground — this is the depth that local winemakers chose when they decided to store 10,000 wine bottles in the Aven d'Orgnac caves, an underground tourist attraction located at the southern end of the limestone plateau of the Gorges de l'Ardèche.

The experiment began in March 2018, when a new storage facility was specially created in a disused access tunnel to allow wine to mature in what amounts to a highly stable and peaceful environment.

A living product that ages best in undisturbed darkness, the wine will have benefited from ideal conditions: A constant temperature of around 12°C and an all-year-long rate of humidity of over 95%.

On December 12, 1,000 bottles of Côtes du Vivarais "Grand Aven 2017" from this treasure trove will be passed from hand to hand by a chain of human volunteers who will bring them back to the surface after two years underground. Thereafter, they will go under the hammer with a range of other local vintages in an auction with modest reserve prices.

Lots on offer will include 150 magnums of Terra Helvorum 2017 starting at 30 euros, 350 bottles of 2015 Terra Helvorum for as little as 15 euros and 350 bottles of Grand Aven 2016 from just 10 euros.

On land and sea

These days, experiments to store wine deep underground are very much in vogue in France. On June 3 of this year, 500 bottles were placed in racks at a depth of 103 metres in caves in Padirac under the watchful eye of Serge Dubs, the Best Sommelier of the World in 1989.

The first of these to return to the surface will be brought up for an initial tasting in the spring of 2021. And let's not forget that this experiment is focused on a very particular wine: A Clos Triguedina Cahors, christened Cuvée Probus, which has been produced to honour the 130-year anniversary of the Padirac Chasm.

Surprisingly enough, this new approach to maturing wine was initially inspired by a find at sea. In 2010, divers in the Baltic discovered a wreck containing what turned out to be a cargo of champagne, which was probably on its way to 1840s Russia.

The wave of experimentation that is now ongoing began when the bubbly, which was made by such houses as Veuve Clicquot, Heidsieck and the now defunct Juglar, was discovered to still be delicious after some 170 years under water.

In Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the French Basque country, winemaker Emmanuel Poirmeur has registered a patent for a process that involves vinifying wine in special vats at a depth of 15 metres under water. For its part, Leclerc-Briant set a record when it vinified one of its champagnes at a depth of 60 meters under the Atlantic in 2012, not surprisingly the vintage was christened "Abyss."

The post In Real Life: Veronica Chou of Eco and Inclusive Fashion Label Everybody & Everyone appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

In the face of COVID-19, there's a shift in consumer buying behaviour. The fashion industry is faced with uncertainties, but to Jeremiah Hui, founder of Heard by Odbo and director of Odbo online, new opportunities arise as online shopping becomes the new norm. He shares with us how he adapts to the new era of fashion e-commerce.

Name: Jeremiah Hui

Profession: Founder of Heard Odbo and Cirector of Odbo online

Industry: Fashion retail, e-commerce

Start up since: 2019

Company size: 22 people

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Good energy is much needed in this unprecedented times. Many are skeptical about crystals' healing power, or even feel intimidated or repelled by it. But to Jenny Lam, founder of Moon Convos, crystals are more than just beautiful stones. We talk to her about the idea behind her brand and how she plans to spread positive vibes.

Name: Jenny Lam

Profession: Founder

Industry: Holistic & Wellness Service

Start up since: Feb 2020

Company size: One (wo)man band

The post Startup Life: Jenny Lam of Moon Convos On Her Crystal Craze appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Fashion accessories brand, Senreve is about more than just luxury leather goods. Co-founders Coral Chung and Wendy Wen explain the important messaging behind their concept and how they made it big in the bag business.

Born out a personal need for an "it" bag that is fashionable, durable and affordable for the modern woman, the two friends Coral and Wendy aimed to fill a gap in the market. Back in 2016, the duo established the Senreve brand, and their first carryall, the Maestra bag. Using premium quality Italian leather in a timeless design that is both stylish and incredibly functional, the Maestra became an instant hit. We chat with the entrepreneurs to learn how they turned a simple idea into a successful startup business.

Names: Coral Chung and Wendy Wen

Profession: CEO and COO

Industry: Luxury Fashion

Start up since: November 2016

Company size: Team of 30+ globally, have raised over US$23M in capital to date

The post Startup Life: Coral Chung and Wendy Wen of Senreve on Inspiring Women Who Do It All appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Wouldn’t it be great to know the optimal diet that successfully makes you lose weight? Or understand your skin’s natural ability to combat wrinkles and be able to strengthen that ability? Or even better, detect that you have a high risk of cancer and be able to prevent rather than treat it?

