Chiyo's founder, Isabel Lam. (Photo: Mohd Izwan/The Edge)
What we study at university does not necessarily dictate our career path. This is true for the founder of Chiyo, a contemporary fashion brand of tropical wear with unique and eye-catching designs. Isabel Lam studied music at the celebrated Berklee College of Music in the US but was hesitant to move to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of film scoring due to a spate of writers’ strikes at the time. Cautious, she moved way down south — to Melbourne, Australia — to try something new while undertaking an advertising master’s at the same time. After a couple of years of working for SEO (search engine optimisation) companies, Lam decided it was time to go it alone.
The decision to work in the world of fashion was an easy one. Besides her unabashed love for shopping, she was also influenced by childhood memories and family ties. “My aunt is a tailor so, since young, I have been following her to haberdasheries and textile shops and I’ve always enjoyed it.” It was this same aunt who helped sew Lam’s debut collection of six designs, which she photographed and styled before uploading the images on her website. She then set off to engage a few consignment shops in Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur, and the response was favourable.
Her aunt continued to do all the stitching work until Lam decided it was time she learnt to sew. “My aunt taught me all the skills that I would need,” she says. When orders grew, Lam approached a few factories but none of them could promise the quality she expected. After roping in a few more aunts to help, she now has a team of three stationed in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Taiping, Perak. Lam handles the business side of things from her home in Kuching, Sarawak, as well as all the designs and cutting of the fabric. She then distributes the cut pieces to her talented aunts to do the sewing. “I try to be as hands on as I can with my clothes. I want to be able to touch every piece, match every piece and when someone buys a dress from me, I will be able to remember that item and colour.”
Chiyo’s bestselling batik range came about quite by accident. In 2016, Lam and her then fiancé visited their chosen wedding destination, Bandung in Indonesia, to make preparations. She decided she wanted to get something special for her bridesmaids and came across batik cap, a batik design that uses a stamp technique. “I bought a few pieces and decided to make kaftans for my girls. We wore them, took pictures and I thought maybe I could sell the kaftans as everyone simply loved them,” says Lam. Even now, at every pop-up store she organises, she has a picture of her girls in their kaftans as “inspiration and lucky charms”.
Lam has also started a children’s collection, which she took the time to research. “The only thing with children is that there are so many sizes — it’s crazy.” As most of her adult collection is free size and adjustable, Lam went through a process of trial and error, consulting her friends who have children. With their feedback, she was able to produce an adorable selection of children’s clothing and has created a matching mother-daughter collection. She makes full use of all her materials, even using fabric scraps to create her popular headbands.
Lam’s designs are wearable fashion for the everyday and come in bright colours and fun patterns. “I get inspiration from just walking around. I would see a lady wearing a dress and I would be like, I could make that and add this other trim on it and make this a bit more pleated. Honestly, it’s the actual people I see every day, just random strangers walking by, who inspire me,” Lam explains. Her vibrant use of colour is influenced by her love for homeware. “I love colours and homeware is actually very vibrant — it can be loud, so people use crazy colours with homeware.”
After creating new collections, Lam decided to sell her products on etsy.com instead of a website. She also uses Instagram to promote her collections. Offline, customers can find Chiyo creations at iHVNOSTYLe in Sunway Velocity Mall in Kuala Lumpur and Lemon & Co in Kuching. When asked about her jump from music to fashion, she says they aren’t that different. “If I’m writing a piece, like an orchestra piece, I have to think about the theme, the colour of the music that I want to create and it’s the same thing with fashion. I have to think about the collection and the colours and the prints.”
This article first appeared on Mar 12, 2018 in The Edge Malaysia.
