Celebrity Life

It's estimated that the world throws away a total of one billion lipsticks each year. That's not only an inconceivable amount of lippy, but it's also tonnes upon tonnes of plastic waste added to the sobering crisis impacting our natural environment today. Not to mention that most lipsticks also contain microplastics in order to achieve a smooth glide on the lips. The truth is, the beauty industry has had a long-term love affair with plastic, and it's just too difficult to change that now. Or is it?

La Bouche Rouge is a luxurious, eco-friendly lipstick line from Paris that offers the perfect shade of red made from natural ingredients in sustainable packaging. The leather used for the monogrammable lipstick case comes from the same French tannery that brands such as Hermès work with, and it can be refilled infinitely. During their recent Hong Kong debut at Lane Crawford, we caught a moment with the president and co-creator of La Bouche Rouge to find out about his startup life and how he aims to bring forth a new era of luxury beauty, one powered by sustainability.

Name: Nicolas Gerlier

Profession: President of La Bouche Rouge

Industry: Beauty

Start up since: October 2017 

Tell us about your business. What do you do?

At La Bouche Rouge we create pure makeup formulas and clean refillable objects in France for the future of the planet. Our ambition is to reconcile luxury and sustainability.

[caption id="attachment_145086" align="alignnone" width="1091"] Nicolas Gerlier of La Bouche Rouge.[/caption]

What’s behind the name, La Bouche Rouge?

La Bouche Rouge means “red lips” in French, but it also stands for having a voice, sharing a message. It represents our revolutionary spirit.  A red voice!

Tell me about your best and worst days at work? 

The best days are when I see that we are creating meaningful projects that surpass beauty. When we invite artists to express themselves within our Maison, like [contemporary Swiss pop artist] Sylvie Fleury for instance. I believe creativity and design are the only way to create the desire to consume differently.

Also, I find motivation in our Positive Economy project: for each lipstick sold, we give 100 litres of safe water to Togo [in western Africa]. We recently visited the first well that we were able to drill with Eau Vive Internationale in a village called Hilou.

I don’t have bad days at work. As I always say: sometimes you win, sometimes you learn. I have learnt a lot from every difficulty we encountered, while developing the brand.

[caption id="attachment_145084" align="alignnone" width="2008"] La Bouche Rouge stands for the passion of colour but also for a revolutionary voice and spirit.[/caption]

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

I am the father of three children, so mostly I enjoy family time and ride my bicycle.

Looking back now, what would you have done differently?

Nothing, I believe every step is part of the adventure.

What is a normal workday like for you?

My days are very dense. I arrive at the office early and begin meetings with my team, PR agencies, partners, development and production teams, until I run back home -- often late!

[caption id="attachment_144000" align="alignnone" width="1289"] Friends of La Bouche Rouge include bold women with self-assured desirability reflecting the brand’s values, such as actress Chloë Sevigny.[/caption]

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

Be passionate, because this is a 24/7 job!

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

I would be working in contemporary art. Possibly to serve a creative project, as this was always a passion of mine.

As a child, what did you aspire to be?

I wanted to be an archaeologist because I was passionate about ancient Egypt.

[gallery ids="145066,145065,145067"]

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

Definitely the creation of a clean but efficient formula. We researched for two years.  To overcome it, I recruited the right person with the right know-how.

Why is Hong Kong such an important market for you?

Hong Kong is our gateway into Asia, which is a major market for us. It's a leading market in the world for cosmetics, but it's also a special place with ancient rituals and beauty traditions. I feel that it's imperative to share the values of reconciling luxury and sustainability with the people who are key in the environmental issues of tomorrow.  

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

I would invest in my brother’s startup: Namatata, a meditation app. 

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

My goals are to grow the Maison and remain a leader in our market. The objective is to continue to create the desire to consume differently all over the world and to invent new objects. In terms of where next in Asia? It will be Japan and Korea. We are also working on different products (which we are not ready to share just yet!) but it's a long process of research to achieve the perfect result. What is important to me now is to become the leader in luxury and sustainable beauty, create positive economy projects and share this with others. 

[caption id="attachment_145088" align="alignnone" width="3839"] The leather case can be personalised with your initials engraved if you wish.[/caption]

How hands-on are you?

I started this adventure by myself, so I had to do all steps of the creation.

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

No, but my team is successful! Success for me is being the first cosmetic brand to commit to reducing plastic from the beginning. And to lead a revolution in the makeup industry while being so small. One year ago, we were a team of three people. Now we are fifteen. So that's five times more committed to the cause. I am convinced we need to change our habits and very proud to say it can begin with a lipstick!

The post Startup Life: Nicolas Gerlier of La Bouche Rouge appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

As any well-attired gent knows, there's a huge gap between fast fashion and the price tag that comes with bespoke tailoring. That's exactly why friends Tobe Fong and TC saw an opportunity to develop something in between and bring something new to the market. The two built their friendship on a shared passion for sartorial splendour, and later began their business based on personal need: Craftsman Clothing is a sustainable, luxury menswear line that focuses on high-quality outerwear. (You may have already seen it featured on The Rake and MR PORTER.) We spoke to the Hong Kong-based company's co-founders open up about their childhood aspirations, how a “normal” day plays out, and what it takes to run a successful startup in a competitive market.

Names: Tobe Fong and TC Ng

Profession: Co-founders of Craftsman Clothing

Industry: Fashion retail and eCommerce

Startup since: 2015

Tell us about your business. What do you do?

