Dione Song on Love, Bonito: ‘Not just clothes, we sell empowerment, confidence and community’

“Love Bonito doesn’t just sell clothes. We sell empowerment, confidence, and a sense of community,” says chief executive Dione Song. What began as a modest Singaporean blog shop in 2010 has blossomed into one of Southeast Asia’s largest omnichannel women’s fashion destinations. With a footprint in over 20 countries, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, Love, Bonito recently made a splash with a pop-up store in New York.

CEO Dione Song's vision and focus have helped propel the brand towards consistent double-digit growth since the peak of the pandemic in 2020. Covid dealt a severe blow to many sectors, retail particularly. International high street majors such as Gap, TopShop and River Island folded from Hong Kong in the same period, so what sets Love Bonito and its success apart?

Differentiation through thoughtful design

Dione Song, Love, Bonito with Campaign's Nikita Mishra. Photo: Campaign 360 2024

In a fireside chat with Campaign’s deputy editor, Nikita Mishra, Song emphasises that the startup always had a crystal-clear value proposition and that has been increasingly important in its growth across the diverse markets of Asia. Back in the day, Love, Bonito saw a gap in the womenswear market—an opportunity to create a clothing line tailored especially for the Asian woman, who is genetically different in proportions from her Caucasian counterpart. And the offering was an instant hit—it resonated with local young female consumers in Singapore, even though they couldn’t precisely articulate why.

“It simply felt right for them; the cuts and the structure sit perfectly on the Asian female. And we always designed keeping the real woman’s needs in mind. So, dresses with pockets, ruched-ready blazers for the go-getter, trousers with elastic so she’s comfortable even after a large meal.” This intuitive understanding allowed Love Bonito to connect authentically and build a loyal customer base.

Song underscores their ‘empowering’ design philosophy, which centres on thoughtfulness and “creating clothes that are not only ready to wear but also ready to live.” This client-centric approach sets Love Bonito apart in the industry.

Addressing the unique needs of the Asian woman

Womenswear can be very disempowering. In a bid to make clothing cool and hip, global fast-fashion giants often forget that women need form, function, fit, and comfort over trends. Love Bonito’s success lies in its attention to this unique need of women—an often overlooked one.
Song discusses this critical gap in the market: “Why can’t women have fashion that’s thoughtful, also comfortable, looks great, and has versatility, mileage and still be affordable?” Song asks, pointing out a longstanding disparity in women’s fashion.

Love, Bonito has expanded its offerings to cater to the everyday needs of modern women. “It’s really made for your day-to-day, everyday real-life living,” Song explains. This practical approach extends to the brand’s workwear line, which bridges the gap between high-end tailored options and trendy casual fashion.

This clarity of the niche and focus extends to the brand’s target demographic as well.
“We’re very, very clear in terms of who our primary audience is, who we’re speaking to. She is someone in her 30s to 40s; shes multifaceted and a go-getter. She is looking for mileage and comfort and functionality,” Song asserts. This demographic focus ensures that the brand’s offerings align with the needs and preferences of its audience, from practical workwear to comfortable, stylish everyday attire.

Rethinking strategy

Over the last two to three years, Love, Bonito has grown over 40% year-on-year. Despite the robust performance, the brand is rethinking its strategy, not just in terms of brand identity but also it's offering. What’s the rationale behind this?

“[Despite the success] we’re a relatively new kid on the block, but we’ve been around in the market for 14 years. That’s a long time, and we thought it’s time for us to really grow up and elevate and modernise ourselves with where we want to shift to,” said Song.

This modernisation includes a sleek new logo and an expanded colour palette with brown, cool pink, and red, chosen for their cultural significance and representation of the strength of everyday Asian women. The brand's tagline, "Ready-to-live, not just ready-to-wear," encapsulates its commitment to producing functional, versatile garments for real life. "It's not just about looking good in mirror selfies. Our offerings are crafted to complement the multifaceted aspects of women’s lives," Song emphasises.

Central to the rebranding is the new tagline: “Ready-to-live, not just ready-to-wear.” It encapsulates the brand's philosophy of producing functional, versatile, and well-made garments that women can wear around the clock while "being unabashedly themselves," as Song puts it.

Song goes back to Design details, such as extra buttons or elastic waistbands on skirts to accommodate bloated days, pockets on dresses for storing essentials, and dual zips on blouses for convenient nursing access. "It's not just about looking good in mirror selfies. Our offerings are crafted to complement the multifaceted aspects of women’s lives. Whether they’re navigating the workday, rounding up the kids after work or having a girls’ night out," Song emphasises.

Additionally, Love, Bonito’s online platform and physical stores are undergoing a design revamp, merging contemporary flair with nods to the brand’s Asian roots. The goal is to create spaces that are both modern and culturally rich in look and feel. Song says this holistic approach ensures that every touchpoint with the brand reinforces its refreshed identity.

Interestingly, the rebranding also includes a streamlined collection strategy, with products organised into three key lines: Signature, Staple, and Capsule collection. This new structure has reduced the production of new styles by 60%, which further helps the brand leverage economies of scale and optimise operations and inventory management.

"This approach enables us to invest more in the design thinking and fabrication of each garment," says Song. They also tap into customer data and insights from artificial intelligence algorithms to get a better understanding of women's preferences, and they deliver on the desirable trends and styles.

The rebranding campaign also features a diverse lineup of prominent Asian women, including Hollywood actress Arden Cho, award-winning Malaysian musician Yuna, and writer and sexual assault survivor Chanel Miller, alongside mother-daughter duo Gym Tan and Mya Miller. "We were drawn to them for their powerful stories, unique personal styles, and ability to challenge Asian women stereotypes in their respective fields," Song shares.

Data-driven omnichannel bets

At a time when the retail apocalypse looms large, costs spiral out of control, and e-commerce dominates the discourse, Love, Bonito defies the norm by investing in brick-and-mortar stores.
Hong Kong serves as a testament to its aggressive growth, boasting four retail outlets—stores or pop-ups. The brand is bullish on retail expansion efforts in Indonesia, Malaysia and its upcoming debut in Manila.

“We are a digitally native brand that went offline. I realise why you find this peculiar, but it’s not. We started with offline, and at a time when others were collecting receipts, we were collecting customer data. But now we realise that in the space we are in, womenswear, we need physical outlets. Textile and fabric are something that people love to touch, feel and try before buying, so it’s integral to have an omnichannel growth plan.”

Song continues to share that brick-and-mortar isn’t just about square footage; it’s their way of acquiring new customers. By maintaining a robust online and social media presence, the brand bridges the gap for those unable to visit stores. Live streaming, in particular, allows customers to see how garments drape and fit on real women.

Data plays a crucial role in Love, Bonito's strategy. Behind the scenes, their data team tracks over 100 product attributes per SKU, informing design processes and enabling predictive analysis and demand forecasting. This is the time of synergy between design and data science that elevates efficiency and reduces wastage. Personalisation based on shopping habits further refines customer recommendations.

Resting on laurels isn’t part of the culture. Beyond metrics, Song emphasises the relentless pursuit of innovation. From e-commerce websites to marketplaces and live selling on social media, the brand strives for a seamless shopping experience. It leverages AI and machine learning for trend forecasting, a bespoke shopping experience, and a well-rounded omnichannel strategy to keep ahead of the curve and ensure every stitch aligns with the vision.