Altynai Tamerlanova

May 13, 2022

Nancy Djene Puteri, Founder of QuestChic, On Her Inspirational Success Story

Nancy Djene Puteri, founder of Hong Kong-based lingerie label QuestChic, has always had an eye for high-quality intimate apparel before she started her own brand. Following years of research, she applied her experience in material selection and shape design to carefully consider maximum comfort and essentially discover your inner "chic" and beauty. We caught up Puteri to find out more about the key to QuestChic's success.

This article is also available to read in Chinese (HK).

What inspired you to start your own lingerie brand?

Before starting my own lingerie brand, I have long experienced difficulty finding the right intimate wear for myself. Then I found that a lot of females that I know, of any age, also have had the same problem, especially in Hong Kong and the Asian region. We Asian women have different body shapes and sizes than the western. However, there is a lack of intimate wear brands that cater to our market. Therefore, with my long experience in the garment and textile industry, I decided to create a lingerie brand of my own, catering especially to Asian women but at the same time expanding the benefit further to suit different sizes and shapes, meaning this would be something universal. What’s more, I would like to make it an affordable luxury catering to a wide range of women of any income class to enjoy our beautiful products.

How do you overcome challenges in your career?

I always remind myself to have the right attitude and mindset. It’s arrogant to think that challenges will not happen, therefore I’d stay humble enough to know that nothing comes easy and that everyone is going through some challenges one way or another. With that in mind when facing challenges, I usually reach out to different people, through existing connections, or I go networking to seek different opinions and even experiences. There I can gain knowledge and inspiration for my own analysis of how to deal with different challenges. I believe there is a solution to every problem. I think of challenges as opportunities to help me improve and level up and to keep me going because I cannot wait to reach the next level up.

What are some design elements you’ve incorporated in your lingerie line to make it appeal to the modern woman?

Modern women are independent and know how to enjoy life, with or without partners. They know they deserve to be treated well and be beautiful no matter what. Lingerie plays a big part in that because taking care of even something within shows how much a woman takes good care of themselves. Therefore comfort, chic, and quality are the main design elements for QuestChic. Our elegant and beautiful designs combined with carefully selected fabric and fitting that cater to the different shapes and bring out comfort and beauty to every woman. I think modern women are intelligent enough to know what is good for them; choosing intimate wear not merely for the appearance but at the same time something comfortable that they are able to feel confident moving around every day in.

How did you come up with the name for your brand?

The brand consists of two words: “Quest” and ‘Chic”. It means “in long search of style” just like how it took me a long time to find the right brand for intimate wear. QuestChic offers a wide range of styles and sizing, it is a “quest” of intimate luxury for the inner “chic” in you. QuestChic is also from the French phrase “qu’est chic” meaning “what is elegant”. This is the meaning of QuestChic because we demonstrate elegant lingerie in the widest variety possible.

What is the beauty of wearing lingerie in your opinion?

Wearing lingerie is a form of art. Not only does it need to fit well to your own body and with the design that suits your style, but comfort is also important. Intimate wear is something you want to be able to wear comfortably every day and at the same time emphasise your own best body parts and improve any less flattering parts. Every body is beautifully unique.

Shopping for bras online can be pretty tricky sometimes. How do you make it easier for customers to purchase the perfect style and size from QuestChic?

Most of our bra collection is classified as S, M, L and XL. Each size indicates the equivalent size range in European and UK bra sizes. Therefore it gives more flexibility in sizing and fitting. If in doubt, just bear in mind that our sizing is more catered for Asian fit, meaning they are in general smaller than the international average. Exchanges are welcome when buying from our online shop for all bras if any size problem. Of course, we would highly recommend booking a fitting appointment at our Hong Kong boutique for more precise fit before purchasing.

What advice would you give to those looking to start up their own label?

Know your target market and create the right image, product, and service accordingly. Research every aspect, from costing, sourcing, and marketing, to potential income, so you have an estimation if it is workable. You have to believe in your own brand and how it can benefit your own market, not only for the sake of making money.

As an experienced businesswoman with a fashion brand, do you have any advice for aspiring female entrepreneurs?

Love what you do and do not give up. There will be ups and downs, and rough times may last long but if you follow your passion, you will overcome it.

What's next for QuestChic?

Keep on exploring and satisfying different intimate wear requirements for women around the world, and hence more varieties of intimate wear. Currently, we have a boutique based in Hong Kong and an online shop. We are also on Asos Marketplace, Zalora, and The Featured Store. We will penetrate further into the global market through different online platforms and collaborations with inspiring women around the globe. We hope to bring the message that each woman is beautiful in their own unique way and we should be confident, keep improving ourselves but at the same time never be ashamed of who we are.

All images courtesy of QuestChic.

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Nancy Djene Puteri:

Instagram: @missnancyputeri

QuestChic: