Zi Xuan and Yijia Wang, founders of Advene, discuss the process of developing a new accessories brand in the middle of the pandemic, with a focus on sustainability and transparency. They discuss the intersection of data and design and the important role it plays in today's retail marketplace.

After graduating from Fashion Institute of Technology, Zi gained multiple years of experience working as a handbag designer for Marc Jacobs and Coach in New York City. She has experience in working with designers and vendors across the globe and an in-depth understanding of North America and Europe fashion trends and markets.

Yijia moved to New York in 2015 and started working as a marketing analytics professional, using data to model and predict consumer behavior. She specialized in developing actionable branding and marketing strategy based on data analytics and marketing mix modeling. Yijia graduated with a BS Quantitative Economics major from Tufts University, and MA Design Studies at Parsons School of Design.

While working in marketing, Yijia was constantly on the lookout for the perfect handbag — one that would suit her multifaceted lifestyle, eco-conscious values, and aesthetic adventurism. She consulted Zi, a longtime friend (and handbag aficionado), and they realized that a fairly priced luxury quality bag for the conscious consumer did not exist yet... So they decided to make it on their own. The result is advene, an accessories brand that merges innovative design principles with conscientious production processes.

advene was created by Zi Xuan and Yijia Wang.

Learn more (Zi Xuan): LinkedIn | Advene

Learn more (Yijia Wang): LinkedIn | Advene

Hosted by: Christopher Lacy, Assistant Professor, Parsons School of Design

Produced by: Joshua Williams, Assistant Professor, Parsons School of Design

Executive Producer:Fashion Consort

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