JEFFREY YANG AND JOEY WOO On Jeffrey Yang Suit from Hugo Boss On Joey Woo Chiffon dress from Villiam Ooi Serpent bangle from Giuseppe Zanotti Earrings from Kate Spade TM | MARCH/APRIL <strong>2018</strong> 20
JEFFREY YANG AND JOEY WOO It takes insight to see beauty in places where it isn’t apparent, it takes acumen to turn it into a successful business. Partners in life and in business, I met Jeffrey Yang and Joey Woo, Founders <strong>of</strong> Art <strong>of</strong> Tree. at their showroom hidden away in an industrial estate in Shah Alam. We took a seat at a table in the corner. Large slabs <strong>of</strong> wood lined the walls, the floor was a maze <strong>of</strong> wood furniture. There were benches, chairs, and c<strong>of</strong>fee and dining tables, all stunning pieces, their surfaces rippling circles <strong>of</strong> gold, brown and black. Each is a work <strong>of</strong> art, many impressive in size. In and <strong>of</strong> themselves they are conversation pieces, but what makes these items truly remarkable is their source. “It is not very <strong>of</strong>ten that we are presented with an opportunity to run a business that makes a positive impact on the environment. A lot <strong>of</strong> people when they talk about timber furniture, they immediately think <strong>of</strong> deforestation,” Art <strong>of</strong> Tree Creative Director Jeffrey explained. Art <strong>of</strong> Tree supports zero deforestation. Its raw material is not procured from precious million-year-old rainforests, but instead from salvaged wood. Grown in cities, the salvaged wood his business uses were once urban trees that were uprooted in a storm, struck by lightning, or felled to make way for development. For progressive-minded, environmentally-conscious consumers concerned about the ethics and the sourcing <strong>of</strong> wood used in their furniture and household items, this is a timely revelation. You don’t have to be a champion <strong>of</strong> the environment to want to own one <strong>of</strong> the remarkable pieces <strong>of</strong> furniture by Art <strong>of</strong> Tree. Solid, and practical, they are pieces around which families will share stories. “I look at Art <strong>of</strong> Tree from a business aspect first, it has to be sustainable. For consumers, [being green] is not their top priority. Ultimately, it is the aesthetic. We have to put a lot <strong>of</strong> effort to making sure that our products stand out and are better than the rest,” Jeffrey said pragmatically. “It is not very <strong>of</strong>ten that we are presented with an opportunity to run a business that makes a positive impact on the environment.” This combination <strong>of</strong> practical, poetic beauty and leadingedge thinking befit times when resources are scarce and global warming and environmental degradation is an international concern. It has brought Jeffrey some well-deserved recognition from Entrepreneur Insight magazine’s 100 Most Influential Young Entrepreneurs 2017, and seen Art <strong>of</strong> Tree bag SME Magazine’s SME100 Award 2017. The company also recently placed Top 35 SMEs in the AmBank BizRACE <strong>2018</strong>. THE BEGINNINGS Like a trail through the forest, the path that led Jeffrey and Joey, Art <strong>of</strong> Tree’s General Manager, to this point was not always clear or straight. Jeffrey, who is originally from Johor, has a background in electronic engineering from the University <strong>of</strong> Manchester Institute <strong>of</strong> Science and Technology (UMIST). It was his passion for exotic tropical fish, which he bred and exported to foreign markets, that led him first to driftwood for aquariums and eventually to salvaged or aged wooden furniture, which formed the start <strong>of</strong> his personal collection. Jeffrey’s understanding <strong>of</strong> wood, its inherent unique traits, different strengths and durabilities came from years <strong>of</strong> deep research. It took two years <strong>of</strong> trial and error for him to master the art <strong>of</strong> transforming these discarded pieces into objects <strong>of</strong> beauty. Even YouTube was an important learning source for increasing skills, tips and tricks for his hands-on approach to the business. 21 MARCH/APRIL <strong>2018</strong> | TM
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