Today we’d like to introduce you to Yoon Chung.
Yoon, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I moved to Canada from Korea? when I was 21 years old to study fashion design at Ryerson University ( in Toronto ). After graduating, I have worked for various of companies both in design and buying sides for about 12 ( 23 years not 12 ) years. About 10 years ago, I have moved down to LA with a company that I was working for at that time as a director of product development. Since then, I worked for an e-commerce startup such as Shoedazzle and a big brick and mortar retailer such as Forever21.
Five years ago, I got connected to two girls who were starting an e-commerce that would carry 50+ activewear brands and I joined as their employee number five to grow their inventory and to help them with their assortment planning, and later ended up creating their own Carbon38 collections for them. After being there for five years and gaining amazing experiences, I recognized a need of high performance meets high fashion for today’s women.
I decided to create a brand called ONA which is high performance ready to wear. The company’s first collection was launched with Carbon38 in March 2019.
Great, 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?
I am fortunate enough to say it has been a smooth road. I am so grateful for all the supports I have gotten from friends and colleagues
Please tell us about your work. What should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
ONA is a high fashion, high performance brand committed to delivering directional pieces that reflect a modern women’s lifestyle. Founded in 2019 by Yoon Chung, the brand occupies a category all on its own, merging couture-inspired design with technical fabrics that are easy to care for and maintain.
I do design and development myself and also all of the creative directions. I also run this small company of my own, from maintaining website to the social media 🙂 I am known for having both sides of skill sets; creative side and analytic sides which is rare in fashion industry. As a chief merchant at Carbon38, I was able to utilize these both sides which was amazing.
I am most proud that ONA serves today women’s need. We are so busy as a career woman or as a mom. I was always looking for clothes that would cater to my demanding lifestyle. And So proud to come up with a collection that serves that need. ONA is one of the first brands that uses high performance fabric to create ready to wear collections.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I would say when I saw the first ONA email launch at Carbon38 and saw the collection at their Pacific Palisades store.
Pricing:
- Pants made out of performance fabric starts at $185
- Tops starts at $95
- Leggings starts at $115
Contact Info:
- Website: www.onawear.com
- Email: [email protected]
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