Spotlight is a regular series where we feature a prominent person in the style scene. This month we speak with Pim Gietelink, founder of Kate Wood.
Known for its sunglasses, watches and bicycles made with wood and bamboo, Kate Wood Originals is the brainchild of Dutch entrepreneur Pim Gietelink, who created a line of eco-friendly products that he can pass on to future generations. Since opening its first store on Wulumuqi Lu in 2016, he has recently expanded to a second location in Jing’an. Here, Gietelink shares his vision for the brand, and what his young daughter Kate thinks about having a brand named after her.
Tell us about your background and how Kate Wood started.
I went to hotel school in Holland. After a few years in hospitality management, I worked for a wholesale company in various functions like operations, sales, purchasing and logistics and was later sent to Shanghai to manage the design and production department for promotional products. During that time, I saw a lot of factories and got to know how things were designed, produced, finished and packaged. Eventually, I started my own company, which now runs out of the office at the first Kate Wood shop. Four years ago, when my daughter Kate was born, I thought it would be nice to start my own small private label and named it Kate Wood. I put my ideas into the design, manage the sourcing, production and sales myself – basically everything from A to Z.
“It’s not easy to make products that are both eco-friendly and fashionable; I try to find the right balance in that”
Why do you like using wood and bamboo?
It’s sustainable. Bamboo is a fast growing plant; it’s very eco-friendly. I use leftover wood to make watches and sunglasses. The bamboo is from China. The different types of leftover woods that we work with, like sandalwood, ebony, rosewood and maple wood, are either from North America or Southeast Asia.
Why is that important to you?
Eco-friendly products were very niche and seen as a little pretentious until a few years ago. It’s actually not easy to make products that are both eco-friendly and fashionable; I try to find the right balance in that.
What are your most popular items?
The iPhone covers; we still have trouble keeping up with the demand for them. What I’ve noticed at the first store is that when people come in and enjoy the experience and like what we sell, it’s not a matter of ‘if’ they’re going to buy something, it’s ‘what’ they’re going to buy. If you have small items that are 100 or 200 kuai, it’s easy for them to decide. You donate 10 percent of your proceeds to Orbis.
Why did you choose this charity?
Kate Wood is about the next generation, I want to do something for children. Orbis is a nonprofit NGO with programs dedicated to blindness prevention and helping people with eye diseases. They have their own airplanes and they fly doctors to remote areas to help those who don't have access to medical facilities. Our products are all related to sight, so it makes sense to support Orbis.
Tell us about the new shop in Jing’an. How is it different from the first one on Wulumuqi Lu?
We moved into the first shop about a year ago when we had the opportunity to combine a store with an office [for the trading company]. Wulumuqi Lu isn’t a shopping destination, but it’s in a part of the former French Concession that everyone passes by. It’s been doing very well and I see a lot of potential for the brand here in China. Jing’an is just five minutes away by bicycle, but it’s very different in terms of clientele. I’ve considered doing another shop on the street level, but decided on Crystal Galleria shopping mall because it’s a good way to test out whether our concept will work in an environment where the majority of shoppers are Chinese. I want to see if we can duplicate this in other cities.
What does your daughter Kate think about having a brand named after her?
She’s still too young to understand the bigger meaning behind the brand. Hopefully in a few years’ time, she would see her friends and classmates wearing Kate Wood watches; that would be the ultimate success.
See listings for Kate Wood. See official website.
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