Meet: Y + O Lux

Y + O Lux is a brand advisory and business consultancy, set-up in 2018 by Kuo-Fang Yang-O’Connor. Jasmine Lin joined as Head of Business in 2022. Both Kuo-Fang and Jasmine graduated from London College of Fashion.

Kuo-Fang completed her BA Fashion Promotion and Business at LCF in 2002 before going on to have a successful career in the fashion industry. Her knack for business strategy saw her working alongside Anya Hindmarch, Stella McCartney, Nicholas Kirkwood and worked on commercial strategy for JW Anderson.

Having established a successful career in luxury PR management in Taiwan and China, working for brands from LVMH and Kering Group, Jasmine moved to London for her MA Strategic Fashion Marketing in 2008.

We spoke to them about being successful businesswomen, as well as working mothers in an international industry.

You both studied at LCF – can you tell us about your experiences?

Kuo-Fang (KF): Entering LCF was a life changing experience. I arrived in the UK in the summer of 1999, there were not many Taiwanese nor Mandarin speaking students then. It was also a time when there was no social media, so it was much harder to make connections. As a young foreign student coming alone to the UK, LCF provided an excellent curriculum, great resources and later life-changing career advice. I was hoping to be a fashion designer like Alexander McQueen but in the end, I chose Fashion Promotion and Business - I never looked back.

Jasmine Lin (JL): I had a wonderful time at LCF during 2006/07 completing my MA in Strategic Fashion Marketing. The best aspects were the location of the LCF campus and the deep connections with the fashion industry. University life was great for networking, which helped for my career development.

What was a highlight of your time at LCF?

KF: There were so many! Making friendships from all walks of life. I made many international friends and managed to learn Japanese with my roommate - an asset I would lean on later in my career. I really enjoyed and embraced the international community at LCF, and I had close knit circle of friends. We loved sharing our different cultures, food, art, language and beyond. We wiled away hours revising together in the library. That was my happy place, I was like Hermione; devouring book after (magical, beautiful fashion) book.

Back then, the library was in the John Prince’s Street building, a dream location for young people, the centre of Oxford Circus between H&M and Topshop. You couldn’t get a better campus location. My favourite thing was hopping between the Davies Street campus and the library, I felt the energy and believed everything was possible.

JL: As we all know, the London spirit of innovation and creativity has always been at the forefront. I was chosen to be part of “Creative Venture” at London Business School in 2007. The program was working on creative projects for new business ventures alongside LBS students. We learnt different aspects from each other's background, from debating and compromise to find the best solutions. I learnt to communicate honestly and compassionately, and it instilled the importance of healthy relationships in the workplace.

Can you tell us about your careers' so far?

KF: I launched Y + O Lux, a brand advisory and business consultancy in March 2018. It gives me the opportunity to work with new emerging brands in various creative categories, and support start-ups to scale.

My journey did not come easy; I worked my butt off throughout university, working weekends in department stores. That hard work paid off when I received a job offer from quintessential British handbag designer - Anya Hindmarch. I went from making teas to managing their wholesale business in Asia and, finally, a franchise manager. It was the best 8 years. I gained strong business acumen, developed a sense of style wrapped up in British humour, a skill not to be overlooked; and I made lifetime friendships that I will always be grateful for.

Next stop - Milan. One of my career and lifetime highlights was working for the fabulous Stella McCartney. Her vision of building a true sustainable luxury brand inspired us all. Back in 2010, no one understood the phrase ‘sustainable fashion’. She’s a pioneer who put sustainability at the core of her business – and today it’s become a must for every business to set sustainability in practice.

After Stella, I joined a contemporary ready-to-wear Copenhagen based brand - Designers Remix. The brand initially reworked deadstock turning it into brand new limited collections. It was a success, and the brand then officially launched their own design and production. I had opportunity to work directly with the CEO and creative director, developing the long-term business strategy and driving commercial execution. I loved my time there leading the brand and bringing it to their international market outside Scandinavia. As a first-time mother, I also loved their forward-thinking approach to flexible working and strong parental benefits.

Finally, LVMH Fashion Group knocked on my door with a role that was too good to resist; a global commercial director role working directly under the CEO of LVMH Fashion Group. It was for then young British shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood.

At LVMH Fashion Group, I also had the opportunity to work alongside JW Anderson. It was just before he became the creative director of Loewe, where I planned the commercial aspects of the move at the very beginning.  It was this role that inspired my interest in supporting young creatives to develop their strategy and build on their commercial strength.

Throughout my career, I’ve always felt it’s important to give something back. I was honoured to join and sponsor the British Fashion Council supporting young British Designers and volunteer for the Prince’s Trust as their mentoring advisor to their creative business division supporting young people launching their brands.

JL: After working as a luxury PR Manager to launch marketing and PR campaigns for brands from LVMH and Kering Group in Taiwan and China, I decided to move to London to expand my vision and experience. During my time at LCF, I worked at Harrods and Pringle of Scotland to gain more experience.

I started working in the international business sector and managing franchise/distribution partnerships at Day Birger et Mikkelsen. After this, I moved to Linda Farrow developing and managing relationships with their international partners especially Central and Eastern European countries, the Middle East and Asia.

