In a candid exchange with The Emirates Times, Anya Cheng, the brains behind Taelor.style, sheds light on the fusion of confidence and eco-friendly fashion. Cheng elaborates on Taelor’s core mission: empowering individuals through bespoke styling experiences, tailored to fit myriad occasions like job interviews and romantic rendezvous. Through its innovative clothing rental subscription model, augmented by AI algorithms, Taelor aims to prolong garment lifespans, thereby championing sustainability. Cheng stresses the pivotal role of self-assurance in fostering genuine connections and underscores Taelor’s dedication to liberating customers from the endless cycle of shopping. Moreover, she delves into strategies for promoting sustainability while ensuring utmost customer satisfaction, fostering an inclusive ecosystem for all involved. Cheng wraps up by highlighting Taelor’s competitive advantage, rooted in its unmatched personalization and steadfast commitment to driving industry-wide innovation and sustainability.
Empowering with Style
Our interview commenced with the inquiry, “Could you describe an occasion where you empowered someone to feel more assured in their appearance? How did you approach this?”
Anya Cheng recounted, “One poignant instance involved a client preparing for a pivotal job interview. A recent graduate in North Carolina, he faced the challenge of transitioning from a casual work atmosphere to a corporate one, feeling uncertain about his attire’s suitability. With guidance from his stylist, he ultimately secured a position as a Data Scientist at a major tech firm in the Bay Area.
Dating is another domain where individuals often seek assistance in boosting their confidence in their appearance. Research conducted by Banana Republic suggests that 67% of daters experience anxiety over their date outfits, and studies, such as those featured in Social Psychological and Personality Science, reveal that well-dressed daters receive 27% more likes and messages. Danny’s experience exemplifies this — we assisted him in refining his dating attire for a photoshoot for his dating profile, leading to a successful date!
This concern is widespread, and it’s where Taelor excels, offering personalized styling services tailored to individual needs. How does Taelor’s men’s clothing rental subscription function? It commences with customers signing up and completing a style assessment, enabling Taelor’s expert stylists and AI to curate a personalized array of garments based on the customer’s size, style preferences, and upcoming occasions. The meticulously chosen garments, cleaned and ready for wear, are then delivered straight to the customer. They have the flexibility to enjoy these pieces for weeks, with the option to return or purchase them at a discounted rate. Upon returning the items, customers receive a fresh selection, ensuring their wardrobe remains current and diverse. Through this rental model, many customers explore new styles, experiencing a newfound confidence post-transformation.”
Cultivating Relationships
When queried by The Emirates Times about the role of personal confidence in building connections.
Anya Cheng, “Confidence plays a pivotal role in shaping successful interactions and forging connections with others. It serves as a silent but powerful expression of self-assurance, often speaking louder than words. When asked about the impressions they intend to convey while wearing Taelor clothing, customers frequently mention qualities like ‘fit, polished, professional, stylish, and refined,’ rather than simply ‘fashionable.’ This indicates a preference for appearing well-prepared and stylish without appearing overly flashy or trying too hard. Both Taelor’s human stylists and AI technology work towards striking this delicate balance. Ultimately, our aim at Taelor is to empower our customers to embody their true selves at their very best.”
Accessing Advantages
The Emirates Times: In what ways can sustainable fashion foster positive impacts on individuals and the environment?
Anya Cheng responds, “Sustainable fashion heralds a transformative era in clothing production, consumption, and ethos. Its advantages resonate through environmental, economic, and societal domains, enriching not only our planet but also individuals and communities. Many of our clientele express joy in contributing to waste reduction while enhancing their personal style. At Taelor, our operational model ensures each garment enjoys a complete and meaningful life cycle, being rented multiple times before being sold as like-new pre-owned items. Additionally, our extensive data empowers fashion enterprises to tailor their offerings to genuine consumer preferences. Through partnerships with eco-friendly brands utilizing innovative materials such as recycled coffee grounds and plastic buttons, we reinforce our dedication to sustainability.”
Remaining Current in Sustainable Fashion
Keeping abreast of sustainable fashion trends is crucial. How do you ensure you’re up-to-date with them, and how might you apply this awareness to your responsibilities at taelor.style?
Anya Cheng shared, “Staying updated on sustainable fashion trends demands a multifaceted approach that involves ongoing education, collaboration with industry peers, and the adoption of cutting-edge technology. At Taelor, our extensive network encompasses over 300 fashion brands, fostering a dynamic environment for the exchange of knowledge. We are honored to receive insights from esteemed strategic investors, including industry leaders like Lululemon, Nike, Hugo Boss, and Uniqlo, as well as guidance from a Board Member affiliated with a prominent circular economic foundation.
