Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tina Wong. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Tina, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
My idea for Grace + Ivory is built around my personal dress shopping experience, my entrepreneurial desire to build something with social good at the core, and to shape a brand that better represents today’s modern, independent woman. Pun intended, I “wed” these ideas together.
I came up with the idea of specifically designing a bridal gown line and try at home dress brand when I was shopping for my wedding dress in Washington, DC. I ran into several pain points about the try-on experience, the lack of emotional empathy and help from the sales associates I encountered, feeling limited in the way I could try on dresses, and limited customizable options (I didn’t find a made-to-measure brand). I also remember being in a boutique, pretty uncomfortable, and putting on a dress that was $5,000 but felt like it should be $2,500. I tried on a lot of dresses and felt there wasn’t a bridal brand that represented how I felt as a bride. The boutique experience wasn’t for me, and I didn’t understand how made-to-measure or made-to-order options weren’t more readily available in an accessible price range. I was pretty busy and didn’t necessarily want to go into a bunch of shops to shop.
My passion for social good was already in the ethos of my idea, given I previously worked for non-profits that were doing a lot of good in the world, I felt the private sector needs to be more involved. I would want to build my own business in a vision with a bigger social mission.
The last part of the trifecta is because I felt that the shops and brands out there didn’t represent the independent, strong women that I have come to know and love. I wanted to have a brand about “women getting married on their own terms”… and these are the ideas that swirled all together for me.
I feel that this fusion described above offers an awesome wedding dress experience and distinctive approach for brides looking for a lot of value and meaning in their wedding dress and the company that makes it.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Tina Wong and I’m the Founder and CEO of Grace + Ivory, a socially conscious, modern, curated try-at-home brand of customizable, made-to-measure wedding dresses. After seven years working in foreign aid and business development for non-profits in DC, in 2016 I moved abroad with my partner at the time. I was burnt out, and took some time to explore what I wanted to do next. This included reading Adam Grant’s “Originals” book and giving myself creative space. I already had the concept for Grace + Ivory in my head but I didn’t know exactly how I was going to execute my idea. Being abroad allowed me to meet my dress production partner and to develop relationships with the talented women who would become the dressmakers for Grace + Ivory. I spent four years there learning about dresses, production, and design, which gave me the skills I needed to launch and grow my brand.
We’re focused on delivering an incredible bridal experience, infused with fun, empathy, and education and support around buying a wedding dress. As an online ecommerce brand, our samples are accessible nationally via our try at home program. Grace + Ivory’s try-at-home (TAH) program is something I’ve envisioned since starting, so brides have another option when shopping for their wedding dresses. You can try our dresses on in your own home, ordered directly from our website, where you select your dates and size, and then they’re delivered to your door. Our dresses standout because they are made-to-measure, high quality, and at affordable pricing (all under $2,750) with our direct to consumer model.
I also am fulfilling my passion for business done better when I launched Grace + Ivory as a social enterprise in 2017.
I believe that social enterprise is the future of good business and is the way forward to address global development issues, so a portion of each dress purchased supports women’s programs. I am a proud Chicago native (go Cubs!), dog lover, and Loyola Chicago alum who loves travel (she’s been to six continents!), hiking, wine, and finding ways to support other ambitious women in the Windy City.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
For the initial funding of the business, overall, I was really scrappy and operated on a minimum viable product mindset. I built-up the initial brand creation and release on my own dime. This was slowly building on my vision – logo, website, initial compliance baseline (incorporating, etc.). However, when I wanted to build out the try-at-home program in 2019, I needed to do a bigger investment in a full line of samples, product materials, and the whole process. I decided to do what I call a “mini” friends and family round. My dad and my cousin decided to fund about $25k in return for equity, and additional equity in return as sweat equity. We’re incorporated as S-corp so it was easy to follow-up with paper work and get that all situated. That was the best decision ever, I have had an amazing journey working with my dad and close cousin in this capacity. They helped me build out the try-at-home, along with a couple others that work with me too. I recognize this isn’t always a positive outcome with these relationships, but it has been for me and really grateful we could do it this way.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In January 2020, I separated from my ex-husband and went through the most difficult time I’ve been in when it comes to my personal life. On top of that, I moved back to the States from being abroad (reverse culture shock is a thing), the pandemic started, and I was separated from my dog (who is with my ex). It was a really tough but transformative time for me. I was fortunate enough to have healthy coping habits; I worked through things with a therapist (cognitive behavioral therapy), really took time on introspection and self-reflection, and had moved back to Chicago (where Grace + Ivory was based, moved from DC to Chicago in 2019) where I had a strong support network. The last couple of years has been a healing period and I have kept Grace + Ivory growing all through my personal growth. I really find that as a tried and true test to my resilience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.graceandivory.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graceandivoryofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graceandivory/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/13361282/admin/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/graceandivory
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0Bf6caBUrjvJty8KTUsuTA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/grace-ivory-chicago-3
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@graceandivory https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/grace-+-ivory-chicago-il-2012898
Image Credits
Sarah Crost Photography, Ed & Aileen Photography