With little experience in business or fashion, Erikka Wang, Jon Cotay and Eric Hsueh may have been “the right amount of naive and foolish” when they dropped everything to create a clothing store. The co-founders, all alumni of the University, may not have expected their Chicago clothing store Akira would be such a success. 

“I graduated in 1998 with a bachelor’s in nursing,” Cotay said, who heads marketing for Akira. “I never imagined I’d be working in fashion.”

Cotay said the journey to forming the clothing store was far from predictable. 

“We were all doing our own thing when Erikka sort of brought us together with this idea to launch a clothing store,” he said. 

Hsueh was working as a computer consultant and realized quickly that it wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life.

“She called me out of the blue and asked me if I wanted to be her business partner on this new venture, which was fashion retail,” he said. “It was really Erikka’s idea and she was the catalyst that pulled Jon and I into the loop.” 

The three of them opened their first Akira store in Chicago in July 2002.

When starting to build the business, none of the three had any prior knowledge or experience in fashion, retail or business. They had to learn while on the job.

Diving into a field that was so foreign to the founders was a bold endeavor, and Hsueh said that taking risks is just what one needs to make it in fashion, and business in general.

“Opening a business when you’re 25 years old with all of your life savings, you have to be somewhat naïve and somewhat foolish,” Hsueh said. “We had redeeming qualities like hard work and persistence to makeup for our inexperience.”

Hsueh never dreamed that one day they would have 17 stores around the Chicagoland area. He just wanted them to do well and not embarrass themselves.

Their bold endeavor turned out to be a great investment. Their 17 Akira stores sell various trendy designer materials — from BCBG to Jeffrey Campbell Shoes — for reasonable prices. They have a variety of styles that appeal to any type of customer. Their website, shopakira.com, is accessed by customers all over the world.

Jade Williams, sophomore in FAA and an Akira campus representative for the University, said Akira’s style appeals to any type of girl.

“Whether you want an edgy leather jacket or you are going for a Boho chic look, Akira will have it for you,” Williams said.

Williams’ job as a campus representative for Akira is to promote the website through all forms of social media.

When choosing what to bring to their stores, Cotay said that while they do take into account what is “in,” they stay true to their own creative eye.

“We take into consideration what the trends are but we choose what we like,” Cotay said. “We try to mix it up and put out whatever catches our eye.” 

Hsueh, who does more of the behind-the-scenes business work, said Cotay and Wang were born to work in fashion.  

“There is a difference between a fashion follower and a leader and Jon and Erikka are fashion leaders,” he said. “I got lucky with them because they are artists and have an eye for this.”

Hsueh added that their main style goal is to be ahead of the curve, but not too far ahead.

“Just because something works in New York doesn’t mean it’ll work in Chicago,” Hsueh said. “Akira is Chicago-based fashion so we pay attention to that, but our core customer is the female demographic in their early 20s, so we cater to generally college students.” 

Having celebrated their 10-year anniversary, Cotay, Hsueh and Wang have a lot to be proud of, but Cotay said it is just the beginning.

“Our product has been well received so we’ve been positive. Our first 10 years was like a learning experience and now the next 10 years we are really getting to work,” Cotay said. “It is going to bring out a competitive side in us because you want to build a company that has longevity.”

Cotay’s favorite part about the entire experience has been making connections with people he has met and worked with in the fashion industry.

For those looking to start a business or break into fashion, Cotay and Hsueh suggested holding onto the connections one makes while in college.

“The best advice anyone can offer someone starting a business venture is to value your friends and the connections you make in college,” Hsueh said. “The best thing I ever did in life was meet Jon and Erika, and I met them at U of I.”

Saher reached at [email protected].