As active participants in the startup community, we are deeply engaged in pioneering sustainable practices, business models, and technological advancements. Yet, our role goes beyond mere observation; we are trendsetters in our own right. By employing innovative data analytics, we evaluate the longevity of garments and utilize AI to identify trends and valuable insights. As the driving force behind Taelor, integrating this intelligence into our platform is essential. It ensures that we not only offer stylish and relevant choices to our customers but also remain unwavering in our commitment to sustainability.”
Unconventional Tactics to Enhance Garment Lifespan
Share an instance where you creatively prolonged the lifespan of a piece of clothing. What was the result, and what insights did you gain from the process?
Anya Cheng, “Our Company’s cornerstone is the belief in extending the life of clothing. With our creative strategies, we encourage brands to craft garments intended for long-term use, aligning with the principles of slow fashion. Every item experiences an extended lifespan through numerous rentals, which is advantageous for both the environment and customers. Leveraging state-of-the-art technology, we utilize advanced cleaning techniques to uphold durability, alongside rigorous inspections to guarantee that each returned piece meets our high-quality criteria before being reintroduced into circulation.”
Nurturing Sustainable Self-Assurance
How would you approach promoting the principles of taelor.style and inspiring customers to embrace their true selves without relying on constant shopping?
Anya Cheng shared, “At taelor.style, we are dedicated to upholding our values by empowering customers to exude confidence in the weeks ahead. When our stylists curate outfits for our clients, we don’t just pick their top five favorites from the shipment. Instead, we meticulously craft versatile combinations that offer three complete looks, preparing them for upcoming events while enhancing their self-assurance.
With our wide array of premium-quality items and rental model, each garment has the opportunity to be enjoyed multiple times by different individuals. This not only allows our customers to explore and embrace their unique style but also helps curb overconsumption. Furthermore, if a customer forms a deep attachment to a particular piece, they can choose to purchase gently used, second-hand clothing, ensuring they can continue to treasure and wear it for years to come.”
Handling Customer Concerns
How might you handle a scenario in which a customer voices discontentment with their appearance even after using taelor.style products?
Anya Cheng, “Addressing situations where a customer expresses dissatisfaction with their appearance, despite wearing Taelor.style products, requires a combination of empathy, active listening, and customized solutions to address their concerns. Leading this effort is our experienced customer service lead, who previously managed customer service at eBay. We meticulously review all customer feedback during our weekly executive meetings, constantly refining each interaction to perfection.
Operating on a rental subscription model, our service enables customers to explore a diverse range of items and return unwanted pieces. Each shipment includes five items, allowing customers to enjoy and use four while returning the unfitting one. Before each subsequent shipment, customers can provide feedback to their personal stylists, ensuring a more tailored selection for their next delivery.
In cases of significant dissatisfaction, customers can contact our customer service team. Furthermore, our AI quickly learns from individual preferences, adapting its curation approach within weeks to better align with users’ tastes as they engage more with Taelor.style. This feature is designed to gradually reduce instances of customer dissatisfaction over time, thereby enhancing the overall user experience.”
Anya Cheng’s Prior Engagements
Could you share instances of initiatives or projects you’ve participated in that support fostering confidence or sustainability within your past positions?
Anya Cheng reflected, “Over the past ten years, I’ve dedicated myself to empowering individuals striving for career excellence, encouraging them to leverage their strengths to foster confidence and resilience amid adversity. Through this journey, I’ve had the privilege of delivering two TED Talks and authoring two bestselling books. Drawing from my own experiences navigating the post-graduate job market during the Great Recession, my background in journalism has proven invaluable in offering actionable insights.
From patiently waiting outside office buildings to secure meetings with hiring managers, to utilizing volunteer opportunities for networking at conferences, and even proactively reaching out to executives of major corporations, I’ve embraced unconventional methods to seize opportunities. My passion stems from a deep desire to inspire and enable others to unlock their potential.
My co-founder, Phoebe Tan, shares a profound commitment to sustainability, making her a sought-after speaker at events focusing on circular fashion and sustainability. Our investor, Sean Chao, serves as a Board Member for a foundation dedicated to circular economics. At Taelor, we actively seek out sustainable brands, curating products such as clothing crafted from recycled plastic bottles and coffee grounds.”
Maintaining Equilibrium in Customer Satisfaction
How do you balance customer satisfaction with environmental considerations in your product or service offerings?
