Hi I'm Emily Keller and this is my friend Rikki. She's the
founder of Ikki, 'Small But Brave' which is a
baby clothes line based here
in Shanghai. What I'm really passionate about is
obviously the fact that it's wool, and I come from a
family of wool. So I'm 4th generation, 3rd generation. I think my
great grandfather was already washing,
scouring wool. And then my grandfather
moved to South Africa and started the wool processing plant, which my
father then took over. And then my father went to work in Germany
at another
wool processing plant. So I'm the
first generation to make a finished product. But there's something attached
to the notion of that if I don't
pass on the information of what is wool and this passion
and this know-how of what I have, then it sort of ends with me.
I suddenly had this revelation the other day where I thought,
I also have a responsibility to pass on what I know.
In a way I feel like those things are
getting lost. I mean I know I sound really old saying that. That practical
knowlegdge of process doesn't seem to be
in the young generation anymore. Everyone is in
IT or social media.
Which is all great, but you have to have something
to talk about. Being in China is a big deal for me.
I think there's a very big misconception of
what China is like. People seem to
think that China is just a cheap manufacturing option.
China is no longer cheap and all those really low-end products
are no longer to be found in China.
It's not actually cheaper for me to produce
than it is in Europe. I sell here
and I feel like every mother has the right
to be able to buy and access product
that is fully certified and safe. China is
a huge population and there are
sophisticated consumers. I think
China has some of the most sophisticated consumers in the world today.
And they are no longer interested in just branding.
They really want to know what is behind the brand, and what is
what does the supply chain look like. So there's been a
shift in the way consumers buy.
A mother who has a certain amount of income
changes how she distributes that income now.
Whereas before she would have bought more product
at a lower price. Because she is aware
of authenticity and asking questions
behind a brand, she buys less product but
in a higher bracket. So it's not necessarily the wealthier
client that's buying, although we do have those, but it's
It's the client that's really questioning what's behind the product.
Sometimes the very wealthy clients
in China are not the ones we really want
because they're just buying because they can. So they'll come and
spend like 2,000 RMB and just buy 5 of that,
5 of that. But they are not necessarily clients
that will come back. Whereas, we've noticed that
with the rest of the clients,
every single person that has bought, has bought a second
and third time.
And that's what we want to create. We have the responsibility, like
yourself, to put pressure on the supply chain
and only buy from manufacturers that are
adhering to certain standards and certifications.
If we don't do that, then nothing is going to change.
A lot of people, also friends in South Africa
or in Germany, they say "Oh you're still in China.
Why are you manufacturing in China?" As if I've chosen
this as a cheaper option. And this is a very very
misconstrued conception because
I feel very strongly about that leaving China
will not help the world. We should stay
here and really improve the supply chain. And if we can do that
at the end of the chain, then that's our responsibility.
Whatever's happening in China, if affecting the
rest of the world.
Whatever processes and manufacturing is taking part here goes
up into the environment and affects us all.
I feel very strongly about supply chain,
and being transparent about my supply chian, and anyone
can ask me anything about where I'm doing what
and what certifications we adhere to. There's no real big
secret, right? It just means that you're working with mills that have
Oeko-Tex, that have Blue Sign, that are treating their
workers well. Because I've been to really rough factories where they didn't even
have enough light or warmth when they're working. If we don't
stay here and improve the status quo
by putting pressure on the supply chain, then I just feel
that's a very fickle way to think about
the manufacturing industry. By just leaving and
going back to Europe. If I'm here
and I have clients here, then
I feel like this is where I should be making a difference.
The ideal case scenario would be to always produce where you
sell, right? So for the products that you're selling in the US,
you produce in the US. For the products you're selling in Europe, you
produce in Europe. Ideally. I think that's best.
It's difficult but it would be cool to be able to do that.
But there are ways. I'm already thinking of ways
there could be. If you're a designer in New York, and
I'm a designer
or brand owner here, then why
can't I use your factory, and you use my factory.
There could be ways that
you could integrate and work together globally.
But I can see that happening in the future. I think it's no longer going to be about
you're producing there or there. It's just going to be about
good product should be good product everywhere.
If I'm requiring the factory to have certain
standards, then that's the same here or anywhere else in the world.
Also, the living standards will
at some point become closer.
There will always be the very poor, but I'm talking about the working class will sort of
balance out. So 1 is Legacy, 2 is Supply Chain,
and 3rd is Giving Back. So a percentage of our sales
goes to children in need and
ultimately I would love to become a 1-for-1 inspired by Tom's
the basis on which he built his company was
on giving back. And I believe if you don't, he also
says, if you don't
have that as core of your company from the beginning
it will be very hard to do that later.
Now, we don't have the financial structure to do 1-for-1
exactly, but ultimately I would love to talk with
hospitals and clinics, and donate. Because that's why I left corporate
in the end, you know? That was the main reason. I just felt like
9-5 job without having purpose,
a real purpose of why you're doing it, the job
in itself can never be a reason for doing it.
There must be a greater good. And that how you can
get people on board to work for you. If they see what you're
doing in the long-term. Because if it's just about a 9-5
job, then that's what people can find anywhere, right?
It's tough, I think it's tough
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