Banking on lace proves the right move for businesswoman

Updated: Saturday March 1, 2014 MYT 10:04:57 AM

Banking on lace proves the right move for businesswoman

BY ZIEMAN

Lace was once thought of as a status symbol that only the wealthy, nobles and royalty could afford to wear.

However, the popularity of lace ruffs, cuffs, and soft furnishings trimmed with lace grew over the years and the material is a lot more accesible these days.

Often, women acquire lace and embroidery as family heirlooms to be treasured.

One person who cannot get enough of this delicate material is 48-year-old Michelle Chin, the owner of Elegant Stitches, which sells home furnishing accessories made of lace and embroidery.

Chin has an advantage as she learnt about fabric from a young age, as her father was once a tailor. Then, she had the chance to work in the banquet department for 10 years in a five-star hotel, familiarising herself with banquet services, which included folding all the different types of cocktail and linen napkins.

The knowledge came in handy when Chin decided to open a home furnishing business four years ago.

“I’ve always been more intrigued by handmade lace and embroidery than the machine made variety. After seeing both processes, I would say handmade lace has a perfect finish. However, the distinctions between the two are not so obvious anymore and,even experts can’t tell the difference,” said Chin, who hails from Penang.

Though fascinated by home accessories, it was a trip to a home furnishing factory in Vietnam that spurred Chin to venture into the soft-home-furnishings business.

“It all happened in 2010 when I followed my friends to Vietnam. They took me to a factory on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City as they wanted to source some home-furnishing goods. What I saw really impressed me and I was motivated to start a business around what I saw,” she said.

She made the bold decision to quit her job and set up Elegant Stitches a year later. She started by operating a small kiosk selling souvenirs, knick-knacks and all kinds of home accessories. In the meantime, she enhanced her knowledge on the subject by reading craft books about crochet, lace and embroidery.

However, she realised that operating a small kiosk was not a wise choice as there was more demand for home-furnishing products.

Chin in her shop located in Great Eastern Mall, in Kuala Lumpur. The business has done well enough that it has three other locations in KL malls.

Soon after that, Chin moved her business to Starhill. By this time, Elegant Stitches had become more focused on embroidery and lace for doilies, pillowcases, pouches, nightgowns, table covers, napkins, bedspreads and table runners of all sizes.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to sell initially, but after getting the moral support and tips from walk-in customers, I was inspired to just focus on embroidered goods like crochet, tatting and lace. I also look for motif and design inspirations from magazines and the Internet,” said Chin, who is also an experienced crocheter and tatter.

Her loyal customers placed orders for embroidery and she would then shop for the different types of crochet and laces to fill their orders.

“Most of the designs I source are simple and feature floral designs. The most popular motifs are orchids, roses, peonies, cherry blossoms, strawberries, daisies and other spring flowers. The flowers have to be pastels on white, off white or cream fabric. I also take orders for custome-made products,” she said.

According to Chin, there has been a gradual progression in the embroidery and lace industry. More modern lace designs are in demand now compared to the classic designs.

“The production of handmade lace is gradually fading, making way for embroidery and lace made with machines. This has affected a great deal of small traders like me because I still have customers who insist on handmade lace.

“It’s also one of the major challenges faced by small-scale lace makers. Machine-made lace, in whatever form or design, often rivals handmade lace in fineness and authenticity. However, machine-made lace does not have the same durability. Though just beautiful and intricate as handmade lace, many still prefer for fine handmade lace and embroidery,” she said.

For Chin, handmade lace should never be compared to machine-made lace, as the former is far superior.

“Like any other form of craftsmanship, handmade lace is an expression of skill and will always remain timeless. And because of the superior quality, handmade lace and embroidery costs more as it requires skilled workers to take on the work,” said Chin, whose father used to run the Golden Tailor shop at Nibong Tebal, Seberang Prai and Ipoh.

Her main task is to find products from a shrinking cottage industry. At one time, many of these workers just stopped producing because they could not meet the demand.

Over the years, Chin learnt that the best deals are from Harbin and Beijing in China. She chanced upon a good deal after she took part in the Canton Fair import/export exhibition two years ago.

“I met some dealers and suppliers at the exhibition. Now I can deal directly with them. Besides the exposure, I got to meet and choose the right suppliers and dealers,” said Chin.

It is not easy to strike a working relationship l with tatting and crochet suppliers. It took Chin a great deal of time effort to make the right business connections.

“These days, I commission designers from a few cottage businesses in Vietnam and China. It would be a lot easier if I were to get lace from factories, but I want the handmade variety.

“My customers prefer high-fashion, lavish lace and modern designs. They don’t mind paying a bit more for this,” said Chin who comes from a family of six siblings. She said there are many kinds of tatted and crocheted lace to choose from and if people are looking for classic designs, they can get them from a few countries.

“Different countries like Belgium, France, Spain, Italy and Germany have distinct styles. Much of it is commercially produced because of the large quantities involved.

“I don’t opt this type as my customers are particular about what they want,” Chin.

Elegant Stitches now has four shops in major Kuala Lumpur malls: KLCC, Pavilion, Sogo KL and Great Eastern Mall. By the middle of this year, Chin hopes to open another shop in the Bangsar Village 1 mall.

“I’m going to cut down on retail and gradually concentrate on online shopping next. I think that’s the new way of shopping,” said Chin, who now has seven employees.

She plans to import tapestry fabric from Spain next.

“I also want to import Romanian lace and embroidery before Hari Raya. There have been requests for satin stitch embroidery too. Both are fine, delicate works of art and it’s truly something if you have them,” said Chin, who travels three times a year to source for her embroidery materials.