“I love the thought of getting up every morning to create something - and meet and work with great people.”
Zhu Ru
Zhu Ru Chen started Atelier Amelia after she struggled to find NYC manufacturers to make the swimwear line she had developed with her sister.
After lots of stops and starts, she eventually found a factory with a sewer who had the skills to work with stretch and elastic application that is necessary for swim. She worked with that manufacturer for three years, until the sewer with swimwear expertise left the factory and Zhu Ru decided to start her own production.
In 2016, Zhu Ru launched Atelier Amelia in Brooklyn. She moved to the Garment District in 2018 and her work immediately became easier. She has had much more success finding sewers and customers here in the Garment District.
“We build trust, and when they grow, we grow.”
Atelier Amelia caters to the needs of each customer, working together to create a formula for each individual brand. She strategizes with her clients to minimize development and production costs. Many of her customers are emerging designers – much like Zhu Ru and her sister with their swim line – who are taking big risks and spending their own money.
“I have compassion for people who have the passion to build something that they want.”
It’s important for Zhu Ru to learn about every person she works with. She invests time into understanding clients’ needs in order to find the best ways to create their products. With this outlook, her customers’ success become a shared success.
Zhu Ru doesn’t want to expand Atelier Amelia too much; she wants to keep it personal in order to retain the essence of the company. In the future, she is excited to incorporate new technology into her business, particularly 3D fitting, which will save time and costs, while decreasing her environmental footprint.
