Despite the long days and headaches that come hand in hand with a growing business, Charlotte Tsuei oozes vitality and positivity from every pore. The founder of premier athleisure and wellness brand Caelum Greene shares her vision for a kinder, more mindful world…
You founded Caelum Greene in 2016. Could you tell us about the brand?
Caelum Greene is a premier athleisure and wellness lifestyle brand. We aim to promote conscious consumption and curate the best products for our increasingly mindful consumers. We started as an independent boutique on Hollywood Road in 2016, then opened several pop-up shops all over the city, before relocating our flagship store to Landmark in Central two years ago.
In a nutshell, our name encompasses everything that we do and stand for. Caelum is the Latin word for heaven and Greene is a double entendre: first, the colour that represents our hope for a sustainable utopia, and secondly, the name of someone who personifies that vision – Caelum Greene is basically every single one of our customers.
How does Caelum Greene contribute to the sustainable market?
Some might say that the most sustainable solution to reducing our waste is abstaining from shopping altogether. If not that, the next best thing is buying what already exists from second-hand or rental platforms. Though that is absolutely true, there are still other ways to shop for new things and have good intentions – that is where we come in.
We work with brands that sustainably source materials and practise eco-friendly and carbon-offsetting manufacturing. Some of our brands extend their practices beyond environmental concerns into more socially-focused agendas such as fair wages and partnering with local talents and female-owned brands. Internally, we hold ourselves to the same high standards that we expect from our vendors. We reuse, repurpose and recycle as much as possible and source eco-friendly materials for everything from the fit-out of our brick-and-mortar store to our packaging.
What path did your career take and how did it lead you to starting a business in wellness?
While most of my experience is in fashion, wellness has always been a big part of my life. I have been an avid yogi and a certified yoga instructor for more than a decade. After graduating from the University of California, my first “real” job was at a yoga wear company called Zobha. When I moved back to Hong Kong in 2012, I joined Christian Louboutin’s merchandising team for Hong Kong and Southeast Asia where I spent a few years learning a different side of the luxury fashion business. After that, I moved to The Pure Group as Regional Retail Manager for Asia-Pacific.
Throughout my career, seeing first hand the impact of our consumption patterns sparked my desire to create something that positively impacted the community in a way that I knew how: by merging two of my biggest passions – fashion and wellness – while drawing from skills and experiences that I already had. Thus, the idea of a Caelum Greene was formed. To be honest, the brand came to fruition a little earlier than I had thought it would in my career – everything happened at the right place and the right time. It’s been an exciting experience having been able to merge the two, and for the last five years, this has been my life.
What were some of the challenges you faced when starting your own business?
As with everything else, getting started is the hardest part. When all your ideas are nothing but an Excel file and a PowerPoint slide, convincing people to work with and fund the company is an uphill battle. On top of that, there always seemed to be constant fires to put out, such as late deliveries, disgruntled customers, water leakages, going over budget: the list is endless.
One challenge that I am still working through is finding the balance between work and personal life. For example, when we opened our first store, I had to fly out the following week for my wedding, and then on the opening of one of our pop-up stores happened to be scheduled just three weeks after I gave birth to my daughter. I’ve had to learn to be extra mindful about when to switch off work mode and stay present with my loved ones. But what’s helped me get through all the difficulties is the love of building something I truly believe in and the rewards of working hard with a community of people who share our vision.
Do you have any upcoming projects that you’re particularly excited about?
We’ve been excited all year about the opening of our new location with New World Development at The Forest in Mong Kok, and in the summer, we will be launching our first ever collaborative collection. We’ve partnered with local sustainable brand to create a capsule luxe lounge collection comprised of eight versatile pieces that can be worn from day to night – whether you’re going out to brunch before a workout or having cocktails at happy hour, or even just to look cute lounging at home.
Work projects aside, I am also cooking up baby number two, as we speak, who will be joining our family in the autumn.
What does your average day look like, and how do you like to spend your downtime?
I wake up at 7am and start the day with meditation. I like to move my body in the morning with yoga and on some days, I do some weighted movements. My daughter and I always have breakfast together before she goes to school. I try to get my biggest pieces of work done then, before I pick her up at lunch, followed by more work, meetings and store visits in the afternoon. Even though my husband and I have different work schedules, we make it a point to have dinner together as a family. My evenings usually end with Netflix on in the background as I get through my e-mails and personal admin work, which is, believe it or not, my way of relaxing.
Although I don’t get a lot of downtime, when I do, I like to be out in nature, whether it’s taking my dog on a hike or going sailing every other weekend – if not every weekend – to explore remote beaches and islands.
If you won a US$10 million lottery, what would be the first big-ticket item you’d purchase?
Right now, we have a monohull sailboat which I would love to upgrade to a performance catamaran. The biggest item on the top of my bucket list is to take a year off with my family before the kids are in high school, and sail around the world. I’ve always been pretty outdoorsy and my husband loves doing adventurous things, so sailing is the best compromise for us to enjoy being out in nature as a family.
Thank you.
Interview by: Roberliza Eugenio
Photographer: Jack Law
Videographer: Kingsley Lau
Art Direction & Styling: Jhoshwa Ledesma
Make up & Hair: Heti Tsang