Rags
to Riches
M
ost fashion labels aren’t born out of a garage, and if they are, they probably
don’t make it out of the garage door; but when Jane Lu has a vision, she stops at
nothing to reach it. The CEO of Showpo, an affordable fashion brand that carries
everything from trendy shoes to off-the-runway style clothing, Lu is determined, spirited,
and passionate. Bored of her life as an analyst, the fashion guru took a trip to Europe and
came back inspired. Here, she chats with us about where it all started, gives us some insight
into the Winter 2017 collection, and shares some style tips. BY SAVANNAH HUBBARD
Cliché: When did you first discover
your love for clothes and fashion?
Jane Lu: I’ve actually never cared about
fashion! I just like cute clothes that don’t
cost the earth, which is how Showpo started.
Showpo started off as a small business
in your garage. What inspired you to
take the leap from corporate America
into the world of fashion, and how did
you go from a garage to where you are
now?
My first real career job was working as an
accountant. I then moved on to be an analyst.
Both these experiences were very valuable to
me at the time, but after a nine-month trip to
Europe, I started questioning if the cubicle,
9-5 life was for me.
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After the failure of my first business, I
knew that starting my own fashion company
was something I wanted to keep pursuing.
When I started Showpo, we literally worked
out of my parents’ garage. We slowly began
to work out of a larger office, moved into a
warehouse, switched to using a
third-party warehouse, hired staff, hired
more experienced and senior staff, launched
new ranges, and launched extended sizes.
The first office we got was 140 square
meters and cost $30,000 a year. I couldn’t
even believe that I was moving out of my
parents’ garage and into an actual office.
It was unreal! We took out a 2-year lease
a