Jessie Wong: Founder of luxury leather goods brand Yu Mei

The Female Career. Trailblazing New Zealand women share their career journeys - A podcast by The Female Career

“Nobody knows what they’re doing until they’re doing it, so just get started.”Jessie Wong is a Wellington entrepreneur and founder of luxury leather goods brand Yu Mei. She set up Yu Mei after winning an AMP scholarship while completing a Bachelor of Fashion Design at Otago, allowing her to invest in the specialised machinery required to craft leather goods. Together with her production manager Adrian, Jessie grew the brand, picking up 32 stockists in 18 months following successful showings during Yu Mei’s first two appearances at New Zealand Fashion Week. Six years on, Yu Mei has grown to a team of 16, with a permanent design studio, and three flagship stores across Wellington and Auckland. Under the guidance of her female business mentor, Jessie has scaled her business, securing a world-class manufacturing facility to realise plans for international expansion. With a large network and community of successful fellow females, Jessie is a woman in business with an impressive strategic outlook and vision for the future of regenerative leathercraft.