Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Wang. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Melissa, thanks for joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

YES! I am definitely happier as a business owner. I used to work as a corporate lawyer(!) for a large legal firm which was a completely different life. It was a demanding job, and although I did enjoy certain aspects of it, such as the intellectual stimulation and helping clients achieve their goals, I felt it was not what I could see myself doing in the long term.

I am appreciative of each day that I am able to run my own business. I enjoy the freedom to set my own schedule, determine my mission, and make decisions (although admittedly this can be scary). Doing this can be just as demanding and stressful as being a lawyer, but there is something fulfilling about working for yourself. As my business continues to grow and evolve, I am prepared to encounter the challenges that arise: be it figuring out how to tackle them, learning from mistakes, or just celebrating the small wins. After you start your own business, there is no looking back!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Eden and Zoe are the names of my two daughters (in fact I had a third daughter Elise after I started my business). They are my inspiration and motivation. eden & zoe was started with a wish to keep my daughters comfortable, cozy and stylish. My girls were always telling me that their knitwear was too “itchy”, so I started looking into natural materials like cashmere, merino wool and pure cotton for them. I found it hard to find quality knitwear in styles that both my girls and I liked, so I decided to create the clothes instead.

My aim is to make well crafted clothing that is sophisticated and understated. I believe in classic styling with a modern twist. I like to think about the details that make a garment unique yet timeless. Most importantly, it is about feeling comfortable and confident in what you are wearing.

After launching the children’s line, I had many adults who expressed interest in wearing my designs, so following the same design philosophy, I created adult collections for both women and men. This allows me to reach a larger audience, which makes me happy.

Each collection is made in small quantities to ensure quality and exclusivity. The pieces are created using a hand-operated knitting loom or sewing machine, and finished by hand. Many pieces are entirely hand knitted and/or sewn.

eden & zoe clothing is made to be worn, enjoyed and shared.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

In person pop up events are a great way for me to meet customers and grow my business. Especially with luxury clothing, customers like to be able to touch and feel the materials, get a sense of the design, and try on the sizing. I love interacting with customers in this way, and these events are a good way for me to gauge interest in new designs as well as gather feedback. One of my favorite things is when a customer comes back for a repeat purchase, and brings family or friends who have been admiring her piece and want one for themselves!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The quality of my product. To me, quality is one of the most important aspects. It speaks for itself. My customers know when they buy a piece of clothing from me that they will be able to wear it for a long time, and even pass it onto others. People have told me that the babies’ cashmere pieces that they have from my collections have become heirlooms in their family, which is so lovely! This also aligns with my philosophy that we can choose to buy well, so we ultimately buy less.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.edenandzoe.com
• Instagram: @edenandzoe
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edenandzoe
• Twitter: @edenandzoe
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/edenandzoe/

Image Credits

Personal photo @sarah.renee.photography (IG)

All other photos @roryearnshawphoto (IG) / www.roryearnshaw.com