Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Cheung.
Hi Richard, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I think clothing is a way to express yourself. It can easily reflect your feeling, lifestyle, or culture. When I choose what to wear, I always look into the concept and message behind their designs. I think the most comfortable clothes are those that truly express who you are at that moment of life.
My friend and I have decided to establish ANDJOY in 2018, a platform to share the clothing we love and where our customers can find out the concept and messages each brand/designer try to deliver. We have decided ANDJOY to be online only so we can spend our budget on sourcing good designs and to provide a smooth shopping experience. On our website or mobile app, you can easily find out the story of the brand and we try to include as much information as possible without irritating users. So, shoppers will know what they are paying for and what kind of vibe the designers are trying to deliver. We also care a lot about customer service. We prepare product/brands guideline each season to make sure our colleagues know what we are selling and able to answer shoppers’ questions.
As for products, we have been focusing on micro brands – those with a unique style and story and of course with good quality. We are pretty into minimalist and vintage styles. Some of the brands we love have some really good messages, for instance, to live a slow life, reconnect with nature or to keep things simple. And we also have some re-engineered vintage brands that try to bring back the old vibes, but with the latest quality fabric to make them suitable for daily wear. We want the clothes we sell to become a part of our customers’ life and grow with them. Thanks to its vast variety of culture and creativity, LA has become a very important area of our business. We have been sourcing designs and materials in LA, and it is also where a significant amount of our customers located at.
And recently, we have just launched our inhouse brand Taproot. The message we try to deliver is to remember who you are. We have kept the designs very clean and practical to remind our simple self. All the clothes are hand dyed with plant and other organic material in a very traditional way. We hope users to feel natural and comfortable with who they are.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running an online business is more costly than we have imagined, especially during COVID. There’s production delay, rising fuel costs and limited operation capacity. We have adopted the home office style and we had to find a backup for everything, especially couriers and suppliers. And we also received more inquiries from customers during this period.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about ANDJOY Store?
Established since 2018, we are an online clothing retailers that work with different micro brands and aim at delivering a pleasant and enjoyable journey to our customers.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Remain passionate about what you are doing is important. It will drive you to keep pushing and it’s vital during hard times. And I find talking to inspiring people in the industry is an effective way to do so.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://andjoy.store/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andjoystore/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ANDJOYStore
