In collaboration with Cherry Bobbins*
Ever since she was a teenager, Cherisse Kofod was clear about what she wanted to do – have her own fashion brand. But it took her a while to get there and to zero in on a niche that worked. “It was my dream at 15 to move away from my hometown, study fashion in Sydney, and then start my own label. But after I finished studying, I realised I didn’t really have enough knowledge of fashion and how to create a brand. So I went and worked for other people because I really wanted to learn the business side, how to market, and how to build a brand,” says Cherisse.
That led to her working for Australia-based brands like Cue Clothing and Firefly Clothing. She then headed to London, where she got more experience in the luxury clothing space by doing a stint with Net-a-Porter, and then got a better idea of how to navigate the industry when she worked for the brand in Hong Kong a few years later. Following almost three years at CASETiFY, Cherisse decided the time was right to realise her long-cherished dream of starting her own fashion brand – which was how Cherry Bobbins, her online store specialising in plus-size and inclusive-size clothing, was born.
In a chat with The HK HUB, Cherisse talks about the philosophy behind Cherry Bobbins, catering to size inclusivity, and what her plans for her brand are.
#1. What gave you the idea to start Cherry Bobbins?
Cherry Bobbins came from working at CASETiFY, being involved in many different campaigns, and listening to the founder talk about what makes a good brand. When I was on photo shoots and dressing plus-size models and when I was shopping for myself and struggling to find clothes, it dawned on me that I’ve been in the industry for 15 years, and nothing is changing. We’re pushing out the same sizes without thought and care about how that relates to the customer.
Clothing right now is mainly designed for about 50% of women, with one body shape — a straight-up-and-down-sized body with no curves. And the alarming fact is that most people don’t realise this. They’ll walk into a store, try on clothes, and when they don’t fit, they walk away thinking there’s something wrong with them — without realising that there isn’t. They’re not in the right store or they’re not shopping the right brand. And that’s really what I want people to take from Cherry Bobbins — this is the brand for the other 50% of people who have been forgotten about for the last three decades.
#2. How difficult is it to find inclusive clothing in Hong Kong? Is there a demand for that category of clothing here?
Definitely. I’ve asked so many women who are sizes 12, 16, 20, where they shop. None of the answers are Hong Kong. It’s all online or they might have to buy something and alter it, or make it bigger, or add elastic to it. Lots of women told me they have to go to ASOS. But they’re shopping online, so they’re not quite sure if it’s going to fit. In Hong Kong, there are very few places on a plus-size scale where you can go. I think there’s one or two stores that I know of, and that is very limited. Even in Australia, a lot of the heritage brands only go up to a size 14 or 16. And we’ve got brands there that offered a size 20, but are now only offering up to a size 18. So it’s definitely not a Hong Kong-specific problem.
#3. How do you design size-inclusive clothing and cater for different body shapes?
I’ve had to actually go back to basics and redesign the way that clothes are made so that anyone from a size 6 curvy to a size 24 curvy of all different shapes can fit these styles. It’s taken a good year just to get it up and running to do the product testing. And I asked people a lot of questions like, “When you buy clothes, what do you often find? How do you resolve this? Or what do you love about clothes?”
I’ve tried to include a whole different range of styles. You’ve got styles that have longer sleeves, cap sleeves, sleeveless, styles that are midi, shorter. You’ve got styles that are not baring your midriff and some that do. But a lot of those pieces only bare the midriff if you have a long waist. So if you have a shorter waist, they end up looking like a dress. If you wanted to wear it up higher, depending on your waist size, you could buy a size smaller. There are styles with elastic in the back, so for women who are bustier, the elastic allows them to get a great shape and be comfortable. And there are styles without elastic for women with smaller busts.
#4. How do you decide your pricing?
We’re a slow fashion brand, so we manufacture in smaller quantities — maybe once or twice a year. It’s more about quality over quantity. And we pay the workers and for the sustainable fabrics we use. We’re not putting pressure on the manufacturers to work at speed and volume. All of those factors are considered in our pricing, but we also want to be mid-fashion. It’s not super cheap, but it’s not unattainable. And it’s something that you want to invest in, wear a lot, and really get a good price per wear, as opposed to wearing something that falls apart within a couple of wears, and then you’re throwing it away and replacing it.
#5. How important is sustainability to your brand?
Sustainability is a part of our story, but it’s not the main focus. What I like about sustainable fabrics is the quality — how they look and feel. It’s a higher quality and you can get a really nice touch and feel on the body and it’s comfortable. But as a small business, it’s really difficult to be fully sustainable in the beginning, unfortunately. We do as much as we can. We use recycled bags made from ocean-bound plastic. We still use some fabrics that are not 100% sustainable or 100% natural. But we do want to deliver a really quality garment and that often means using those sustainable fabrics that have that really lovely luxurious feel.
#6. How daunting was it to actually make that leap to becoming an entrepreneur?
The scariest part is not the leap, it’s not having income regularly. You have to plan in advance, which means saving for a long time and having the foresight to always put money away. But I found the whole process exciting — that I had purpose and this is what I was meant to be doing. It was hard in the beginning because I loved the team I was working in and that was hard to give away. But when you’re growing something with purpose and feel like you’re in a good place, you can’t look back. You’ve got to keep looking forward and seeing how you’re going to be able to do something positive for people.
#7. How much of the Cherry Bobbins philosophy is about accommodating the wearer’s shape vis-à-vis their size?
Size inclusivity is not just about offering the size range, but about designing for different body types. There are people who are size 6 with curves and who struggle to find clothing. I don’t put a clear definition on what is plus size and what are considered straight sizes. It’s more about the inclusivity of the whole size range, so we go from sizes 6 to 24 and offer clothing for people with curves.
And there are so many preconceptions about clothing because it’s usually designed for one shape. People will see something gorgeous and think they’re not going to be able to fit into it. So, for instance, if you’re on our website and you’re not sure what size you are, send an email with your bust and waist measurements, and I will help you match the exact pieces that will fit you. I’ll look at other people who are your size or similar to your size and find something based on the styles that fit them. So I hope that helps dispel the myth that buying online is not possible. It definitely is possible, but it might just require a little more help or you might just need to reach out to somebody for advice.
#8. Apart from the website, do plan to open a physical store or do pop-ups?
We’re talking to different people about pop-ups, but I’m not sure when that’s going to happen. A store would need a longer investment, but we definitely would love to work with Women of Hong Kong — they do some fantastic events within their space — and any other opportunities that come up. We have a stockist in Australia as well. They’re doing some pop-up events and they have a store. I think that’s also a great way for people to go and try clothes on just to make sure they get the right size.
Visit the Cherry Bobbins website to check out their designs and sizes. Email them to send in your measurements to get the best fit for your body shape.
Cherisse Kofod founded Cherry Bobbins, a Hong Kong-based plus-size and size-inclusive clothing made for curves, in 2023. Before that, Cherisse was the CASETiFY Country Manager for the Australia and New Zealand markets. She also worked with London-based Net-a-Porter and Australian company Cue Clothing Co. Cherisse has experience working in digital marketing, e-commerce management, high-volume retail, production, and wholesale distribution.
(This interview has been edited and condensed.)
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of The HK HUB.
Image credits: Cherry Bobbins
*This interview was done under a paid partnership policy. Reach out if you’d like to be featured!
