Fashion Boundary was born out of a dream. After 10 years working in the corporate world, in architectural firms across New Zealand, China and Australia. I wanted something new, something of my own and something I was proud of. I began with a laptop, a mobile phone and balancing my newborn baby on my hip. From that day on I realised it was possible to turn a dream into a reality.
It was a big transition from a corporate employee to a start-up tech-fashion entrepreneur. I knew if I was going to undertake such a big career change and financial risk I had to plan well and set realistic goals. And nobody knows everything, right? I knew I couldn’t do everything on my own so I had to find the right people to help me turn my dream into a reality. The best advice I would give is to team up with experienced people and mentors, they will teach you more than you could ever find out yourself.
I developed Fashion Boundary as a platform for talented designers and niche labels to promote their products. It’s a cross-border platform without boundaries. We curate a selection of high-quality products for global consumers who live and breathe independent brands.
Content is the key
Your website is vital as it is the first impression most people will get of your business. A consistent template, quality product photos and strong campaign photos with storytelling are important to capture the attention of potential customers. A transparent product description is also important for customers to understand the product they are purchasing.
Storytelling
We choose products from those who have a strong brand identity. We discover the story behind each product by talking to the designers and viewing their campaign and modelling photos. We have developed relationships with our featured designers and it’s important that they feel supported on our platform. A big step in respecting your garments is learning more about the brand you are buying from. By launching our Brand Stories, we aimed to give potential customers a true sense of where an item has come from, what it’s made out of and who has crafted it.
Globalised business model
I set out to create a globalised business, we are based in Melbourne but we promote and sell our partnered brands to local and global customers. By collaborating with international influencers we feel we can engage with a global audience. We are in the final stages of development of our WeChat mini program. It will be an independent channel that is able to help us to reach 1.1 billion WeChat consumers, especially Chinese millennials who are a core part of our target audience.
Creativity and aesthetics
My interior design background is a big bonus for me in this business as I still get to use my creative instincts. I put my heart into designing our website, Instagram page, email newsletter and app UI design. Our capsule collection was also designed under my creative direction. Architecture, interiors, artworks, photography, furniture, nature, have always been an inspiration for me, and I believe the trends among those industries are universal.
Be part of the entrepreneurial community
Start small and think big. Four words that to me encapsulate what’s needed in the entrepreneurial world are “stick to the end”. I have benefited greatly from chatting with entrepreneurs from different industries and who are at different stages of their career. They have inspired me to be more determined, believe in what I do and stick to the dream. I am honoured to meet each of them – a friend, whether old or new, is a lifetime wealth.
Crissy Zhang, Founder, Fashion Boundary
