BRAND SPOTLIGHT- JAVIA LEUNG

RUFFLE SHORTS - STONE

Javia Leung is a designer based in Vancouver BC, Canada.

Like most designers, Javia started getting into fashion design with the sole intention of creating beautiful garments for others to wear. However, as she dove deeper into her studies of garment design and making, she fell in love with creating pieces that have both design and function, as well as a reason to exist.

BUBBLE TRENCH COAT - SANDY BEIGE

Introducing Javia Leung

Fs#5: How would you describe your brand?

JL: An independent apparel brand for the curious dreamer with a focus on quality fabrics and timeless silhouettes. Playful designs for everyday wear, with a focus on using high quality pure fabrics.

Starting the Brand

FS #5: Take us back to the moment this brand started. What pushed you from thinking about it to actually doing it?

JL: It was June 2020 at the height of the pandemic, when I started my brand (unofficially). I was working part time at Woo to See You, a local boutique, and began selling cotton cloth masks and scrunchies. There was a high demand for them, and I ended up earning enough profit to start my own label focusing on garments. To be honest, it all happened so fast in such a unique period of our lives that I did not think much or hesitate before getting started.

Javia Leung the label has grown so much since then. I spent all my time and savings into the brand in the first 2 years, learning lots from successes and mistakes. I quickly realized I wanted and needed industry experience in the fashion industry to truly learn how other brands operate and create a brand story.

The Mind Behind the Brand

Fs#5: What does your brand stand for, beyond the product? What kind of person are you designing for — and what do they feel when they wear your pieces?

JL: Today, the brand embodies a way of living– staying curious, having the freedom to explore, and simply just having fun being your true self. To elaborate on this, I wish for individuals who own JL pieces to feel like the pieces are an extension of themselves when wearing the garments.

When designing new pieces, I would say that I care (almost excessively) about the small details– how stretchy the elastic on a waistband feels, how deep a pocket bag is, and how the weight of a fabric affects the drape of the garment– details like these make or break the garment. For designers, this is nothing unusual but it might be surprising for a customer to know that so much thought goes behind creating a “simple/minimal” garment.

The brand aims to create pieces for the effortless, casual but chic individual. I wish for them to feel free, confident, and stylish when wearing JL pieces.

What Are You Building Right Now?

FS#5: What are you currently working on or moving towards? What inspired it — not just visually, but emotionally or conceptually?

JV:

I released my latest capsule collection called ‘Childhood Dreams’ earlier this year, inspired by an exhibit I saw in London by Do-Ho Suh who creates fabric sculptures of the places the artist grew up in. It was such an emotional experience to see their work up close in person and evoked feelings of lost childhood and growing up. I really miss the feeling of being curious and inspired by new experiences as a kid, and wondered if many adults also resonated with this feeling too.

FS#5: Why does this moment feel important for your brand?

JV: I think in the beginning when I was starting my clothing brand when I was in my mid twenties, I felt this need to appear more mature and grown up in my designs to be taken seriously. My brand had pieces mostly in silk and wool cashmere, and my brand logo was in simple black font. It definitely felt more “luxury,” but also more restrained.

It wasn’t until designing this collection that I decided to really have fun with the brand and redesigned the logo and website to embody what I want my label to represent. It took 6 long years, but I finally resonate with what I am creating and the brand feels true to me and what I want it to inspire others to be:).

Behind The Product (Production Journey)

FS#5: Before starting production, what were you most unsure or concerned about?

JV: Before starting production, I was most concerned about the quality control. I previously worked with a smaller production studio when I first started the label and the production was always inconsistent. My garments were almost always sewn differently from the way I showed on the sample, which was super frustrating.

I am so glad that I have since then given production another go and found an amazing team to work with me to bring my vision to life.

FS#5: What has been one of your biggest challenges so far?

JV: One of the biggest challenges is making our pieces affordable while maintaining the use of high quality fabrics and durable construction methods in our designs to make the garment long lasting. As a small emerging brand, entry products like a tank top or short are much easier to sell than an investment piece like a coat.

FS#5: What has launching this brand taught you?

JV: I’ve learnt that the best collection will never be your first drop. With each collection, I am discovering what my brand is and wants to become.

FS#5: What’s something you wish you knew before starting?

JV: The importance of good marketing and having a social media presence. When I first started, I thought that if my product was good, others would eventually find me. I’ve learnt now that this is far from the truth. You need to find ways to showcase and promote your pieces in ways that expand beyond just showing the product. For example, one of my best performing videos was a behind the scenes clip of myself talking about developing my trench coat design.

Reflection

FS#5: What would you tell another brand preparing for their first production run?

JV: For someone preparing for their first production run, I would suggest starting with a “simpler” design with a higher profit margin (IMU) to deep your toes in as a test run. It might be a good idea to start with a design that has a relatively lower price point compared to the rest of your collection. When customers are unfamiliar with the brand, they are more likely to try it out with something with a more accessible price point.

For my first production run with my current studio, I made a small batch of 20 pc but quickly realized that I should have accounted for a bigger production if I wanted to sell at multiple stockists. However, it was a safer decision to see the market reaction so that I can re-evaluate for future production.

FS#5: Where can customers currently find your products?

JV: You can currently find my products online at javialeung.com and at Hey Jude on Main Street in Vancouver, BC.

On August 8th, I am also going to be selling some special one offdesigns at Hey Jude for Main Street’s Mt Pleasant Day (depending on when this journal is posted:)).

Final Thoughts

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Javia's story is that growing as a designer sometimes means rediscovering the parts of yourself you thought you had to leave behind. The curiosity, playfulness, and wonder that inspired her latest collection didn't make her brand less serious but more authentic.

Building a fashion brand is often seen as a straight path toward "finding your style," but Javia's journey reminds us that it's rarely that simple. Sometimes, the most meaningful growth comes from letting go of who you think you're supposed to be and creating work that genuinely reflects who you are.

This is exactly why we started Brand Spotlight.

To share the real stories behind emerging brands and give aspiring designers an honest look at what building a label actually involves. Behind every collection are countless decisions, pivots, lessons, and moments of self-discovery that customers rarely get to see.

If you're building a fashion brand (or thinking about starting one) remember that your first collection doesn't have to define your future. Give yourself permission to evolve, stay curious, and keep creating. Sometimes the strongest brands aren't the ones that get everything right from the beginning, but the ones that have the courage to grow into themselves.

We hope stories like Javia's remind you that every designer starts somewhere. If you're ready to turn your own ideas into something tangible, we'd love to be part of that journey.