Anya Cheng explained, “In the realm of Taelor.style, our focus is on achieving both customer satisfaction and positive environmental impact. This requires a delicate balance between providing exceptional, personalized fashion experiences and embracing sustainable practices. Our approach prioritizes quality and durability over quantity when curating our clothing selection. We believe in a simple principle: by offering garments that can be rented multiple times, we reduce the need for excessive purchasing.
Through our rental model, we significantly decrease the demand for new garment production, thereby lessening its environmental footprint. Additionally, we actively collaborate with our fashion brand partners, offering extensive feedback to shape future collections according to consumer preferences. This collaborative effort helps minimize waste in the fashion cycle, contributing to a more sustainable industry.”
The Intersection of Personal Style and Self-Expression
The Emirates Times: What are your insights regarding the connection between personal style and self-expression? How does this correlation align with the mission of taelor.style?
Anya Cheng, “The profound interplay between personal style and self-expression serves as a powerful form of non-verbal communication, allowing individuals to convey their identity, emotions, and values without speaking a word. Take, for instance, our diverse clientele: a furniture designer seeking clothing that reflects their design philosophy, a middle-aged person aiming to project youthful energy in their social interactions, and another individual who desires attire that silently proclaims, “While I may appear unassuming from a distance, my style commands attention up close.”
Personal style goes beyond mere garments; it’s a meticulously curated reflection of one’s essence, influenced by life experiences, ambitions, and the cultural landscape. In today’s world, sustainability plays a crucial role in shaping how individuals perceive themselves. Through advocating for sustainable fashion, Taelor.style empowers its clients to express their identities genuinely and with integrity.”
Promoting Diversity and Belonging
The Emirates Times inquired about fostering a positive and inclusive atmosphere for both customers and team members at taelor.style.
Anya Cheng, “At taelor.style, our mission is to embolden our customers to greet each day with confidence by furnishing them with the backing they require. With a proven history of aiding individuals in attaining their aspirations, particularly in settings where they confront obstacles due to underrepresentation, we stand as a beacon of support. From esteemed gatherings like the Disney Premier, Oscars, Grammys, MLS games, and Cannes red carpet, to guiding career trajectories in fields such as data science, interior design, and law, we are committed to transforming our customers’ visions into reality.
When it comes to our team members, we prioritize situating them in roles where they can truly excel. Founded by two minority women, Taelor takes pride in the fact that 67% of our staff is women, with 8% identifying as non-binary. Moreover, 75% of our workforce hails from diverse backgrounds, encompassing Asian, African American, and Latin American individuals. We actively seek out minority-founded vendors and ensure our models represent a spectrum of ages, ethnicities, and body types.
Furthermore, we cater to a broad range of customer sizes, offering options from S to 2XL, and provide a waitlist for those beyond our current size range. Our commitment to inclusivity permeates every facet of our operations, ensuring that every interaction with taelor.style leaves individuals feeling valued and supported.”
Navigating Competitive Dynamics
In our final question, we posed the scenario of a new competitor emerging with a similar mission but a different approach. How does taelor.style maintain its unique value proposition and competitive advantage?
Anya Cheng explained, “Our strategy focuses on ‘Personalization at Scale,’ leveraging advanced data analytics and AI to deliver unparalleled personalized styling services. This ensures each customer feels uniquely catered to, distinguishing us from competitors. Our AI investment isn’t just about cutting costs but about enhancing customer satisfaction responsibly.
Taelor’s AI functions as the ultimate ‘Outfit of the Day Advisor & Inventory Predictor,’ offering benefits for consumers and fashion brands alike:
For consumers: Our AI tailors recommendations to individual needs, facilitating effortless outfit selection based on occasions, personal style, and trends. It also encourages users to explore new styles, enhancing the fashion experience.
For fashion brands: We lead in Inventory Prediction technology, providing insights to optimize inventory management and tailor offerings to meet consumer demands, driving business growth and satisfaction.
With the apparel market valued at $400 billion, circular fashion’s 23% annual growth rate presents significant opportunities for innovation and expansion.
There’s ample room for growth in circular fashion, and we welcome new entrants. Increased competition not only drives innovation but also educates consumers about sustainability.
Rent the Runway and Nuuly exemplify the potential for growth in rental subscriptions, attracting new rental customers and highlighting circular fashion’s promise.
Ultimately, new entrants expand opportunities for innovation, sustainability, and consumer engagement.” – Anya Cheng
Connect with Anya Cheng on Linkedin
Visit Taelor Style to learn more about it
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