TEDxSenadoSquare Talk: Building a Sustainable Fashion Brand in Macau

A throwback to my 2022 TEDxSenadoSquare sharing

In 2022, I was invited to speak at TEDxSenadoSquare in Macau — a moment that gave me the chance to look back at one of the biggest themes in my own journey: change.

At the time, I shared the story of how I moved from a stable career path into entrepreneurship, how O.N.E began, and why the brand eventually transformed from leather goods into a fully vegan accessories brand.

It was not a speech about having everything figured out. It was more about the decisions that slowly shaped me — the uncomfortable ones, the uncertain ones, and the moments that made me question whether I was willing to keep building something that no longer matched what I believed in.

Leaving the expected path

Before starting my own brand, I studied hotel management and worked briefly in the hotel industry. It was a practical and stable path, especially in Macau at that time.

But I kept feeling that something was not quite right.

I had always loved drawing and design, yet I chose a safer direction because it seemed more realistic. After working in hospitality for almost a year, I began to ask myself whether I could continue doing something that did not feel truly connected to me.

That question eventually led me to leave my comfort zone and open my first store — a small multi-brand concept shop with very little business experience, very few products, and many uncertain days.

Looking back, that beginning was far from perfect. But it taught me something important: once you open the door to business, business itself starts teaching you.

From a small store to my own accessories brand

The first store slowly became a place where I could test ideas, observe customers, and understand what people responded to.

At one point, the handmade leather goods I created for customers became one of the strongest parts of the business. I started with small items like wallets, cardholders, and bags, while also bringing in selected designer brands from overseas, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

That was how the idea of creating my own accessories brand began.

In 2015, I officially started O.N.E as a leather goods brand, focusing on minimal design with subtle inspiration from Macau’s cultural and architectural background.

I did not enter the industry with a design degree or a perfect business plan. I learned by doing — through customers, products, mistakes, suppliers, and the daily reality of running a brand.

The turning point toward vegan fashion

In 2019, a trip to Northern Europe became an unexpected turning point.

A simple question made me rethink the difference between loving some animals and using others. That question stayed with me, and after returning to Macau, I began researching veganism more seriously.

Once my personal values changed, the conflict with my work became impossible to ignore. At that time, O.N.E was still a leather goods brand. I had spent years understanding leather quality, product structure, and craftsmanship, so the idea of changing everything felt frightening.

I worried about whether customers would understand. I worried about whether alternative materials could meet the standard I wanted. I worried that the brand might lose what people had already come to know.

But the bigger question was whether I could continue building a brand that no longer aligned with my values.

In the end, I decided that if the brand was going to continue, it had to move forward honestly.

Rebuilding the brand during uncertainty

The decision to transform O.N.E into a vegan accessories brand happened around the same time the pandemic began.

It was a difficult period, but it also created unexpected openings. Because many factories were affected, some suppliers became more willing to work with smaller orders. That gave us the chance to explore new materials, test samples, and rethink what vegan leather goods could become.

The process changed the way I designed.

Once the brand direction became clearer, the products began to carry more meaning. They were no longer only about shape, colour, or function. They also became a way to speak about animal welfare, environmental responsibility, and the possibility of building fashion with more awareness.

The transition was not simple, but it gave the brand a stronger reason to exist.

What the TEDx talk meant to me

Speaking at TEDxSenadoSquare was meaningful because it allowed me to share a side of entrepreneurship that is often less visible.

People usually see the finished product, the campaign, the store, or the brand image. They do not always see the moments before a decision is made — the fear, the uncertainty, the research, the conversations, and the responsibility behind changing direction.

For me, the talk was not only about sustainable fashion. It was about learning to trust the kind of change that brings you closer to who you are.

It also reminded me why I continue to care about sharing my experience with other founders and young designers. Building a brand is not only about making something beautiful. It is also about making decisions that you can stand behind.