Grid110 Founder Story: Eunice from PAIRE Los Angeles
This month’s Founder Story is about Eunice, the founder of PAIRE Los Angeles.
What you are wearing is a huge part of making your first impression. You have to wear comfortable clothes to feel comfortable and confident in your own skin. Pants are an essential piece for every stylish woman’s closet, but great pants are hard to find. Eunice created pants that women actually want to wear and created her version of the perfect pants: comfortable, practical, and versatile.
Eunice Cho started PAIRE because she wanted to make life easier for herself and others like her. 10 years ago, Eunice was on her way to business school at the UCLA — The Anderson School of Management, and she realized that shopping for a pair of proper stylish black pants was hard and even harder online. She wanted to create the ultimate pair of pants that would look flawless and take the wear and tear of daily life. Eunice created pants that fit all body shapes, and PAIRE proudly celebrates the diverse and strong group of women who wear these pants proudly and embody the brand’s values.
News from PAIRE Los Angeles!
We recently relaunched our website with new branding and new products, which are refined and elevated versions of our bestselling pant fits from the past. The most exciting part is that we are offering MULTIPLE LENGTHS to find the right option for your height! No hemming, no more dry cleaning!
If you’d like to stay in touch through social media, follow on Instagram at @PaireLosAngeles
To learn more about Eunice’s entrepreneurship journey, check out the full interview below.
What is your venture? What do you do?
We are a womenswear brand that focuses on creating the most comfortable pants that are fit for the office and everything beyond.
What prompted you to start your venture?
When I was transitioning from my fashion job in New York to business school, I had to wear suits and formal business pants. I bought my first “work” pants at 26 but thought that the process was really frustrating because there wasn’t a brand that specifically focused on making great pants, in the way that denim brands focus on just jeans, and there weren’t a lot of comfortable options. There were athleisure brands, but those were still more gym-appropriate than for interviews. I wanted to find something stylish and comfortable enough that I would wear it every day but also polished enough that I’d wear it to more professional settings. I decided to create my own vision of the “perfect pants” while I was in business school.
What’s unique and advantageous about being in LA (if applicable, DTLA) for you and your venture?
Quality control, speed, and flexibility. We buy our materials from Italy, but we do all of our manufacturing here in Los Angeles. There were definitely challenges. There aren’t that many factories that can handle our fabric and the kind of workmanship needed to create tailored pants. It took us a while to find the right partners and develop the quality we needed, but now it means that we can work with small quantities, great quality and fast turnaround. It really worked to our advantage recently as well with the supply chain disruptions.
As you think back to your Grid110 experience, what are the 1–2 lessons or takeaways that still stick out to you?
As a founder, you’re doing a million different things every day, so it’s challenging to take the time to think about the big picture strategy, which is so important. Grid110 allowed me to do just that and helped me think about long term goals and strategy with clarity.
Considering what Grid110 provides and offers, what has been the most impactful to you as a founder and business? How has the Grid110 experience influenced your entrepreneurial journey?
A network of LA-based entrepreneurs and investing communities who I could rely on for advice and help! Sometimes you can be spinning your wheels on your own and get tunnel vision. Grid110 has connected me to a valuable network.
Now, time for some more FUN questions!
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I think I always knew that I wanted to be in fashion.
What is your spirit animal?
A college friend of mine once told me that I remind him of a raccoon. I’m not sure what that means.
Who is your role model?
Oprah! She is accomplished, empathetic, and self-made.
You’re a new addition to the crayon box. What color would you be and why?
Black, it’s my favorite color.
About Grid110
Grid110 provides mentoring and key resources for early-stage entrepreneurs in underserved regions. We support early-stage companies by connecting them to office space, mentors, and important resources during the most critical phase of their business life-cycle through education programs.
