DESPITE her science background, Michelle Chu found it difficult to find a job. But her strong belief in an idea led her to take a giant leap and a dive headfirst into something she has never done before. Out of love for her firstborn and to help mothers everywhere, she decided to launch her own diaper bag.
“I’m actually from Kota Kinabalu, I just turned 29. I started [my brand] when I was pregnant back in 2016. The idea came when I was looking for a diaper bag for myself. I could not find the right one, and there were not a lot of choices in the market in Malaysia,” said Chu.
Like many, she went looking online and found that diaper bags from Western countries were more aesthetically pleasing and a stark contrast to the ones available in Asia. And so she started designing her own bags and had fun with it.
“I have no background in designing or fashion, but I always had an interest in it, and I always keep up with the trends, especially [relating to] overseas and Western influences in fashion.
“When I became a mother, I noticed that a lot of ‘mummy styles’ are obviously ‘mummy’. They are overly colourful and have a lot of patterns.
“So, I started designing my own diaper bags while I was pregnant. I decided that this can be done, but no one had done it before. After I gave birth in 2017, I actually went to see some manufacturers by myself in China,” said Chu.
This was one of the most difficult challenges she faced. She grew up in Perth, Australia, and the language barrier became an issue.
“Because I am doing this all by myself, I have no partners, so finding manufacturers was quite tough; there was the language barrier, the distance, and finding the right materials. I went through about seven or eight manufacturers before I found the right one. It took quite a bit of time.
“Also, because I am doing it all by myself, I had to do the product design, development, even the package designing, social media, everything.
So it was kind of overwhelming. But I got used to it,” said Chu.
She launched her brand, which she named Jae Ko Designs, last April.
Because her daughter Jamie was the source of inspiration for Chu to start the business, she wanted to incorporate her name into the brand.
“Jae is short for Jamie and Ko in Japanese means baby or child,” she explained.
Her initial lineup consists of the original diaper bag, the mini, and the tote.
“I make sure that the bags are aesthetically pleasing. They have to be modern, as well as have all the functions that a mother needs in a diaper bag.
“When I became a mother I realised I needed a lot of space and compartments. We mummies love our compartments. It’s more organised.
“We kept it simple to make a mother’s life easier. Everything is reachable because of the wide opening.”
For mothers who need help with using their JaeKo diaper bags to the fullest, there is also the JaeKo Instagram page where Chu shares tips and tricks on how to pack the bags, and how to take care of them.
Recently JaeKo also launched the Snuggle collection, which has a knotted gown.
“It is a new kind of sleepwear for babies. It follows the same concept as a onesie, but it has an adjustable knotted bottom, which is a first in Malaysia.
“The knotted gown is designed to help mothers change their baby’s diaper easier. It also keeps their baby’s feet warm. It is designed for babies from newborn to six months. It’s called the Snuggle collection because it is soft, and babies love to snuggle in it. It comes with a beanie. All the colours are soft and modern.”
Her achievement is all the more amazing considering her troubles earlier this year.
“When I was pregnant with my second child, I delivered him in Australia early this year during the pandemic. That was quite tough. I was supposed to give birth there and then come back here after one month.
“But because of the lockdown, I was stranded there for about half a year. It was myself, my husband, my mum, my daughter, and my baby.
“At the time it was very tough. I was away from my business here. At that time, I was also designing the knotted gown. So I had to juggle between taking care of the baby and work. It was very tough.
“I could not sleep because the baby kept crying and my daughter couldn’t go to school or go out because of the lockdown, so we were all stuck at home,” said Chu.
Incidentally, you may have wondered about Chu’s education background. She has a degree specialising in neuroscience, the study of the structure and function of the human brain and nervous systems.
