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Vancouver is home to a thriving fashion industry made up of individuals committed to its growth and success. Get to know these personalities in The Inseam and discover what makes the Vancouver Fashion scene so awesome. |
Photo: courtesy Michelle Wong
A.D.F.M is Vancouver’s own one stop shop for everything you need to satisfy a culture craving. Art, Design, Fashion and Music are the elements that drive this distinctive online experience. A.D.F.M is motivated by the creative community, employing a team of stylists, local designers and artists to contribute. Not to mention, it is home to a killer storage unit that doubles as a personal shopping space for locals.
Founder and owner Michelle Wong has amazing taste and an eye for the latest and greatest finds. After exploring the diverse unit of clothing, books, accessories and art, we discuss Michelle’s unique approach to online shopping.
Valerie Tiu: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Michelle Wong: I always wanted to be in music and entertainment, so after high school I went to the UK to do music production. I got my degree there, and worked in the music industry for a little bit. It just didn’t feel like home yet, so I moved back. I went to Vancouver Film School and I took sound design there and I worked in the film industry. I just got bored. I just wanted to do my own thing and I didn’t want to work for other people anymore. I just came up with this idea for having a one-stop shop for everything that I am passionate about. At the time, I was online quite a bit and I didn’t see anything that was like what I wanted to do in Canada or the States.
Fashion has always been a part of my life. My mom used to have a store when I was younger. I worked for her, so I understood how it worked. I feel like everything I have done has lead up to this. Especially music and fashion - I just feel like all these elements correlate together. You can’t really live without one or the other.
VT: You have a unique approach to online shopping, blending elements of art, design, fashion and music together. How did you come up with this concept?
MW: It’s a lifestyle. With people that wear these kinds of clothes and shoes, it’s a whole lifestyle intertwined with one another. When I shopped online, I always had to open different browsers. I just thought of putting it all together and making it easy. Especially for our generation, I think we lose our concentration very fast – we don’t have time. I just want to cut that time down for everybody and put it all in one spot.
VT: Who or what inspires the fashion on A.D.F.M?
MW: It’s just what I’m passionate about. I go on a lot of blogs, Tumblr, and social media sites like Pinterest. It gives me a lot of inspiration on what people like and what trends are coming. When I go on buying trips, I am super fast because I’m all about the eye. Especially for being online, it has to catch my eye in the first five seconds or I don’t pick it up.
My inspiration is worldwide. I love where Asia and Europe are going…. I want to push people and show them that there are a lots of great designers out here that are doing the same thing and we should help them emerge onto the scene.
VT: You recently opened a personal shopping service. Can you talk about that?
MW: I just got a lot of response from people in Vancouver that just said that they wanted to try stuff on or see it in person. I like the experience of having someone tell you what the features of the product are. Other than that, you can feel free to roam around and have your own space. That way, people feel more comfortable to try more items on. It’s just a relaxing environment.
VT: You have a super team of stylists on board - Deanna Palkowski, Mc’Kenneth Licon, Ivy Xu). Can you talk about their roles in the A.D.F.M family?
MW: The stylists are there for the clients. It’s a free service, so if a customer were interested, they would email whomever they like. They would have to fill out a questionnaire - what kind of styles they like, inspiration, their body type, that kind of stuff. The stylist will get back to them within 24 hours and pick pieces from our collection so that they can see different variations of what they can wear to suit their body type and personality. They’re amazing stylists!
VT: Where do you see the line going in the next few years?
MW: We’ll definitely have a flagship store. Depending on how this goes, it could be within the next couple of years. But definitely in the downtown area - I already have a vision of it. Keep on with the online shop. We just want to expand internationally – Europe, Asia, and different cities….
VT: Why Vancouver?
MW: I was raised here. I was born in Hong Kong and I came here when I was five. I’ve lived in a lot of different cities and nothing ever felt like home except Vancouver.
Check out A.D.F.M and their Personal Shopping Service online.
