A Dream in Progress: 9898
- Koh Xiu Wen
- Feb 19, 2017
- 2 min read
[Re-posted from styleXstyle.com]
I've always wanted to start my own fashion business, but I never actually had the time to get down and do it. For the past couple of years, I've tried managing e-shops on blogs and Carousell just to get a hang of business matters, but I only got to pick the designs that I thought were great or sellable. Now that I've actually started looking for suppliers and materials, however, it just hit me how complex an order-based business is. I have to handle everything - from setting up social media accounts to designing to webpage to sourcing for fabric and manufacturers.. the list goes on. So to all the young designers managing their own brands, kudos to you.
Buuuut! While I'm complaining and moping over the amount of stuff I have to do to start my own online brand, I'm quite proud to announce that it is finally taking shape.
9898: NINE EIGHT NINE EIGHT
I ended up deciding on the name 9898 because I'm a little obsessed over the year I was born in - 1998. While my peers and I are no longer that young, we're stuck somewhere between our teenage years and adulthood. We were born before the new millennium, which in my opinion, made a lot of difference to the way we view the world as compared to teens born in the 2000s. Hence, 1998 holds great significance to to me, and using numbers as a brand name is a lot easier to remember, don't you think?
IN PROGRESS
9898 is currently still in the designing and sourcing stage. Concurrently, I'm trying to get more people exposed to it before its launch, such as via word-of-mouth promotion (thank you for helping, my supportive friends!). The designs are more or less done, and I can begin shooting them once the physical samples arrive. Here's a preview of what you can expect in the gallery above. For caps and shirts, I've already sent in orders, so what you're seeing are the predicted, computer-generated looks. For the rest, they're still a work in progress.
MOOD/THEME?
My first capsule collection focuses on prints and embroidery. Most of my prints are actually a juxtaposition of lamentations and imageries of nature (flowers, interiors of a cave, wilted weeds.), inspired by 18th Century Romanticism and the emotionally-charged neon works of Tracey Emin. While the designs are important, I have a lot of concerns. Will I be able to produce quality works with order deadlines looming above me? Hence, I've decided to start slowly, settling with designs I can handle.
FUTURE PLANS
If everything works out (it depends on your kind support!), I'll launch a new collection every six months. And because my passion lies in sewing and haute couture, I'm aiming to push for a series of five one-of-a-kind hand sewn pieces at least once a year. 9898 will likely debut by mid-March, and I'm really enthusiastic about this project. I hope you'll be keen in my work too!
Signing off with lots of love,
Xiu Wen
9898's Instagram handle: @Official_9898
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