For many Asian Americans, leaving the corporate life to pursue the dream of becoming an entrepreneur isn’t usually encouraged by family members. It’s common for older generations to ask questions like, “Why would you leave a job that provides you with a steady income?” or “Why chase after something that doesn’t guarantee success?” But as millennials and Gen Z individuals continue to break through old-fashioned boundaries, the idea of uncertainty is more exciting than frightening.
Asian American entrepreneurs Tanya Zhang and Wesley Kang of Nimble Made are perfect examples of persevering go-getters who turned their dreams into reality. For countless years, it has proven difficult for Asian Americans to find “the perfect fit” when it comes to dress clothing. Asian American men in particular struggle to find properly sized shirts and pants that don’t require hemming from a tailor. As a result, Zhang and Kang left their corporate jobs behind to launch Nimble Made in 2018, with a goal of creating modern and slim-fit dress clothing for men. The brand currently offers dress shirts catered to slimmer and more petite body types, and presents a practical approach to finding the right size by taking height and weight into account.
Zhang explained that her father, an immigrant to the States, once commented to her that all the dress clothes in retail stores were too baggy for him. Kang agreed, stating that he had the same problem. “For me, as a shorter and thinner man, it was really hard to find dress shirts in the mass market that fit me in the way I wanted,” Kang said. “So, I was inspired to create an integral part of the male workforce fashion items and try to serve the community, because I figured there’d be a lot of other people like myself.”
The brand has some new and exciting prints in their Fall collection, which includes more casual and plaid styles. Make sure to watch the full interview above, then check out the Nimble Made website to keep up with the latest arrivals!
