If you walk the streets of NYU, you may be able to spot some students repping Elizabeth Ha’s clothing brand, Cloudy Century. Elizabeth launched her online store just this summer, and it has been burgeoning ever since. Read on to discover the obstacles and rewards of being a young, daring CEO.
The Basics:
- Name: Elizabeth Ha
- Hometown: Chicago
- School: CAS ’19
- Major(s): Math and Computer Science
- Three adjectives to describe your clothing: Minimalistic, Chic, and Modern.
HC: So, this is your first online store. Could you tell me more about your brand and the type of clothes you sell?
“Because I started off with hand painting designs that I wanted to put on shirts that I couldn’t find in stores, I created a lot of pattern and graphic based designs. So all of my clothes are currently shirts. But for the future, I would really like to bring in tote bags, crewnecks, and maybe even stickers to spice it up.”
HC: Now, I assume that starting your very first brand was difficult and even intimidating. What did it take to launch your project? How did you reach the public?
“I didn’t even know how to code or make my own website at first. Being honest, I was totally unfamiliar with the business aspect of things, so I knew I had to step out of my comfort zone and reach out to people. My first place to go was actually the NYU Facebook group for freshmen, where I met people who were eager to give me tips. Also, I’ve become an expert in Googling.”
HC: Since you run Cloudy Century alone, you must be wearing many hats (advertiser, designer, entrepreneur, founder). What do your daily responsibilities consist of?
“Other than personally reaching out to NYU students, my main platform of getting customers is through Instagram where I have to update posts daily. Also, if orders come in, I have to process them, take care of shipping, and keep up with our incoming emails. I don’t want Cloudy Century to feel like it is being run by adults, but rather a student to another student. To achieve this personal connection, I recently started running a blog affiliated with my store too.”
HC: That’s incredible. Now I wonder, how do you manage to balance school work on top of all these jobs?
“Believe it or not, I have a rather manageable schedule. Because I took very intensive courses in high school, especially senior year when I took five AP classes, it’s not too bad. But if my company were to grow, I think I’d have more on my plate, and I wouldn’t be surprised if keeping up with my grades became more difficult.”
HC: Speaking of school, I noticed your most recent NYU shirt design. Are the majority of your customers NYU students? Or are there a lot of international purchases?
“Actually right now I only ship within the United States because shipping internationally is a bit complicated for me to handle now. Again, because I advertised on the NYU Facebook group and even passed out flyers at NYU, my classmates are definitely the vast majority of my customers. And this is great because I have easy access when delivering and taking orders.”
HC: Wow, that is impressive. But, now let’s talk about you. Does Cloudy Century reflect your personal style? If not, how would you describe your own daily look?
“I really believe that so many people try so hard to fit a particular style or image. For example, some people may go for the charming preppy look, the very chic black and white, or maybe the classic all black image. And that’s great, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder, is that really your style? Don’t get me wrong, there are some people out there who that is genuinely their style, but there are also those who force themselves into this defined description. They believe that, ‘Oh, if I wear this and this, I’ll be ‘stylish’ now’. I believe that you need to set out an image for yourself, and then once you do that anything you wear will put a lens over your outfit and become your style. Anyone else can wear it, but when you wear it, it will look very unique. You can wear anything and people will say, “that’s so you”, and I think that’s so important. Personally, my fashion is very diverse, jumping from all black to flamboyant colors, loose, preppy, and whatnot. And I want that for Cloudy Century, because when I look on Instagram nowadays, the fashion stores come off as so generic. Cloudy Century is a mix of a very minimalistic and clean cut style, but not too extreme. I’m just all about ‘you do you, and don’t worry about what other people consider fashionable.’”
HC: So, how should buyers go about styling their look with your clothes?
“You can definitely style my shirts in so many different ways so that they fit your personal aesthetic. Depending on how you feel, you could go girly, chic, preppy, or even grungy. I want that versatility, and when customers buy my clothes I don’t want them to think, ‘Oh, now that I have this one shirt I can look super chic or preppy.’ Instead, I want them to have fun with it and go deeper, experimenting with different styles and accessories that could go with that shirt, hopefully leading to the discovery of their own voice in fashion.”
HC: If Cloudy Century could have any spokesmodel, who would you choose and why?
“Lucky Blue Smith. I feel like he has a very minimalistic vibe with his perfectly tousled white hair and pale skin. He gives off a very cold vibe – literally-cold, almost icy. I think his presence fits very well with my shirt designs. And not to mention- he’s absolutely beautiful.”
HC: Now, you said you were studying math and computer science. Is Cloudy Century and your interest in fashion just a side hobby, or do you plan to go beyond this?
“I mean, it’s hard to get your name out there these days. If I were to think of this as YouTube, I would have to get really big- big as in obtaining millions of subscribers. My mom raised me so that I would be able to do anything. I have honestly dabbled in about almost everything, whether it be art, music, sports, fashion, or focusing on my studies. Fashion combines my interests of art and clothes. I really do love doing it, but I also love focusing on my academics. I really can’t see myself giving up math at NYU, which has always been a huge dream for me. But who knows? My parents probably wouldn’t be too happy, though.”
HC: If you had to throw out one piece of advice to aspiring fashion designers who want to start their own brand, what would it be?
“If you want to get your clothes, or really anything you’re making, sold, you have to do one of two things. You have to either make it painfully similar to everything else that is being sold, almost copying and pasting the current trend onto your designs. Or you have to make something completely unique- something no one has ever seen before but is appealing at the same time. If you really are a creator, the second route will obviously be more satisfying.”
HC: And just for fun…
Favorite Go-to Store? Topshop. They have so much versatility, yet it fits under one categorical style. If someone sees clothing they can easily say, “That’s so Topshop.”
Hot or Not:
See through shirts? Depends on who’s wearing it.
Turtlenecks? Hot.
Floating Eyeliner? Only if you’re an Instagram makeup artist with experience.
Meggings? Yes, with shorts. I love it!
Miniskirts? Eh, nah.
Overalls? Yes!
Website: cloudycentury.com
Personal IG: xlzbthx, Cloudy Century IG- cloudycentury