When I look at the stylists themselves, they are also having a struggle looking for their clients and of course trying to build a relationship with their clients. But basically, your relationship will kind of end [when the consultation ends].
Eri Kobayashi
In today’s episode, I am speaking to Eri Kobayashi who is the founder and CEO of Ripplenity Inc., a fashion startup in Tokyo, Japan.
Eri’s story starts in the most unlikely of places – Singapore. That’s where she was living for 10 years before she returned to Japan. She can even speak Singlish – that’s Singapore English for those of you who don’t know what it is.
We spoke about fast fashion or fast retailing, Eri’s prior work in Bangladesh and how her grandparents in a way influenced her in the business she is now in.
She used to work in disaster risk management while based in Singapore. It was at that time that she decided to start her styling business, Luxenity, a Singapore-based consultancy company curating luxury lifestyle and experiences through fashion, interior and events.
She called herself a closet consultant and when she returned to Japan after a decade in Singapore, she realized that many of her clients needed her and she couldn’t help them all. That was the idea behind her fashion app that not only offers a platform for other image consultants and stylists to join her but also easily curates looks for clients with sustainable options for a better future.
I wanted to do something to contribute to my society. So then I came across this magazine that tells us how to revisit our clothes. I felt good about it myself looked towards a new direction – what if you just reviewed what you have in your closet?
Eri wants us to re-evaluate how we wear and use our clothes and at the same time, wants to give women who need that boost of closet confidence simpler and more convenient access to other image and styling consultants.
Eri finds her inspiration and role model in Angelina Jolie “for her beauty, success and social good activities along with her quote “Nothing would mean anything if I didn’t live a life of use to others.”
Eri says her favourite quote comes from Nelson Mandela who says “A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.” She is proud of her app and platform because it empowers users and stylists to explore exciting ways of curating and creating sustainable yet fashionable looks.
In today’s episode, Eri spoke about:
- How she became a fashion app founder although she was a disaster risk management specialist in the past
- Why she felt a strong need to do what she is doing now
- The influence of her Japanese heritage and grandparents and her desire to contribute to the betterment of the planet
- Starting as a personal stylist in Singapore (she was solving her own problem)
- The differences between dressing in a tropical climate and a seasonal one affects how women dress for the day
- Why an earthquake in Bangladesh made her rethink her role in life
- Ensuring stylists could connect with their clients and continue offering advice and consultation even after the initial contact
- Ensuring women could re-use and re-imagine their clothes more creatively instead of always shopping for new ones
- Her one value and philosophy that underlies her work and business
I really wanted to change people’s behavior in a fun way. I just wanted to tell them, hey, this is what’s happening in the world so you shouldn’t, you shouldn’t go [for] fast fashion. I didn’t want to preach to them by saying, Hey, you should always buy secondhand clothes cause sometimes, you know, we have to right to enjoy who we are. I just wanted to give them another option – how they dress and how they feel confident about themselves in a fun way.