Essentially girly
S Indramalar
The Star
Publication Date: 14-08-2008



The Cheung sisters (from left) Eliza, Marilyn and Helen are the brains behind Che Che.

Feminine, adorable, quirky and fun. These are adjectives that could well describe Che Che New York as well as the young women behind the label.
Sisters Eliza and Helen Cheung are truly a winsome duo; bubbly and unsparing with their smiles, the sisters are trendy and one hundred per cent girly-girls.
Despite their success (there are presently 70 Che Che New York outlets worldwide), the two remain unbelievably humble and self effacing ... they even blush two shades of red and seem truly grateful whenever compliments are thrown their way.
“We were very lucky that we caught the eye of some very good distributors from Japan and that editors liked our products ... perhaps because they were colourful and unique. They liked to feature our bags and accessories in their magazines and this was good for us,” said Eliza, 34, a fashion design graduate from Ottawa, Canada, who is chief designer at Che Che New York.
The sisters created Che Che in 1999 partly for selfish reasons: they could not find bags that suited their personalities in the market. So, along with their older sister Marilyn, the trio decided to draw from past experience working at their father’s bag factory in Taiwan (their father, Philip Cheung, manufactured and exported bags to the United States) and launched Che Che.
“Our older sister Marilyn had an antique shop in New York and I used to design pouches for some of the small antique pieces that Marilyn sold at her shop. This sort of sparked off the idea that maybe we should start designing our own handbags.

“We were also especially keen because we could not really find bags that we liked in the market. At the time, most of the handbags in the market were mass brands ... nothing quirky or individual,” said Helen, who is business operations director for Asia.
“Yes ... we design bags because we wanted bags for ourselves! Bags to match our clothes and our personalities,” laughed Eliza, who was in Kuala Lumpur with Helen to launch the label’s Spring/Summer 2008 collection at MidValley Megamall recently.
One of the things that makes Che Che stand apart is the intricate detail of each handbag, coin purse, wallet, key holder and watch produced. From the hand-painted “Che Che girl” on their canvas totes to the appliqued flowers on their straw bags, each piece is painstakingly done and this is apparent in the quality of each product.
“We want to infuse positive energy in our bags. That’s why we make sure that we do everything possible by hand ... you won’t get the same feeling if the bags are machine made.
“That is the emphasis of Che Che ... we want to infuse love and happiness in our bags. This way our customers don’t just buy a product ... they get a piece of art which they can appreciate and carry around,” said Eliza.
The themes of their bags and accessories are things close to their hearts-–animals and nature.
“We love animals and by making them appear really cute and lovable on our products, we hope we can get people to love animals and take good care of them too,” said Helen.
Their beginnings were modest but it did not take long before Che Che caught the attention of international buyers.
They launched Che Che in 1999 and sold their one-of-a-kind hand-detailed bags from a small shop in Hong Kong.
“People liked our bags and soon word spread. We were visited by buyers from the US and Japan, and we began to receive exclusive orders,” said Eliza.
And so, barely a year after launching the brand, the sisters went international, re-branding their bags as Che Che New York, with Marilyn as the Director of Business Operations for their North American markets.
The sisters have also come out with a children’s collection, Che2, for younger customers who possess the free-spirited and independent nature of the Che Che girl. (Incidentally, the Che Che girl is based on Helen whom Eliza describes as “confident, happy and the one who loves fashion”.)
The Che2 collection comprising handbags, jewellery and accessories, is a growing one as is the label.
“We want a Che Che café and a Che Che candy store ... we want Che Che to become more than just a product ... it’s a lifestyle.
“We want to share our values with girls and women everywhere. No matter where you live you have to enjoy life. We hope that Che Che transmits optimism, colour, and hope ... these are the values we hold dear and want to share with the world,” said Eliza.