DARA HUANG
CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2021.
PRINCE'S TRUST #CHANGEAGIRLSLIFE
Architect, designer and business powerhouse Dara Huang is supporting The Prince’s Trust #ChangeAGirlsLife campaign on International Women’s Day by collaborating with LLIO. From 8th March – 8th April 2021 LLIO (www.llio.love) will donate £5 from the sale of every LLIO Bath & Body Oil and £1 from the sale of various LLIO bath and beauty products to the @PrincesTrust, providing the perfect excuse to indulge in some pampering self-care or spoil Mum this Mother’s Day while supporting women in need. The #ChangeAGirlsLife campaign aims to support young women who are struggling to find a job or losing hope for the future. The money raised will help support young women across the UK to receive life-changing support and guidance from The Prince’s Trust, enabling and empowering them to move forward with renewed confidence into a job, training, further education, or their own business. According to The Trust, 78% of people who have lost jobs as a result of the pandemic are women.
Dara Huang is a self-made entrepreneur and founder of studio Design Haus Liberty in London, which has worked on projects for the likes of Cartier, LVMH and the Four Seasons, as well as luxury homes, galleries and plush offices. DH Liberty has an all-female leadership team, in keeping with Dara’s long-standing belief in women supporting women. LLIO got a chance to ask her all about International Women’s Day and success in business. We know first-hand, Dara is a HUGE supporter of women in business, HUGE!
We have seen you show support behind so many women, why is it so important to you?
I have always strived to nurture, support and build a network of women to support sisterhood and female entrepreneurs; I love the fact 75% of my Instagram followers are women,” Dara said. “I love to support women personally and in business. I will always give to members of the team and encourage them to grow in their careers. I share all the opportunities that come my way and thrive in seeing my team do well – a designer from our team recently sat on the panel of the British Homes Awards.
The Princes Trust is concerned about how the pandemic will affect the young, any thoughts?
I am a big believer in nurturing and mentoring young women. This includes sitting on thesis review boards at Harvard and the AA and hiring a lot of these young talented graduates and giving them work experience. Coming from immigrant parents, and being one myself, I consider myself very lucky to be in a place that has embraced education, hard work and talent; which has given me a platform to build a career on. I feel a responsibility to give back; you can learn so much more from the younger generation – they’ve grown up around modern technology so can certainly help with the digital world more than ever. I am concerned that the impact of Covid-19 may have lasting implications for Britain’s young women both in terms of career prospects and mental health. The pandemic has taken its toll on young women across the UK, and many need help more than ever – The Prince’s Trust’s Young People in Lockdown report found 53% of young women aged 16 to 25 say their anxiety levels have increased as a result of the pandemic.
International Women’s day is such a huge day everything, what are your hopes for the day?
International Women’s Day is an ideal opportunity for women to celebrate self-love, she hopes the collaboration will focus attention on the struggles of women who have lost their jobs or whose ability to balance family and work has becoming even more of a challenge.
You are a working mother, how do you juggle this and any advice?
We’ve seen over the pandemic women are struggling more than ever to juggle working and childcare. Being an independent mother means that you have to juggle a work life balance and learn to do your best in giving your loved ones the ultimate, quality time. We can also promote the concept of gender equal childcare and alleviate the bottlenecks such as pay gaps that keep mothers from working, then we can create a more equal landscape. Women must continue to be supported in order to overcome challenges, but also be given the freedom to take risks in order to surpass expectations. Without that support, the work force is losing 50% of the brilliance that it could potentially have.
What do you wish women in business would do more of?
I’m a massive sharer; I have built a network and I will always connect brands and people up instead of being precious with contacts. I wish more people realised the benefits of being generous. I only make recommendations if I truly believe it’s something I can put my name behind. I do think there is a positive Karma and energy to sharing and giving to others. I experience a lot of this in social media, so many kind messages really bright my day- I make sure to respond to everyone as well!”
We see you support so many niche brands on your Instagram, tell us more and how others can be better at supporting women entrepreneurs and not huge retailers?
I have a sisterhood of female entrepreneurs and I will always support them, whether through buying a product, sharing on social media or telling other people about it,” she said. I’ve been there at the beginning, starting a brand, when you are so appreciative of anyone supporting you. Women who start businesses truly understand this and tend to be big supporters of other women-owned businesses. And when you are buying from smaller businesses, you will often find the materials used are higher quality and there has been more attention to detail. When you do anything to support a woman in business, they will be high-fiving under the table in appreciation.
Do you take down time for yourself, how do you relax?
I am a big believer in women and mothers really focusing on self-love and appreciation, reminding women that they can only do their best for others if they take loving and taking care of themselves, hence why I teamed up with LLIO to support The Prince’s Trust. LLIO bath and body oils are the perfect addition to a ritual bath or your own home spa – the British company’s mission is to encourage more self-love in the world.”
Thank you for collaborating with us, why did you choose LLIO for the campaign?
The collaboration ties in neatly with my support for female entrepreneurs – and my design aesthetic. I recently launched a furniture line based around my love for sculptural design and organic sustainable raw materials. Crystals are raw and sculptural.
What are your favourite LLIO products?
My all time favourite product from the LLIO collection is the Higher Self Citrine Bath & Body Crystoil (£45 for 100ml), a refreshing blend of lemon, bergamot, sweet orange and spruce essential oils, featuring LLIO’s trademark crystals. Of course I also love the oil we collaborated with you on, The Dara Huang Amethyst Beauty Sleep Oil, a luscious combination of Lavender True, Geranium, Rosewood and Juniper to ensure a good night’s sleep. Other favs include LLIO’s Love Yourself Rose Quartz Bath Body Crystoil and Sweet Dreams Amethyst Sleep Spray (the oils are £45 for 100ml, the sleep spray £25 for 100ml).
Dara’s Tips for Business Success
Business advice – “It’s really key to be yourself in any business. Everyone has a USP, and it should be unique to each individual. When you sell something you really love, it shows and there is no imitation for being genuine- that’s how you win the hearts of consumers”
Education – “I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and went on to complete my master’s at Harvard, where I won some national scholarships which allowed me to travel around the world. I interned at several well-known architecture firms in New York (Asymptote) and Tokyo. I then worked for Herzog & De Meuron in Switzerland and Foster + Partners in London. From there, I was definitely ready to take that leap and start my own practice.”
Passion – “Running a business is 24/7 and you have to be passionate about what you are doing. My motto has always been: ‘If we're not excited about it, nobody else will be’.”
