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"... to celebrate woman and their moments big & small, both online & offline. With everything we do here at Maggie Wu Studio, from the products we create to the people we photograph and the events we put together, we are here to show the world that we as woman can be beautiful, feminine, soft, strong, powerful, and capable, all at the same time..."
The universe works in many wonderful ways. I had been crushing on Maggie Wu Studio's collection for a couple of months especially in the last quarter of 2018, and it was a serendipitous moment when we were coincidentally invited to collaborate with the MW team at the #bffnight event in Feb.
Needless to say, I fell in love with Maggie herself, and in-between her busy work and travel schedule, we managed to catch up & hear what it means to be celebrating life's small and big moments + self care with Maggie Wu Studio.
So put on the kettle, make yourself some tea (grab some biscuits!) & enjoy Maggie Wu's story:
Tell us a bit about your background?
I was born in Taiwan, grew up in Vancouver, went to university in Los Angeles, lived in worked in New York for 8 years, and most recently I lived in Singapore for a year and have just recently relocated to Hong Kong.
I have worked in the fashion industry in both Asia and in the US, and my background is merchandising. I actually have no design background or training before I started my business.
What is the concept of Maggie Wu Studio, and what inspired you to create Maggie Wu Studio?
I started my business initially as a bridal accessories brand. When I was planning my wedding at the end of 2016, I couldn’t find headpieces that I liked, so I created my own. Without much thought, it became a business and it grew. A year in, however, I became uncomfortable with the message that I was sending out into the world.
My best friend is 33 and she is not married. I can see the constant pressure she has from her family and the toll it has taken on her, especially coming from an Asian family. Every time I posted a photo of a bride whilst promoting my business, I felt that I was going along with this unreasonable expectation of women and sending this message that women can only celebrate themselves or be celebrated if they are getting married. This unsettling feeling became so strong, that I could no longer bear promote my business as what it was.
I took a few months break to look deep into my heart and discover what kind of message do I want to send out to the world. Through a long rebranding process, I came up with a new vision – one about celebrating women and all of their moments big and small. And that is how the Maggie Wu Studio of today came to be.
Why do you think self-love and care has seen such a rise in popularity over the last couple of years?
These is a rise in consciousness about the importance of one’s inner self over the years. It may be a result of the rise of social media usage from the previous years. People feel overwhelmed and over-stimulated with the constant stream of content thrown at them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat. People might be feeling burnt out and now starting to embrace quite moments to themselves.
Are there any self-love or fashion trends that you see becoming popular in the near future?
I believe wellness travel is on the rise. Gone are the days where people travel to hit as many touristy spots as possible, and instead there is the trend of travelling to far away places to “slow down” and to participate in wellness retreats. In the West, such as the US, ancient Chinese medicine techniques such as' gua sha', accupuncture, and cupping are picking up in trend. There are wellness studios popping up all over New York that do these traditional Chinese medicine techniques in modern beautiful settings. Fashion has been influenced by the rise of self-love & self-care as well. The whole pajama trend of wearing beautiful silk pajama items outdoors is definitely a part of that. People can look beautiful, stylish, while being comfortable. Additionally there is the rise of the sneakers trend. It is now more fashionable to wear sneakers than heels, and that was not the case a few years back. It is all about embracing comfort while staying stylish, not sacrificing comfort for style.
The way we experience it, Maggie Wu is about celebrating every day moments of being a woman. Would you share a little about your everyday self-care rituals as a woman.
There is nothing more relaxing for me than when I come home at the end of the day, and I immediately change into comfortable clothing, remove my makeup, light a candle and put on some relaxing music. I guess this is my self-care ritual.
Additionally, there are two things that I need to do every day that I believe helps me relax, stay calm and stay focus throughout the day. One of them is meditation. I need to do it every day, either just a few minutes in the morning or a long sleep meditation at night. This is something new that I have picked up since I started my business, and it has made a tremendous difference as to how well I work throughout the day. With meditation, I feel a lot more centered and less pulled in so many different directions. It allows me to work intentionally & steadily.
The second thing I do every day is a habit that I have had for as long as I can remember. This is giving myself time to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea, whenever I feel tired or overwhelmed. I love green tea and oolong tea in particular. Depending on what I am feeling I would pick the kind of tea I drink accordingly.
With holiday season coming up this April and heading into summer, would you share your self-care tips for the busy modern women on the go?
Keep a couple of things in your life regular as if you were still at home – for me it would be meditation and drinking tea. These are 2 simple things that I can guarantee that I can do every day, regardless of where I am.
Keep a couple of things in your life regular as if you were still at home – for me it would be meditation and drinking tea. These are 2 simple things that I can guarantee that I can do every day, regardless of where I am.
What is your vision for Maggie Wu Studio?
To continue to celebrate woman and their moments big & small, both online & offline. With everything we do here at Maggie Wu Studio, from the products we create to the people we photograph and the events we put together, we are here to show the world that we as woman can be beautiful, feminine, soft, strong, powerful, and capable, all at the same time. We are here to show that we can celebrate one another, despite our apparent differences. We are in this together, celebrating our successes, setbacks, and everything in between.
If you could give one piece of advice for those who are starting a business/or are new in the women entrepreneur community, what would it be?
Everyone has the ability to share a positive message they believe in with the world. "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." - Maya Angelou. I believe everyone has a unique message to tell, and everyone deserves to share their authentic story. Think of what kind of message do you want to send out into the world with your business.
Thank you Maggie for the chat! x