Founder and director of Baobei Label, Grace Hsin-Yuan Ko, started her label while in quarantine during the pandemic. Her family had rushed back to New Zealand after a visit to China, and the unique boredom of isolation saw Ko make necklaces for her friends to keep busy. Her parents owned their own store, selling not only jewellery but also the likes of fabric and t-shirts, leaving plenty of deadstock lying around for Ko to make use of.
After making a few accessories for her friends, Ko soon found that the popular reception she received from her designs meant she had to advance from scribbling requests in her notebook to an online spreadsheet. This venture became a moment of connection and reflection on Ko’s culture.
“Baobei began as a way for me to honour my heritage, and it’s now grown into something much more, a way for me to connect to my community.”
Baobei is a word used in Cantonese and Mandarin, with various special meanings that Ko carefully considered when naming her label. One key meaning which Ko attributes to the word is its sense of community:
“Someone who is relationship-centric. They love their community.”
Her goal for the future is for the word Baobei to be added to the English dictionary. Having grown up being embarrassed by her parent’s store and the racism they experienced, Ko emphasised that the Baobei Label is designed to support and uplift her community.
“I want us to have representation in fashion and the media. I want us to feel proud. I want us to resonate with the brand and feel joy and nostalgia. I want us to feel like something was made for us and by us.”
The beads Ko used to make necklaces during her quarantine have informed her collections of jewellery and accessories now. However, Ko reveals that the inspirations for her designs come from her inward reflections.
“Baobei is a hyper realised version of myself. I look inward before I search for external inspiration.”
Ko, currently in Taiwan, also feels the influence of Taiwanese tendencies to enjoy colourful accessories, including bows, keychains, and Kawaii. She uses this example to explain where further inspiration comes from:
“It reminds me of my childhood and dragging my mum towards anything Hello Kitty related. So I’ll go to the drawing board and ask myself what things sparked joy for ten-year-old me because I now feel close to her. And that’s the starting point.”
Baobei and the meaning behind the word and how this relates to herself, her culture, and her brand is the centre point of Ko’s label. And this is something that she believes is key for any budding designer looking for a break in the industry.
“Know your brand story and what it means to wear your designs, choose one hero product, and learn how to convince others to embody your designs with you,” Ko concluded.
