group opened a two-storey flagship on Staunton Street in Central, bringing all three brands together in one space for the first time in the city. Inside Retail spoke with Chew about what finance taught her about creativity, the operational discipline behind bespoke work, and the next phase of the group’s growth. Inside Retail: You spent the early part of your career at Goldman Sachs. What did finance teach you about building a business that most creative entrepreneurs never learn? Lelian Chew: One of the biggest lessons I brought with me from Goldman Sachs is that we’re in the business of trust. At that level, clients weren’t choosing a bank because of financial products – they were choosing advisers they trusted with decisions that affected generations of their families. That philosophy has shaped how I’ve built The Atelier & Co Holdings. Whether we’re planning a wedding, designing florals or creating an immersive experience for a global luxury Maison, our role extends beyond our service offerings or products. We become trusted partners during some of the most meaningful moments in our clients’ lives and businesses. Finance also taught me that creativity and discipline must go hand in hand. Beautiful ideas alone don’t build enduring businesses. Behind every seamless experience is rigorous planning, operational excellence and a long-term commitment to consistency. That solid foundation is what actually allows creativity to thrive. IR: Looking back, was there a clear vision from the beginning, or has The Atelier & Co Holdings evolved through a series of unexpected opportunities? LC: It has been an evolution, but one guided by a consistent philosophy. When I founded The Wedding Atelier in Hong Kong in 2013, my ambition wasn’t to build a group of companies. It was simply to bring something different to the table, to create thoughtful, highly personalised celebrations. As relationships with our clients grew, so did the opportunities. Families who trusted us with their weddings returned for flowers, private celebrations, brand experiences and corporate activations. Rather than branching into unrelated businesses, each new venture emerged naturally from the needs of the clients we were already serving. Today, The Wedding Atelier, The Floral Atelier and The Atelier & Co operate as three distinct brands under one vision: creating meaningful experiences through exceptional craftsmanship, creativity and service. IR: If you could go back and advise yourself on day one, what would you do differently? LC: I would have been more intentional about building the team earlier, placing people in roles where their strengths could truly complement mine, and giving myself permission not to do everything. I’m a rare mix of equal parts creative instinct and commercial thinking. I enjoy every aspect of this business, from shaping the creative vision to client management, to getting my hands dirty with floristry, to working through spreadsheets to ensure the numbers support the ambition. But it also meant I could easily fall into the habit of holding too much myself and becoming an unavoidable bottleneck. I would have invested earlier in bringing together people with the expertise, perspective and conviction to challenge my thinking, strengthen the areas where I am less naturally focused and collectively take the vision further. The right people do not dilute your vision; they give it more reach, rigour and possibility. Thirteen years on, we have three distinct pillars of the business across two of Asia’s most exciting markets, a CEO, and a team of more than 40 people that continues to grow. It has reinforced for me that the most meaningful growth comes when you stop trying to carry everything alone and create the conditions for exceptional people to build alongside you. I sometimes wonder how much further we might have gone had those pieces fallen into place earlier, but it has also been an important lesson in how I lead today. IR: What have been the biggest operational challenges in scaling a business where every project is highly customised? LC: The greatest challenge is that our work doesn’t scale through standardisation. Every wedding, floral installation or brand experience begins with a blank canvas, because every client has a different story to tell. Rather than standardising the creative outcome, we’ve focused on standardising the discipline behind it. We’ve invested heavily in our people, internal processes and long-standing supplier relationships, so that every project remains bespoke while consistently meeting the highest standards. Clients see the final experience. What they don’t see is the operational precision that makes highly customised work possible. IR: As founder, which responsibilities have become harder as the company has grown? LC: As founder, I now wear two distinct hats. My founder role has shifted from creating experiences myself to building the organisation behind them: developing leaders, nurturing culture, and ensuring the values that shaped the business remain consistent as we grow internationally. At the same time, I remain creative director across all three pillars of the business. My focus there is to protect the creative vision, set the standard for the work and ensure every experience continues to feel thoughtful, distinctive and true to who we are. One of the biggest transitions for any founder is recognising that your role evolves from being the person with all the answers to creating an environment where talented people can do their best work while still holding a clear vision for where the company is going. IR: What are the biggest misconceptions people have about running a luxury business? LC: One of the biggest misconceptions is that luxury is defined by price or a certain aesthetic. To me, luxury is defined by thoughtfulness. There is nothing more luxurious than time – the one commodity we can never get back. My team of 40 and I devote enormous amounts of time to scrutinising every detail, so that each experience feels one of a kind, tailored exclusively to the client. True luxury is anticipating needs even before they’re expressed, paying attention to the smallest details, and making incredibly complex experiences feel effortless. Ironically, the less visible our work is, the more successful we’ve been. Behind every seamless experience is an enormous amount of planning, coordination and craftsmanship – none of which is seen or felt by the guests. The team knows that is the trademark of a truly successful event at The Atelier & Co. IR: Are there new customer segments you’re hoping to reach through the Hong Kong flagship that you couldn’t before? LC: For many years, clients primarily knew us through weddings or private events for a very discerning crowd. Today, they can discover us through couture florals, gifting, workshops or creative experiences before engaging us for larger celebrations or bespoke projects. More importantly, the flagship brings together The Floral Atelier, The Wedding Atelier and The Atelier & Co under one roof for the first time in Hong Kong. It reflects the way our clients naturally engage with us as one integrated creative ecosystem. IR: How has the profile of luxury customers in Hong Kong evolved since you first entered the market in 2013? LC: Luxury clients today are more globally connected than ever. They travel extensively, have access to international inspiration and naturally expect a much higher level of personalisation. At the same time, I’ve noticed a renewed appreciation for authenticity and craftsmanship. Increasingly, clients are looking for experiences that feel meaningful rather than simply extravagant. They value stories, heritage and genuine emotional connection. That’s very much aligned with our philosophy. We’ve never believed luxury is about excess. It’s about creating experiences that feel deeply personal and leave a lasting impression. IR: The space combines retail, event planning and design studios under one roof. Why was it important to bring these businesses together instead of keeping them separate? LC: The three brands have always been connected through a shared philosophy, even if clients encountered them in different ways. Someone might first purchase a celebratory bouquet from us through The Floral Atelier, later engage The Wedding Atelier for one of life’s most meaningful occasions, and eventually witness our work at The Atelier & Co through a luxury brand activation. While each brand serves a distinct purpose, they are united by the same belief: that thoughtful design and considered details can transform a moment into a lasting memory. Bringing them together reflects the natural way our clients’ relationship with us can evolve over time – and allows them to experience the full breadth of our world in one place. The flagship is also symbolic. Staunton Street is where we first established our Hong Kong presence in 2013. Returning to the same neighbourhood with all three brands united represents both a homecoming and the next chapter of our growth in the city. IR: What excites you most about the next phase of growth? LC: What excites me most is the opportunity to continue shaping a distinctly Asian expression of luxury. For many years, luxury has largely been associated with the West. I believe Asia has its own deeply nuanced language of luxury: one rooted in centuries of craftsmanship, cultural richness, an innate instinct for warm hospitality and a profound sensitivity to detail. The Hong Kong flagship is an important milestone because it brings together everything we’ve built over the past 13 years into one destination. Having worked closely with Asian luxury clients for more than a decade, we understand that luxury here is rarely about excess – it is about discretion, personal relevance and an intuitive level of care. Looking ahead, I’m excited to continue creating experiences that feel deeply considered for our clients in Asia, while resonating with audiences around the world. Further reading: How Luah’s ex-corporate founders split creative and commercial control.