I took a break after I had my first child. Honestly, being a stay-home parent is a full-time job – like the COO of the household.  I was raising my kids as trilingual, and multitasking projects, resulting in a smoothly run operation.

Now I’m working at Y+ O Lux, a global brand advisory providing a 360 holistic view and customised service for each project: from brand positioning to identifying and tracking new emerging markets and trends.

Kuo-Fang, you set up your brand consultancy Y + O Lux in 2018. Why did you decide to set up your own consultancy?

Setting up my own business was not on my agenda early on; but as my career progressed, I found a passion for leading teams and working with external creatives, helping them to develop their business strategy and big picture thinking. From my extensive experience working with brands in-house, I know what it takes to achieve goals. It’s so rewarding to help brands and creative designers who have huge potential to elevate their businesses to next level. It’s been a blast.

I’ve loved every minute of running my own company, working with talents across the industry. So far, we’ve supported over 40 projects across 6 categories. Of course, I would be lying if I said it’s been super easy. Running a consultancy is like any business; it requires a lot of back-office operations and networking needs. I always try to stay a step ahead and uncover new opportunities.

What is your experience of running a business in a creative industry?

KF: I love working in this industry - the ideas and final execution always blows my mind. Often our experience is that newly launched brands need our support to craft the business strategy, and established brands have new missions and need knowhow. We can support all effectively to scale and execute. With over 20 years of experience, an extensive network within the industry we can help these brands to realise their goals with agility.

How do you reach out to clients?

KF: I have been lucky enough that my clients are mainly referred via word of mouth. The consultancy has expanded with international partnerships based in Shanghai and Seoul. It’s so exciting to pitch Y + O Lux to perspective clients.

Are there any brands you’ve worked with which you're particularly proud of?

KF: The great thing is, every brand is different, it’s like a life story. We’re proud of every project we have had the privilege to contribute on. Of course, there are a few that I absolutely adore.

Catherine Prevost was a very special project. We had a mission to help Catherine open her store in Chelsea within 12 months. An American jewellery designer, Catherine turned her design into a lifestyle brand. She had a jewellery store on Walton Street before motherhood and after years of being a stay home mother, she had the courage to reinvent and launch Catherine Prevost.  Y + O Lux worked on the brand DNA, overall image, pricing, core value positioning, logo and website design. This culminated in a London pop up that later turned into a permanent store. She now has boutiques in Chelsea and Palm Beach.

Another special one is San Francisco-based, ready-to-wear brand Mute by JL. With an amazing brand story and beautiful products, it was a privilege to be able to help Joanna realise her next steps on her brand journey.  Focusing on one aspect like brand DNA can make a real impact. Mute by JL now has their own store in San Francisco and launched seasonal pop ups in key cities including New York and most recently in Shanghai.

There are many other brands which we support, please check out our website to see our other projects.

You’re both mothers; can you tell us about your experience as working mums in the fashion industry?

KF: As a mother of 2 girls, working in the fashion industry gives me strength to emphasise female empowerment, celebrate body positivity and support other working mothers.

It’s fair to say the fashion industry has been slow to embrace DEI principles (diversity, equity and inclusion) and I have certainly experienced that. I have been fortunate enough to break new ground throughout my career as a Southeast Asian woman, although it took incredible amount of hard work and perseverance. It’s great to see the system is starting to change; if you’ve got the talent and passion, go for it. I have always given talent opportunities - you need to see beyond the CV, finding hidden talent that may not have the experience yet, but has the right attitude, motivation and is willing to be coached.

Y + O Lux follows the same principle; by hiring Jasmine who is now our Head of Business, a fellow working mother and our PR guru.

JL: To be honest, the idea of a “family friendly workplace” was only introduced in recent years. It was not very ‘family friendly’ when I was working in fashion, especially the jobs which involved lots of travel. It might be a choice to take a career break, or you may feel that you’re forced to decide. It’s not easy to be a working mother - juggling a job with young kids. It’s hard but the children will grow up, and mothers need to grow too.

Jasmine, how have you found returning to work?

Absolutely fabulous!   I just want to tell all the stay home mothers out there that it's never too late to return to work.

I really appreciated that Kuo-Fang provides a flexible working scheme for a working mother. Y + O Lux has been super supportive of mothers like me returning to work. I'm having a great time finding my own identity and name again - not just someone's mum.

You do need to be brave and get out of your comfort zone - it's not an easy process after years of a career break. Some useful methods to boost your confidence are: positive thinking, an interest in learning and continuing to talk to other people. Anything is possible.

What advice would you give to recent graduates wanting to make it in a creative industry?

KF: 

• Never stop dreaming and recognise it’s a journey. Take that first step; starting slow and small is better than an idea unrealised.
• Understand your brand position.
• Creating your own community with authentic DNA in brand communication is key.
• Know your value and preserve it.
• Survival first - It is okay to get a job that can pay your bills whilst planning your dream business.

JL: 

• Dare to dream and make it happen.
• Be kind.
• Decide what you want, write it down, plan and act.
• Remember that failure is a normal and necessary part of life.
• A strong focus on wellbeing can build core skills for healthier individuals.

Find out more on their website: yplusoluxury.com