Growing up, Jacey Chae witnessed how hard her parents worked, running a private womenswear boutique that made custom designs from engagement party pieces to congressmen wives’ daywear. So she told herself not to get involved in fashion.
“I’ve always been a good writer and painter,” she tells. “Naturally I thought about going into journalism or advertising, and never once fashion.” But things took a change in the 2000s when she couldn’t find any clutches or small bags in Seoul that were fit for parties.
“I wanted something reasonably priced, so I can buy multiples and rotate them,” she says.
Thankfully, she found some options under the recommendation of her Thai friend when she was on a trip to Bangkok. She brought a couple of bags back to Seoul to sell to her close friends and they were well received. “Soon after this, the bag-making business became my day job,” she shares.
The creative director of Biker Starlet lets us in on where she gets her inspiration, how she plans to improve sustainability in her business as well as her plans for growth in Singapore.