Meet Lisa Hsieh | Founder & Designer of Mien

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Hsieh and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
The fashion industry is big but the local circle is small in the way that other people will likely know about someone and their reputation at some point. Many will try to break into the industry but it is actually difficult to form any working relationships with the best people/factories in the business, especially if someone known to be difficult to work with, unorganized, and not reliable. Factories are always weary to work with someone they don’t know, building trust is always the first step getting into the industry.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
It’s been 8 years since I started Mien. We’ve counted some successes, opened a brick and mortar, forged milestone partnerships, experienced great growth, then the pandemic happened and the future at the worst of times were uncertain. COVID put the world on full stop, that’s when the realization of how fleeting life as we know it can be really took hold. I also gave birth to my daughter at the height of the pandemic, which made me do an inventory on my life and how I’m balancing personal fulfillment with business aspirations. Many small businesses have closed after the world started opening up. With some luck, my business is still here and I treasure the opportunity to continue doing what I love while also knowing that I deserve to give more time to myself and my family as well.

We’re supposedly going into a recession now so there’s another potential storm rolling in. How I handle challenges like these now are different – I’m less frantic, more focused on solving individual problems as they come up so I can get to the full picture at my own pace. It’s almost a “come what may” attitude that has become a saving grace in stressful times. We should try our best, but whatever happens after that is outside of those efforts and that needs to be okay too. I want to continue to design what my customer and myself would love, that’s what makes me happy and happiness is truly priceless. The love and support from our customers is all the validation we need to keep going.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d take them for Uni Pasta at my favorite Japanese French fusion restaurant in town, Cafe Hiro, in Los Alamitos. Then we’ll pick up some authentic Taiwanese bubble tea at Ding Tea and head to the lakeside at the El Dorado Park for a few hours of people watching and catching up. After that, a terrific meal at Northern Cafe in Cerritos for some spicy beef noodle soup and potstickers are in order. Dessert is always an option, but if we decide to go for it, we’ll end up with some ube ice cream from Somi Somi in Long Beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am grateful for my family – my husband, my two sisters, my parents – especially my father, who had retired but has been helping me with my business since the beginning – I thank them for cheering me on in whatever I do. I am also very lucky to count a tight circle of close friends, some my Team Mien counterparts, as my pillars, my muses, my inspiration, my support. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.

Website: mienstudios.com

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