What is SUM LONDON?
SUM LONDON is a British Asian Heritage Brand that aims to serve the ESEA diaspora and a cross-cultured generation through fashion and film.We design made-to-order pieces in London which blend Eastern silhouettes and utilitarian menswear with a London spirit. Our 3 classic SUM LONDON pieces are the Martial Arts Tracksuit inspired by Ip Man, The Hanbok Trucker and Hakama Kilt.We’re founded on reflecting authentic stories whilst celebrating diverse ESEA faces and people with a mixed heritage. We’re an aspirational brand for the generation who want to reflect their identity through well-made clothing, done slowly and deeply. SUM LONDON values British Craftsmanship and uses British fabrics where suitable (cottons and wools). We are also made in London.
Your brand has deep roots in many places, from family, in London and in Asia. Tell us more about how community and culture tie in with SUM LONDON.
As a proud child of immigrants and London-born Chinese, I embrace my dual-heritage and represent that in my designs and storytelling.SUM is how you pronounce my family name in Cantonese Chinese and also a play on words for the SUM total of London’s cultural melting pot.We’re all about heritage and representing different blends of this.SUM LONDON brings the community together through events like our British/Chinese Living Room pop up in Fitzrovia, which we’ve extended to a British Chinese Home as a Fashion Show at the Museum of The Home in Hoxton.I want to see our community of ESEA people and the multi-cultural make-up of London celebrated more authentically, I don't see it enough and feel it's a basic human need to feel seen and accepted. That’s where we are coming from. I am creating a space I felt I never had and feel we need for a generation of beautifully layered identities. We’re aiming to take up more space in the public media because that’s how we shape culture. There are more independent artists and creatives who feel the same, so we're enjoying connecting with them and organically growing community through this.
Sustainability is woven through your brand. How are you trying to the close the circle of a circular business?
We are made-to-order and manufactured in London. We take 1-2 weeks to deliver and encouraging slower fashion. This way there is no wasted stock and clothing is made with extra care and quality for the clothing to last.Our pattern cutting aims to reduce waist. Our Eastern silhouettes are quite boxy, so minimal waste. The Hakama kilt is a good example, each trouser leg is cut in 1 piece.Our cottons and wool are from traditional British fabric mills so we are sourcing locally where we can reduce our carbon footprint. There’s balance to this, as we do use nylon from Korea, but this is for the purpose of utilising the quality of their nylon and reflective properties. That being said, doing better is always on our mind, so if we can find an alternatives we will move towards that. We’re also looking at pattern cutting and sampling with Clo3D to save time and waste, whilst improving accuracy.
Why is craftsmanship so essential to you and your business?
SUM LONDON is a British brand. We used to have a thriving manufacturing industry so supporting British manufacturing and fabrics is essential to celebrating British heritage and craftsmanship. Quality and design is also important to us, so choosing slow fashion and being able work closely with our manufactures is essential to providing that. Asia also has rich history of excellent craftsmanship; this is something I’d like to explore and celebrate in the longer term future for SUM LONDON when we expand outside of London. SUM SEOUL…SUM TOKYO…HK…SHANGHAI..could that be a possibility?
What's your view on technology and how do you see that playing a role in a more sustainable fashion future?
Generative Ai like Sora and image generators will allow more creatives to express their ideas and vision. This should reduce barriers to entry and requite less resources for people to get their ideas across. Using clo3d and generative ai to create images to help with idea generation will be helpful for speed and keeping things digital to reduce waste in areas like sampling and range planning.
Where do you see SUM LONDON going? Where would like it to travel to in the next few years?
I’d like to revisit Taiwan, Seoul and Tokyo. But new places, New York seems to be calling, I’d also like to explore the Asian community in San Francisco. After that see what Toronto and Australia have to offer. We want to be global but accept that this takes time. We’re focused on growing in London. Visiting these places is great to get a feel for the city and culture; it’s an effective way to let people there know what we stand for and are offering.
Give us your top three tips for great food and fun in London and in Singapore.
For London, Chinatown is my favourite spot; New Loon Fung for traditional Dim Sum, C&R for Malaysian Dessert and New China for Hot Pot. They’re delicious and homely. In Singapore, my uncle loves Railway Mall, Hainan chicken, and big votes in the family group chat for Bukit Timah Market for Cendol dessert.Right now, fun for me looks like taekwando or rock climbing, followed by the steamroom.
WHY EAGG
At the heart of EAGG is community.It feels like it’s about bringing brilliant, creative women together and supporting one another. EAGG is a safe and inspiring place to share ideas with ambitious Asian women who are multi-talented and generous with their spirit. We all want to see each other win and lift each other up. East Asian Girl Gang has been a fun and organic space that has connected me to people that continue to support SUM LONDON’s growth.Thank you and I appreciate the effort you put into developing this community. I’m so grateful to be involved.
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