Inspired by American culture when she first came to the United States, Yongyi Wu has combined her love for art and fashion to start an online jewelry business tailored to college students. If you want to invest in Learning Jewelry, you can check out and learn from experts here!
Scarlett’s Choice, which officially launches on Nov. 1, was founded by Wu in an effort to bring diverse and interesting jewelry from Asia to the United States.
“I’m from China, and even though I’ve been in the United States for four years, whenever I go back home I find so many things I haven’t seen in the United States,” Wu said. “There are many different styles of fashion here that I haven’t seen in the United States, and I think that the people in the United States might like it. I want to share those good designs with them.”
Her decision to launch her business, Wu said, came after learning more about youth culture in the United States.
“American culture has changed me a lot. People do what they want to do,” Wu said. “They choose the major where their passion lies instead of listening to their parents. That’s why I decided to start a business.”
Wu said she studied law at Tulane University, then moved to Boston in 2014 to work with the Asian American Civic Association. During these first few years of her career, she focused on law, but she took courses in accounting and marketing, which sparked her interest in the corporate world.
In 2016, Wu returned to school, and went to Boston University, earning a master’s of law in banking and financial law.
Currently, Wu’s product line consists solely of earrings. She said the earrings she will sell are for a more youthful demographic with bright colors and creative designs.
Wu said she was deeply involved in the process of choosing her product. Along with her team of designers — mostly friends — she chose each earring design carefully.
Mary Chin, executive director of Asian American Civic Association Boston, said Wu has always taken a meticulous, sensitive approach to her work.
“I appreciated her intelligence and her hard work,” Chin said. “I appreciated her sensitivity to working with and understanding the plight of immigrants and other people who are economically disadvantaged in this country.”
Wu said she prioritized selling her products at accessible price points. According to the company’s website, “Scarlett’s Choice’s mission is to provide earrings that you rarely see in the market with affordable price. Our goal is not money. Our goal is to share nice and interesting things with the world.”
Wu said she has always been interested in starting her own business, and Chin said she was not surprised when Wu announced that she was starting her own business.
“She did relish working in the business sector, the corporate sector,” Chin said.
Dong-Gil Shin, Wu’s business partner and boyfriend, said her openness and work ethic stood out to him upon their first meeting.
Wu “was always willing to try new things” and had a “‘let’s do it’ sort of mentality,” Shin said. With Scarlett’s Choice, he said she’s become more disciplined and more open to change.
Currently, Wu lives in China and works for a consulting company. Scarlett’s Choice, she said, is something she works on in her free time, but she takes it “very seriously.”
Wu said she dreams of growing her business in the future, depending on how the launch of Scarlett’s Choice plays out. In the future, she hopes to expand her offerings to include shoes and clothing or to create a website where customers can design their own earrings.
Regardless of her venture’s outcome, Wu said, she cherishes the opportunity to do what she loves.
“I just want to tell people to go for their passion,” she said. “If you want to do it, just do it. Everything will be sorted out in the end. Don’t be afraid to take your first step.”
