Sisters turn fashion concept into money-making venture
She has always been fascinated with bazaars and used to join one even back in her college years.
And so when an opportunity came for a major mall looking for tenants to set up a bazaar-type business, 29-year-old Diane Rose Uy Ang lost no time in seizing it.
Seven years later, the bazaar-type business has become a brand and it now has its own stand-alone boutique in five major locations in the country.
Ang said her boutique, What A Girl Wants had its humble beginning at Ayala Center Cebu’s fashion shopping hub – The Maze – on Feb. 7, 2004.
“At the start, it was just a fun thing for me to do to escape from the stress of my day job. While in Manila for college, I joined bazaars all the time and I missed that when I got back here. So, when I heard that The Maze was opening in Ayala, my dad encouraged me to check it out and everything just happened from there,” Ang said.
She used to be the head for Administration of an STI College franchise in Cebu before she decided to quit and focus on her new business.
Article continues after this advertisementWith an investment of P500,000, Ang and her family created the concept of What A Girl Wants and helped each other in the operations of the start-up business.
Article continues after this advertisementShe said the business was her whole family’s effort and her whole family’s success.
“When we were starting out, they would manually cut out tags and stick them on the clothes until midnight. They’ve been there for me since day one. My sisters and I run the business now.”
Her sister Jacklyn, 25, is in charge of marketing while Krystle, who’s only 21 years old is their creative director.
What A Girl Wants follows a very simple yet feasible concept of just simply knowing the trends and putting a personal touch to it.
Ang said she and her sisters wanted it to resemble a walk in closet.
“This is why instead of all mannequins on the show window, you see a glass frame, which is supposed to be like how we girls would layout our outfit for the next day. We use curtains, ottomans and rugs for a more homey feel too,” Ang said.
After only 22 months since setting up shop at The Maze, What A Girl Wants opened its first boutique shops in Ayala Center CEbu and Limketkai Center in Cagayan de Oro City . That was on December 2005.
“Our customers loved our concept. Everyone wanted us to open a bigger store and have a wider selection. So the stand-alone boutique was the answer to that demand,” she said.
From there, the growth was continuous for the brand, which carried must-have products including men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, bags and shoes.
At present, What A Girl Wants also has boutiques in SM City Cebu, Robinsons Galleria in Manila and Abreeza in Davao.
She said getting into these major malls was a challenge because as a brand the business was still new and it had to compete with other major brands who wanted a space in the mall.
Their good background and early achievements like being among the Top 10 merchants of Ayala Center Cebu in 2007, helped them get lease contracts and open their boutiques in these major malls.
Ang said their brand remained a top preference especially among the young fashionistas because of the products that they carry.
In deciding what products to carry under their brand, she and her sisters check out what’s the latest in fashion trends and then they would look for the best supplier where they could source the best finds with affordable prices.
“At present we are focusing more on establishing What A Girl Wants as a brand that will be known nationwide,” Ang said.
They plan to open a boutique in SM Consolacion and Ayala CDO’s Centrio.
Other plans include a stand-alone WAGW Accessories store, WAGW Intimates and WAGW for Kids that they hope to achieve real soon.
Ang was given an award from the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry as this year’s Young Entrepreneur for her job in growing What A Girl Wants.
She said what she learned while growing the business was never to give up.
“We had to go through so much rejections, failures, and disappointments to where we are and it’s all worth it in the end. You just have to believe in what you are doing, work hard to establish yourself and the rest will follow,” she said.
