Love, Bonito's Rachel Lim took a big career leap when she set out to transform her blog shop hustle into a booming e-commerce business. As the Co-Founder of a continuously growing enterprise, Lim speaks to L'Officiel about how it took guts, luck, and stubborn persistence to send shoppers around the world to engage in her vision of a purpose-led brand that caters to women globally.

Way before and long after the explosion of the girl boss phenomenon, Love, Bonito has&nbsp; already been leading the movement of women empowerment through e-commerce. It was founded by Rachel Lim, Viola Tan, and Velda Tan who set up their Livejournal blog shop, BonitoChico, back in 2006. Their business model of reselling clothes from Thailand and Hong Kong became such a hit that the project progressed into a fully formed enterprise that celebrates women and their style throughout the course of their life from childhood to adulthood.&nbsp;

Rachel had to make the difficult decision of leaving her promising degree for the opportunity to realize the full potential of BonitoChico, which was rebranded to Love, Bonito in 2010 as a shop offering its own in-house designs. She pursued a nameless path from a position of leadership without title, mentors, and the gloss of the verified check from many influencers. It didn&rsquo;t matter. She kept going. As of 2021, the multichannel store has expanded across 10 key markets, including Southeast Asian countries Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Cambodia, and East Asian locations such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan, as well as Australia and the US. It&rsquo;s a tale that witnesses how small beginnings can reap formidable outcomes.&nbsp;

To this day, Rachel Lim continues to explore how the brand can move forward, and in this intimate conversation with L&rsquo;Officiel, she takes a break from her busy schedule to discuss the milestones of Love, Bonito and the evergreen vision that guides it.&nbsp;

Hi Rachel, what&rsquo;s keeping you busy at the moment?

Hello! Now with my (not so) little nine-month-old Ollie in tow, I&rsquo;ve been trying my best to juggle work, family, personal time, and friends!

How has motherhood deepened your appreciation for everyday women especially that it&rsquo;s something that your brand strives to celebrate?

Now, being a mom, I have learnt to be ruthlessly productive with so limited time and to prioritize as much as possible. I can also better empathize with everyday women with multiple priorities, who set high standards for ourselves and when we don&rsquo;t meet those standards, some might find it hard to open up for the fear of being judged and misunderstood. I&rsquo;m also learning to determine which are the glass balls versus rubber balls in my life &ndash; ensuring that I don&rsquo;t drop the wrong one!

I am also a believer in the need to be authentic and vulnerable enough to share my struggles and failures, to reiterate the fact that we are all a work in progress, and no one is perfect. I love this quote by Craig Groeschel, &ldquo;People would rather follow a leader who is always real than a leader who is always right.&rdquo; This applies to all aspects of life!

Love, Bonito has presence across Southeast Asia, East Asia, the US and Australia. What cultural nuances have you noticed in women in these regions? What differentiates them? What binds them?

We have been learning so much about women as we expand into the different markets and are constantly in touch to better cater to them as well. Understanding cultural nuances is key so that we know how our brand fits in terms of positioning and offering. Income disparity and lifestyle differences play a huge part too. For example, in Malaysia and Indonesia, women are slightly more modest in their dressing, so we take the same design but lengthen the sleeves and hemline and also offer tips on layering pieces so that the overall look is less revealing.
On the topic of what binds women &ndash; the love for dressing up, definitely! And we want to use fashion as a vehicle to reach out to them and empower her at every stage of her life through thoughtful designs and experiences.

Were you apprehensive about setting up the first brick and mortar store after all the while only having an online presence?

Not exactly as we have consistently taken smaller risks and tested the market by opening a couple of pop-ups prior to setting up our very first physical store at 313@Somerset in Singapore. Jim Collins has this concept where he said we need to fire bullets (smaller risk tests) before firing the cannonballs. The process has helped us better understand the space required, layout, and assortment that would best cater to our customers. As a brand that started out online, we recognized over the years the importance of having a physical space where we get to connect and get in touch with customers.

I love what you said in an interview, &ldquo;Being an entrepreneur is overhyped these days...An entrepreneur is not bigger than anyone else. Everyone has a different path to their own success.&rdquo; What made you realize this? Can you expound on this epiphany?

I believe that at the end of the day, our purpose is to know exactly who we are and fulfill the highest expression of ourselves &ndash; what drives us, what drains us, what our superpower is, what our values and principles are, what makes us tick.

As an entrepreneur, knowing exactly who I am helps me determine the kinds of people to bring onboard to build this brand with me. I believe that ultimately, it&rsquo;s all about the right team and the right people, at the right stages of the business. Jim Collins has this analogy, and I subscribe to it completely; it is utterly crucial to get the right people at the right seat of the bus.

You describe your fashion as feminine and safe. Growing up, who and what were your fashion influences?

My mom played a huge role in influencing the way I enjoy dressing up, mixing, and matching! She may not be a fashion icon, but it is in her daily dressing that I observed how she mixed and matched patterns and colors. Her sense of style definitely has a part to play in my foray to fashion.

As a fellow Asian, it makes me proud to see how your store represents the region in so many positive ways. Can you describe your &ldquo;Asian experience&rdquo; of fashion, especially that we live in a world that often sees Europe or even the US as its fashion centers?

Thank you, that means so much! At Love, Bonito, we exist to empower the everyday Asian woman at every stage of her life, through thoughtful designs and experiences, backed by data science and a strong community strategy. We believe that great designs can and should be accessible for all. Feeling and looking great should not be limited to just a privileged few, and we&rsquo;re here to equalize that. Moreover, when it comes to the Asian fit, we have perfected it with focus on the body to leg ratio and carefully selecting colors that embrace our varied skin tones.

Above all, we see fashion as a vehicle for us to reach out to women. Ultimately, we believe we are in the business of women and not the business of fashion.

Gender neutrality and diversity have been controversial subjects these days. What are your thoughts on its ever-evolving role in fashion? In relation to that, are you thinking to expand to more markets in the future?

Fashion is all about self-expression, and we hope that through fashion, everyone is empowered to find their own unique voice, never conform, and be the best versions of themselves. Today, we are in 10 key markets serving our modern everyday Asian women and definitely hope to be able to serve more women in decades to come.

The pandemic has been stressful for many and mental health issues seem to be trending upwards. Do you have any advice for our readers?

Building mental resilience has helped power me through difficult times. One simple but effective ritual that my hubby taught me years ago has been working for me, and I&rsquo;d like to share it with you! Give yourself a period of time to indulge in self-pity, and it can range anywhere from five minutes to a few hours. Once that's done, set the alarm and as soon as the alarm rings, you snap out of it! It is important to own your feelings and not sweep it under the carpet. Funny how such a simple ritual helped me until today, and I highly encourage you to try it! 
In the Philippines, more and more women are being a part of Love, Bonito community, so much so that it has spawned its own hashtag: #LBCommunity. Learn more about the local #LBCommunity <a href="https://bit.ly/39IqIHN">here</a>.

Love, Bonito: The Business of Empowering Women

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