WHAT SHE SAID: 5 Minutes with Designer Elisa Yip

With over twenty years of knitwear design experience, Elisa Yip of Sskein developed a refined aesthetic while working with luxury fibers from across the globe.  After her studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and Polìmoda in Italy, she spent her career designing for fashion brands and high-end retailers around the world. She launched Sskein in 2020 as a direct response to the fast fashion movement.

This week Elisa will be talking about fall fashion on New Day Northwest and showcasing her pieces on the runway at Bellevue Fashion Week. She’s a busy lady, but we did manage to catch up with her to learn more about her fashion journey.

How did you get your start?

Even with two decades of design experience in knitwear, I was still nervous about starting my own business, especially during the pandemic. However, I knew there was a white space in the luxury market to create sustainable knitwear designed with eco-friendly sourced materials. After I left Nordstorm, I went straight to work on finding a manufacturer that shared the same values and quality of the product. After our first round of samples, we knew we had an incredible product and start fundraising with our family + friends by offering a pre-order business model. After a month of three in-person trunk shows, we were able to fund the entire production. We have been profitable since day one!

What do you wish you knew when you got started?

That I need to trust my talent, 20 years of industry experience, and my "gut".

What do you think customers would be surprised to know about Sskein?

That it's pronounced skān and it's an English and not a Norwegian word.

How has the pandemic impacted the way you interact with customers?

We had to be creative in finding ways to connect with customers. Right before the shutdown in October 2020, we were able to host trunk shows and share our brand story + collection. Many consumers do not know about alpaca fiber. It took time to educate them on the benefits and sustainability aspects of this luxury fiber. I was a blogger for a few years and built a following. I was able to share my process of building a brand and found support with new customers.

What are your top 3 marketing channels?

1. Social media

2. Brand partnerships

3. Email marketing

What is your advice for business owners trying to navigate uncertain times?

Step back and reassess your business closely with numbers and data. Ask yourself: “What do I need to do to stay afloat for the next 6 months, for the next year?” What can you do to cut costs from a business standpoint? Keep a low overhead and sustain your current capital as long as you can, while finding ways to continue to still make a profit through the services/products you sell.

How has your personal approach to business changed over the years?

Anything you do that doesn't help make a profit is time wasted. Your time is money! I have to learn to say no more often.

What are your favorite personal productivity tools to use for business?

I rely on my calendar a lot. Without it, I'm completely lost. Quickbooks, even though I am not a big fan of numbers, has helped me stay organized with bookkeeping, accounting, and business transactions.

Early bird or night owl?

Night owl!

What are you reading right now?

I don't have time to read. But I do listen to a lot of podcasts during my runs.

What is one of the goals you set for 2022 and have you completed it yet?

Build a wholesale channel with 10-15 boutiques. It's still a work in progress.

Name a woman in business that you admire:

Angela Ahrendts, former CEO of Burberry and SVP of Apple.

What's one podcast or website you love for business insight and inspiration?

NPR's series How I Built This

Business of Fashion Podcast

Tagwalk (it’s like google for fashion images)

If you could share one bit of advice for a new business owner, what would it be:

Mistakes are meant to be so you can learn that lesson. Just DON'T make the same mistake twice!

What's one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

I am a marathoner. I apply those experiences to my business. One of them is, one foot in front of another and sooner or later, you'll reach your destination.

Bonus fact:

I love indoor plants. I treat them like family. My favorite one is "Moola". She is a money tree that's left with one stalk. Once I started Sskein, the leaves began to grow. It's a sign.

Elisa was featured on stage at the What She Said Women in Fashion Event at W Bellevue on October 13th. Check out more information about that event here.