Brief interview with our CEO: Nancy Cho

We are thrilled to present a brief interview with our CEO, Nancy Cho, who co-founded WaveWear Company with our CTO, Sangchul Lee. In this exclusive interview, Nancy sheds light on what WaveWear does and where our company is headed in the future. We can't wait to share her insights with our valued LinkedIn followers!

• Please Introduce WaveWear to the LinkedIn community.

“In large categories, our brand belongs to the sports medical industry. The concept is a brand that provides a healthy and safe lifestyle to people that love to work out and exercise. In our apparel and sleeves is applied adhesive bio-silicone that provides performance improvement and faster recovery. By properly wearing WaveWear, you can reduce lactic acid accumulation that causes muscle fatigue, prevent injuries, and improve performance. We are trying to embody the image of a "New wave of technology and design.”?

• What drove you to the sports medical category? And why the apparel?

“After graduating from college, I started the business of importing and distributing sporting goods in 2010. I majored in bioenvironmental technology and I am a die-hard fan of Liverpool FC. I am a big fan of the English Premier League and have watched a lot of games and related content. I found out many players use kinesiology tape for recovery. So, I can say I got interested both as a fan and as a business person.”?

What started as a hobby for her eventually turned into a business. At that time, there weren't many Korean-made products available, so she began importing them, primarily focusing on kinesiology tapes. To her surprise, the demand for these products was much higher than expected. However, since the imported goods didn't come with Korean instructions, there were numerous inquiries that needed to be addressed.

Nancy said, “I really felt that good customer service is important.” To address the inquiries, Nancy created a detailed brochure with instructions that were included in the product package. The combination of a quality product, reasonable pricing, and clear instructions proved to be a winning formula, attracting more customers to the business. As a result, the company grew beyond importing and B2C sales, expanding into B2B sales and manufacturing.

• Do you still maintain the importing business??

“Yes. We pour our revenue from importing into the R&D. This generates stable revenue. That is why we are able to develop products.”?

• Could you share some insights into the R&D process and the challenges that you faced along the way?

“ Well, the cost of production and R&D was the challenge. We really wanted a finished product with excellent quality. We ended up spending 6 years on R&D. It was difficult to hire and maintain the researchers in the beginning. It’s been stable now. The average years of service is over four years now.”?

Wave Company introduced the WaveWear product line with the launch of sleeves in 2018. It collaborated with Eider to release new products for the 2021 spring/summer season through a successful crowdfunding campaign on Wadiz. Building on this momentum, WaveWear developed new products in 2022, including the recently launched Bibshorts and an upcoming ankle supporter sleeve.

WaveWear is a range of high-quality taping apparel that is both durable and convenient. Combining the benefits of kinesiology tape and compression wear, its innovative design was inspired by the fact that traditional taping methods can be difficult and non-reusable.

• Can you provide more information on how durable WaveWear is despite its reusability feature?

?“We get questions about durability very often. Simply the silicone will not come off the fabric because the silicone is interlocked with the fabric fiber. We have done the washing test. The fabric would be damaged before the silicone comes off. We are confident about durability.”?

• What is the next step for Wave Company?

“We are transitioning to the small batch production method, intending to expand our product line. Additionally, we are currently developing new designs for some products. Our latest newest, the bibshorts, has already hit the market, and we have another product launch announcement on the horizon. Our aim is to enhance brand recognition, particularly beyond Korea. Consequently, we are actively seeking distributors, with a particular focus on the US market. So, if someone is interested in distributing our products, please don't hesitate to contact us. We would be thrilled to hear from you. ”?