Hi, I’m Michelle.
Six months ago, I took a bold leap of faith and quit my job in tech to start a fashion brand.
I grew up in China where craftsmanship was woven quietly into everyday life. One of my earliest memories is a school trip to a silk weaving facility in year 2 — watching the looms, learning how silk takes shape, understanding that fabric begins long before it becomes clothing. Even then, it was clear: garments were not disposable objects. They were the result of time, care, and generations of skill.
My family left China in my early teens. And at some point, I realised that "Made in China" was synonymous with cheap and of poor quality. It was so unlike what I grew up admiring. Fast fashion took those same beautiful details and turned them into decoration, stripping away the meaning, the makers, and the culture behind them.
For the past few years, I had been living in London. After I quit my job, I went looking for the source. I spent months meeting artisans who’ve kept these crafts alive for generations. These people still work by hand and know when a fabric has had enough sun, or when a seam has found its balance.
When I came back to London, I called my best friend, Cathy, and said, “Let’s build something different.”
Something slower. Something honest.
At Cult of 9, we make clothes in small batches from natural fibres and reclaimed materials. Every piece is designed to last — to soften with time and feel like something you’ll actually live in.
Our name comes from the number "nine" 九 (jiu), which sounds like 久 (jiu) — “eternity” in Chinese. It’s a reminder that what we make should endure — in your wardrobe and in meaning.
We’re not bound by seasons or ruled by trends. We make fewer things so we can make them better. Pieces that don’t just sit pretty in a closet, but actually earn their place in your life. If we're not satisfied with a piece, we'll iterate on it and try again until it meets this standard.
This is Cult of 9 — where tradition meets time, and fashion finally slows down enough to mean something again.
I'm so glad that you've joined us in this movement.