The good news you can do all these things and more -- all it takes is a simple saliva swab.

We’re talking about Circle DNA, the world’s most comprehensive DNA test that delivers over 500 personalised reports on categories such as disease risk, food sensitivity, and even your personality and behavioural traits. It’s backed by Chinese stars G.E.M., Gigi Leung, and Vanness Wu, and it might just be the health and wellness solution of the future.

We decided to delve a little deeper and met up with CEO and Co-founder Danny Yeung to find out more. Read on to discover how he started, what it takes to be in the genetic-testing industry and most importantly, does it actually work?

Name: Danny Yeung
Profession: CEO and Co-founder of Circle DNA (Prenetics)
Industry: Genetic Testing
Startup since: 2014

Tell us about your business in your own words.

With a simple saliva sample you can uncover different things about yourself -- your genetic blueprint. Things like how to optimise your diet and nutrition, stress profile, pharmacogenetics (your response to drugs), as well as more serious items related to health. It can identify your genetic risk for cancers and diseases: dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s. Even for family planning: if you’re looking to have a child, you can check if you or your partner have any genetic conditions that may or may not pass on to your unborn baby.

You can have a full profile of yourself so you can understand what you need to watch out for, areas that need attention and areas that can be optimised -- it’s optimised wellbeing.

We are focused on health and prevention. We believe everyone should have the power to understand this information. And once you have this information, this is where you can make changes to your diet and lifestyle, ultimately delaying diseases and cancers.

[caption id="attachment_165700" align="alignnone" width="2560"] There are four different Circle DNA test kits that range from HK$1,490 to HK$4,990[/caption]

What’s behind the name Circle DNA?

Circle of life! It’s our direct consumer genetics testing brand, so we wanted to have a name that people would relate to and can remember, and ultimately understand what we do straight away.

Tell me about your best and worst days at work?

The best days are when we launch a product, or when we interview passionate potential employees that eventually join us. New partnerships or distribution deals, too. These are good days. But I do think that we make good progress every day, so I guess, they’re all good days. Ultimately what drives us is that we are making a difference for society. We’re making a difference to someone’s health, to their family and potentially the next generation.

I don’t know if there is a worst day. I have a very optimistic viewpoint naturally. It’s something that comes with being an entrepreneur, I think. Every day has its ups and downs; the challenge is how you get through them.

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

When I’m not at work, I like to spend time with my daughter. She’s five years old. We like to take her out to play. Recently, we’ve been spending a lot of time on the South Side and we go to the beach.

[caption id="attachment_165705" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Yeung with his daughter[/caption]

Is that how you ‘switch off’?

Not really. As an entrepreneur, you always have to be switched on. So throughout my life, or at least in the last 15 years since becoming an entrepreneur, it’s been a big part of me, always making sure I’m available. So I never switch off fully.

I look at things with a very logical and optimistic perspective so I don’t get stressed much, either. I try not to dwell on things, especially things I can’t control.

Looking back now, what would you have done differently?

Everything that we have done is part of the learning process. Do I regret anything? No. We’re moving in the right direction. The reason we launched Circle [DNA] now, as opposed to 4, 3 or 2 years ago, is because health and wellness has only become a much bigger topic in the last year or two. People are more aware now. So launching now, people already have a good idea.

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

In the health industry, you have to be a little more patient. It takes time to gain traction. Also, there are certain regulatory aspects, government approvals, lab certifications and a lot of different things that you have to do properly. At the end of the day, it’s about people’s health, so you want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to make sure you’re providing the best information to people.

Also, you need to have different stakeholders. Different partners. People that can help get the word out about health. You need to have different parties involved.

Lastly, find out your unique selling proposition, whatever business you’re in. If you don’t have one, then you shouldn’t go into business. A lot of people don’t realise that.

[caption id="attachment_165703" align="alignnone" width="1200"] (Left to right) Vanness Wu, Gigi Leung, G.E.M. and Danny Yeung[/caption]

As a child, what did you aspire to be?

Actually, I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I knew that I wanted to have my own business. I didn’t know that it would be this, but I knew I wanted to do my own thing. That’s why I started working really young. I started when I was 15! Or at least that's when I was getting paid. I started working at a baseball card shop when I was 12 and the owner paid me in baseball cards.

What has been your biggest hurdle and how did you overcome it?

