By finding a functional and creative solution to a personal problem, marketing executive Ryan Choy, and businessman Joseph Lor were given the stamp of approval from many around the globe in a matter of days.
Faire Leather Co. started with a need to create a bag that’s convenient and practical without sacrificing on style and quality of materials.
The duo teamed up to form Faire Leather Co. last year.
With their personal problem in hand, they decided to create a brand that would find solutions for the style-savvy modern man by putting their customers in the foreground of their product designs.
Their debut Bond Collection, now on Kickstarter, features a traditionally good looking padfolio and briefcase, upgraded for the modern man.
There are compartments for every type of tech device – your laptop, tablet, cables, business cards, mobile phone pins and sim cards, and more.
The campaign was successfully funded in 48 hours, and is still pushing on.
At time of writing, it has raised close to $180k with 27 days to go.
An Intense Marketing Campaign That Paid Off
In the lead-up to their Kickstarter campaign, Joseph and Ryan had built up hype to collect over 900 emails for their mailing list.
They believe that this was fundamental to their initial Kickstarter success as it ensured them a certain amount of traction when they launched the campaign.
Alongside their Kickstarter, they held a physical brand launch for the public to feel and look through their offered products.
This enabled them to gain real life information and feedback from the public, and to generate a buzz of being a homegrown functional luxury brand.
Faire Leather Co. is also a vertically integrated company. This means they run and own their factory – the same factory that has for decades produced for several luxury brands.
This allows the company to produce and develop products without having to pass on the hefty prices of design costs to their consumers.
It’s also what allowed them to make 15 design samples before achieving the final product they put up on Kickstarter.
More To Brand Growth Than Just Sales Figures
For the company, brand growth is measured in terms of likes and engagements, as opposed to just relying on the sales figures.
They believe that it’s all about creating an outstanding brand that is acceptable to the public, and not about solely creating a product or concept.
To the founders, they measure the acceptance of their products through the positive feedback that they receive from the public.
Throughout the design and development phase, Ryan and Joseph conducted several focus groups in a quest to gain a better understanding of their target audience’s needs.
We are not just bag makers, we want people to see us as a luxury brand that is approachable and relevant.
“Building a brand for the people isn’t an easy feat as it is akin to opening Pandora’s box.”
Almost daily, the company’s mailboxes are flooded with requests and feedback which are painstakingly replied by the founders themselves.
With everything opened to the floor, they are still learning to work efficiently and smart while being able to foster trust and support from the public, and creating new products simultaneously.
The founders also believe it is challenging for real exponential growth to happen for the company within Singapore, which has a niche and highly competitive luxury leather goods market.
They are hoping to find a place in the online space — the founders believe that by being a feedback aware company, they will have an edge above their competitors.
Currently, Kickstarter and online style forums have allowed them to take a step into the North American market, where they believe will propel their brand to the next level.
“Internally we are targeting to reach $250,000 in funding by the end of our campaign run.”
You can now check out their products on VP Label here:
This article is part of an ongoing crowdfunding series which aims to elevate the profiles of innovative brands who design leading-edge and original products. Brought to you by Vulcan Post’s official crowdfunding partner Grouphunt.sg.
