When women enter the workforce, we are taught to hold our tongues and look up to the glass ceiling that confines us. That’s just about what Tiffany Zhou found when she started working in Wall Street’s infamous finance industry as a minority female, coming to the States from Hong Kong, China. Jumping from firm to firm, she committed to her field for years until she realized there was no room left for her to grow. “I was working in private equity, and I found out it’s very much a ‘White Boys Club,” Zhou says, recounting the ways corporate life failed her. It was then she realized she yearned to create something of her own. To “play her own game,” as she said, she partnered with her friend Tracy and they quit their jobs to co- found their luxury bag company: OLEADA.
When we asked Tiffany what three words best describe her style, they coincided with her brand: effortless, chic, and timeless. After all, she’s not just the founder, but the creative director. Being a corporate woman in America, Tiffany sought to target that very same audience with her brand, and make bags that empower women through their 9 to 5’s. “They are much more than bags, they’re pieces of affordable luxury accessible to all working women,” Tiffany says. But the bags aren’t just stylish and affordable pieces: they are made from recyclable materials, making them ethically sustainable. It’s no wonder the brand’s growth and name has grown exponentially over the past two years! And as the brand’s creative director, there’s nothing more rewarding than having people gush over your creations. “This role is very fulfilling. The women wearing my creations are professional, elite, and are leaders in their own special way[s],” Zhou says.
It’s no surprise that the company’s biggest markets are in cities with the biggest working-class populations: New York City, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo. Although, what did come as a surprise is the brand’s target audience is those from 25–50 years old, when their latest campaign in Harper’s Bazaar featured 75-year-old model Maye Musk.
When we asked Tiffany why she wanted Musk as the face/collaborating designer of OLEADA, she said it’s all because she read her book, “A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty, and Success.”
“Women, we are elastic, and we are like water, fitting into any role given to us. [Maye] embodies this. She’s not afraid to take risks, despite the struggles and failures she’s faced. When she’s beaten down, she gets back up, and that’s who I wanted to work with,” Tiffany explains.
And she’s right: Maye Musk is an icon to women, because she has shown us what women are capable of without any limits being placed on them. More importantly, without any glass ceilings or preconceived notions about women and aging. While Tiffany embraces her role with a feverish passion, she does admit the full-time role takes its toll on her work/life balance. But as easy as it is to burn out, she knows she has to set strict boundaries to continue growing as a self-made woman entrepreneur.
As far as advice goes, she says this both for her younger-self and for the women who read this: “Trust your intuition. For big things, follow your heart, and for small things, follow your brain.” And to that, we can only add one thing: advice like that has no age limit.
To learn more about the OLEADA brand, or to check out their workwear bag collection, visit them @oleada_official on Instagram, or at www.oleadanyc.com.
Article Written by Anesa Feratovic
