Michelle Lin

We’ve had a chat with Lauren Lin‘s sister Michelle. They run Niche, an online shop for women and soon for men as well.

Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? What’s your educational background? What are your general professional and non-professional interests?
Born and raised in Manila, I grew-up having a great interest in all forms of Art. I used to take dance classes, drama class, sketching, oil painting class, and I was in my high school Glee Club. I especially love doing D.I.Y. arts & crafts projects and making accessories. There was also a time in college when I made and sold earrings that were all handmade just because I enjoyed making them.

I graduated Bachelor of the Arts in Consular and Diplomatic Affairs with an honourable mention from De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde. It was (and still is) my dream to work for one of the branches of the United Nations or to become an Ambassador to Japan, China, or France one day.

My general professional interest right now is to become an entrepreneur and to enjoy it. I like our business (NICHE) of creating stylish yet affordable clothes and accessories that young people (college students and yuppies) can wear. I just feel like there should be more options available when it comes to shopping for clothes and accessories especially when you have a budget like I do.

My non-professional interests would be singing, making props/décor/costumes out of scratch, and does shopping count?

Where do you get your design inspiration?
I get my design inspiration from some of the blogs that I follow, foreign magazines, and believe it or not…window-shopping. I believe that you can find inspiration everywhere you look as long as you put your mind and heart into it.

When did you realize you wanted to become a fashion designer?
This may sound odd but I realized that I wanted to become a fashion designer when my sister and I first thought of starting NICHE. The thought of building our own business from scratch got us both excited and inspired me to design for our clothing line.

What does fashion mean to you?
Fashion means dressing-up with confidence. Fashion items can be trendy, seasonal, affordable, and pricey at times but it should make you look good and feel good. The way you dress can say a lot about the kind of person you are.

What was the first article of clothing you ever designed?The first article of clothing I designed were a pair of layered shorts called Aruba (available in hot pink and chartreuse). Niche launched its first collection in June last year at the Summer Solstice bazaar and Aruba was one of the pieces that sold out really fast.

What do you like best about designing clothes and whats the most challenging part?
What I like most about designing clothes is that there aren’t any real limitations when it’s first drawn or put together on paper. You get to play with the design of clothes and your ideas of turning it into a hot item.

The most challenging part of designing clothes would be coming up with the perfect size chart. However, we did try our best to make sure our sizes fit small to large figured women.

What do you believe makes a quality article of clothing?
I am very particular about the feel of a fabric against my skin, the way it fits, the way it looks (not too ordinary), and how much it costs. So I would say that a quality article of clothing needs to be able to balance out comfort, style, fit, and affordability.

How would you define your personal style?
My personal style can be defined as “experimental”. When I come across a look online or in a magazine that I like…I will try it out.

What are some of your fashion goals?
One of my fashion goals would include making semi-formal clothing for women. Something women can wear when they get invited to parties, weddings, etc. So far, NICHE has been making casual to smart casual type of clothing. Another fashion goal is to venture into designing a menswear in the future. And the goal on the top of my list…for NICHE to have its own store!

Who’s your most influential fashion designer/s?
These are the designers who inspire me to design: Hervè Lèger, Vivienne Westwood, Victoria Beckham, and Alexander Wang.

What do you wish people would understand about working in the fashion industry?
I wish people would understand that we put a lot of time and hard work into developing each collection. We handle everything from designing, to sourcing of fabric and accessories, to overseeing production, and to sales and marketing of our items online. Some people think we just buy our clothing from other countries and resell them in the Philippines.

What are your favorite colors to work with and why?
My favorite colors to work with are jewel tones and neutral colors. It just adds the right amount of sophistication to any clothing you design be it a top, bottom, or a full-body pantsuit.

Where can readers find out more about you and your work?
To find out more about our NICHE, readers may visit our website at www.niche.ph, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/NichePh, and add us on Facebook www.facebook.com/niche.ph.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone wanting to start a career in fashion?
Let your personal style inspire the clothing & accessories you create. That is the only way you can distinguish yourself from the rest of the fashion designers out there.

Any closing thoughts?
More power to ManilaStreet Style!

1. aries said on February 14, 2011 at 8:36 am

   

   i have always loved niche! ^^ They really know high class taste when it comes to fashion. From the models to the clothes, the image is tight! ^^