I wouldn’t say hurdle, but the biggest challenge, even now, is education. There’s still a lot of misinformation about what genetic testing can do. There’s are people who are like, “I don’t want to know” because they think it’s like a paternity test. But the technology has evolved to be much more than that, so awareness and education for genetic testing is still very important.

We’ve been able to do that somewhat, and have utilised three celebrities -- G.E.M., Vanness [Wu] and Gigi Leung -- who have come on board as our ambassadors. G.E.M., who is also an investor of the company, is putting her own personal name on it. It helps to create awareness, but it’s a continuous challenge. We’re still quite new to this space. I mean, in the US, roughly 8% of the population have done a genetic test. Here, in Asia, it’s only about 0.08%. So you can see the growth opportunity is massive.

Why is Hong Kong such an important market for Circle DNA?

I think Hong Kong is a great place. It’s like the hub between China and Southeast Asia, the connector. I also think Hong Kong is a challenging business environment. If you can survive and succeed here, you should be able to succeed anywhere else. It’s fast-paced and people are passionate here, too.

[caption id="attachment_165702" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Yeung with G.E.M., an investor and ambassador of Circle DNA[/caption]

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

I think there are a lot of innovations in health and AI. Better solutions. There is still a lot of opportunity here. For instance turning something invasive into non-invasive. These are areas that are worth looking into.

What are your goals for 2019? And in the near future?

We are putting further effort into Circle DNA. Last month, we announced a major and exclusive partnership with Watsons where you can walk into any of the stores in Hong Kong and buy our product.

We’re looking to launch in Singapore and Taiwan next year as well, not to mention expanding our business in China. As for new products on the market, that’ll be next year, too.

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

There may be people that already consider me successful, but I don’t look at it that way. I still feel we have a very long way to go. We’re maybe at 1% of where we should be, but it has been a great journey thus far. We’ve been making the right strategic moves, we have the right investors, the right partnerships and the right business model. Now, we have to just scale and execute.

Ultimately we want to impact millions of people here in Asia. Once we reach a million people, then I might say, “Hey, we’re on to something”. But after that, I’ll have more goals.

[caption id="attachment_165704" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Yeung with the Circle DNA team[/caption]

With other genetic tests on the market, how does Circle DNA compare with the others?

For our technology, the first thing to note is that we utilise whole exome sequencing, while our competitors utilise a technology called genotyping. The problem with genotyping is you’re only looking at a snip of a gene. You’re not looking at the whole gene, so you’re likely to miss a lot. In fact, a recent study revealed that genotyping companies have a 85% false positive rate. Which means if they provide any positive results, 85% of the time, it’s wrong.

Meanwhile, our test has also been externally validated by CUHK, the Croucher Laboratory for Human Genomics, for analytical accuracy at 99.9%. Accuracy to determine that gender mutation does exist in your body.

Do you have examples of people that Circle DNA has worked on?

I’m a prime example. About three years ago, I actually detected that I have an increased risk of colon cancer. So of course, I was quite scared and shocked because I don’t have a family history of cancer. In fact, 40-50% of people who have genetic mutations do not have a history.

It was because of that risk that I modified my diet and lifestyle. I cut out red meat and lost over 20 pounds over the last 3 years. And I also started early screening at 37 years of age. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t get those results. I would have most likely waited until age 50, which is the global recommendation for screening. But for someone like me with an increased risk, that may have been too late for me.

So will I live longer if I take the test?

That’s a bold statement to make, but I can certainly say that our tests can definitely delay or help people to prevent diseases and cancers, therefore saving lives.

For more information about Circle DNA, visit their website here.

The post Startup Life: Danny Yeung of Circle DNA on How Genetic Testing Can Save Lives appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Seeing the need for personalised frames to suit every face shape, Canadian-Chinese entrepreneur Doris Ngie built her brand AMAVII to do just that. In this instalment of Startup Life, we get to know more about the first ever eyewear brand that uses aerospace titanium material to create lightweight and practical sunglasses, in three different sizes for every style they offer. It's no wonder the Hong Kong startup quickly became a Hollywood-favourite.

In our interview, we catch up with Doris to find how she built her brand and why celebrities like Gigi Hadid, Jennifer Lopez, Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner are frequently seen in her designs.

Name: Doris Ngie

Profession: Founder & CEO

Industry: Fashion and accessories

Company size: Under 10 staff spanning across six cities

Start up since: 2018

The post Startup Life: Doris Ngie of AMAVII on the First Aerospace Titanium Eyewear appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.