TC Ng (TN): We’re Craftsman Clothing, a rather new brand from Hong Kong specialising in men’s outerwear. We believe luxury is defined by quality design and manufacturing. Our products are personalised using the finest materials -- Italian or Spanish leather, RiRi zippers, genuine horn buttons and Bemberg lining with customisable details.

Tobe Fong (TF): We also have goals to expand it into other sectors such as our own whisky brand or barber shop down the road.

Tell me about your best and worst day at work?

TF: Generally speaking, a good day would be when you are in momentous work flow to get a lot of things done, when sales are rolling in and you get invitation emails to be featured in magazines, when reputable retailers are interested in your brand or when a celeb represents you. Worst day would be when the factory deliveries don’t turn out as expected. It’s a waste of time and money!

TN: Any day that I can help people, solve problems and make significant contributions are my best days. And disappointing people are the worst days.

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

TF: I like to hit the gym, learn martial arts, attend music festivals and concerts, travel, etc.

TN: That doesn’t happen. I don't think I have ever taken a proper break, as working on social media is already enough to consume your life.

Looking back now, what would you have done differently?

TN: With the power of social media, we should have started to put our ideas in motion earlier. We may have hesitated a bit at the start as we were fearful we may fail, but now we realise that it’s just a part of the process that will lead to you to success.

TF: I wish we would have launched our eCommerce platform way sooner than just selling on Instagram the first two years!

[caption id="attachment_139807" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Tobe Fong (left) and TC Ng (right)[/caption]

What is a normal work day like?

TN: A lot of communication. I feel like I talk to people 24/7.

TF: Get up at 7am, hit the gym, breakfast, meditate, then work in 45-minute time blocks until around 7pm or 8pm.

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

TN: It’s important to understand your customers’ needs if you are looking to start a business. Be unique and different from others. Focus on a rapid growth plan with sustainable profits, as that is what is going to differentiate your startup from a small-sized company.

TF: Start early, there’s no better time than now. If you must learn, learn simultaneously while you are doing what you do. Also, stay in the game. Whatever you do, don’t give up!

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

TF: I’d still be running a startup I guess. Probably something in wellness perhaps, but owning a clothing brand has always been on my agenda so it’s hard to imagine doing anything else.

TN: A financial salesman.

As a child, what did you aspire to be?

TF: James Bond!

TN: I wanted to work in the banking and finance industry. That’s why I chose to study economics and accounting since high school. It is relevant to reality and society by understanding how the world works. Mathematics has always been my favourite subject; it's challenging and I like to solve problems.

What has been your biggest hurdle?

TF: Being a shy introvert.

How did you overcome it?

TF: I previously worked as a financial advisor and that definitely helped. I have also attended a lot of networking events and initiated more conversations. I guess as a business owner, introversion and shyness aren’t real advantages.

Why did you decide to base Craftsman Clothing in Hong Kong?

TF: I was born in Seattle but raised in Hong Kong. I was in the States from middle school to college; when I graduated, I wanted to come back and spend some time with my family. Also, Craftsman initially began with all products made in Hong Kong. Besides, there’s a definite logistics and tax advantage. Hong Kong also has a rich history in textiles and craftsmanship, and I want to remind people of that.

TN: I think Hong Kong has always been defined as one of the most successful business centres in terms of location, economy, policies and people, but most importantly, Tobe and I are based here with our production team and crafters with over 40 years of experience.

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

TF: I am actually starting a new company selling watches that are powered by solar energy. There are very few, if any, aesthetically pleasing solar-powered watches out there and I want to change that. So, my own. Does that count?

TN: An e-Payment platform that helps handle cross-border payments. In addition to the digital and mobile payment tool offered by PayPal, an easier platform that streamlines international payments will be super helpful for companies to make payments for vendors from all around the world.

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

TN: One of our main goals is still to increase our brand awareness. We have been doing a lot of influencer marketing to connect us with the right audiences. Expanding our retail distributions, both online and offline and wholesaling, are our focused strategies for 2019.

TF: This year I am very lucky to have met some people who are able to mentor me and help accelerate my business. My goal is to triple our revenue from the previous year. We are also going to exhibit at Pitti Uomo this summer, and we look forward to get into one of the biggest retailers in Japan.

How hands-on are you?

TN: Both Tobe and I are extremely hands-on, as that encourages a deeper understanding of every single task in the pipeline and helps increase engagement and moves us forward.

TF: Very! When we first started, it was just me and TC doing everything ourselves. But this year with more resources, we grew our team which helped to lighten our workload a lot. That being said, I’m still really hands-on!

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

TF: Everyone has a different definition of success. When I first graduated, I was very money-driven and I was working long hours every day. I neglected other aspects in my life such as my relationships and health. As I grew older, I learned that you have to be patient and trust the process. If you put in the work, success will follow, so live in the moment and enjoy the ride! I wouldn’t say I’ve reached success yet, but I am getting there!

TN: I’d define success as happiness and personal achievement. It is not about how much money you make but the contributions you make in your life.

The post Startup Life: Tobe Fong and TC Ng of Craftsman Clothing appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

You probably own a pair of training shoes for sport or the gym, and a separate pair of comfortable kicks for everyday wear. That's the way it's always been -- until now. We met up with siblings James and Josh Shorrock, whose backgrounds stem from Adidas and popular sneaker-loving platform Hypebeast, to find out more about their Hong Kong-based footwear brand LANE EIGHT. We discussed their performance-meets-lifestyle shoes, how they're disrupting the footwear industry, and the challenges of being entrepreneurs living the startup life.

Name: James and Josh Shorrock
Profession: Co-founders of LANE EIGHT
Industry: Performance Footwear
Startup since: May 2017; officially launched August 2018

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