From "the most beautiful teacher in the universe" to the charming door knocker
A story about Wuman's co-founding employee at New York office, Tina Yu
Wuman Textile
2022-12-19
Having grown up in Keqiao, the Textile City of China, Tina was no stranger to the domain of fabrics. Coming from a traditional family, Tina’s parents felt that it was always safer for a girl to be a teacher, hence a degree in biology ensured she was on the right track.
In 2017, Tina crossed paths with Apple, the founder of Wuman Textile at a dance class; setting the beginning of a foundation to what was going to be a true and lasting friendship. A few years later, Tina set off to Europe and ended up in the United States, the land of opportunities for those who strive. But things weren’t going to be easy for Tina. Not long after Tina arrived, the global pandemic broke. Not only was it impossible to return to China, there was also no employment opportunity in the United States.
Then came the turn of events. Somewhere in the beginning of 2021, Tina got a call from Apple. “Tina, why don’t we sell fabric together in the United States?"
In the months that followed, the duo made great strides. They registered WUMANTEX INC in New York, rented an apartment in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and got an office in the Garment District of Manhattan. Wuman's New York office was now open for business! Tina had to learn everything about textile from the scratch. Details about the composition of different fabrics, color cards, samples, prices, and moreover, she needed to accurately communicate the supply and demand metrics both home and abroad.
Wuman Textile, spearheaded by the two, was determined by their oversized dreams. They made their mark in one textile exhibit after the other. While the other exhibitors waited in their booths, Tina went around to make the most of it for the place was ripe with prospective buyers. She instilled confidence in the buyers about the products they had to offer, drawing on the experience of her past to connect with the people she works with.
When asked, Tina said that her biggest strength was being proactive and taking chances. Back home, this was frowned upon. Tina was now a true New Yorker. But success wasn’t a given for Tina. Nope, she had to earn it. In the first 4 months of her arrival in New York, Tina visited almost all the offices in the New York Garment District, making appointments for meetings and recommending fabrics. Merchants in New York are usually friendly, most of them warmly welcomed her but then there were the occasional ones that didn’t. Tina ignored those setbacks and continued on.
Sometimes it's just a matter of time. Somewhere between being rejected and getting back up again, opportunity strikes! A sales lead, with who Tina followed up with regularly finally agreed to meet. Although he didn't end up working with Tina, he did however, introduce her to another company which, we are proud to say, became one of the most important client of Wuman’s New York Office.
When asked about the trick to not getting rejected by clients, Tina shared her secret: Find someone's sparkle and genuinely appreciate their work. (There is always something to learn from them.) She believes that complimenting a client would only take them that far. Rather, one has to be genuine and have an intention of making lasting friendships to forge greater long term possibilities.
And from there, well, you know the rest of the story.
‘’Looking back on the past 15 months, when I first came to New York, I didn’t have a single client. Lo and behold, I held more than 200 meetings, visited 80 clients, countless client samples and a dozen clients that started in-depth cooperation.’’, Tina recalls.
The story of "The most beautiful teacher in the universe" going West to sell fabric is only getting started. Tina is a true asset and Wuman New York is full of hope that Tina will expand their reach through her sheer love for textiles & her undying resilience. Coupled with her dedication & her go-getter attitude, Tina sure is the shining star in the city that never sleeps.
