Meet Deravanh Teso Campbell | Founder & CEO, Kurated Style

We had the good fortune of connecting with Deravanh Teso Campbell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dera, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Starting my own business was 20 years in the making! In my heart, I always wanted to have my own store selling crafts from Southeast Asia (specifically Laos and Thailand, given my heritage), but the timing was never right. In my head, I knew I had to take a more practical career path after college and grad school. So I worked briefly in investment banking (I didn’t enjoy it at all), then in digital media at large publishers and ad tech start ups to pay off student loans, move up the “corporate ladder” and be financially independent. I learned so many skills in the corporate world, especially as you become an executive, each day is about solving problems, managing and mentoring people, and supporting the larger business whether it’s more growth or preparing for an exit strategy. But the turning point was when my previous employer offered me the opportunity to move to Bangkok to run their Thai subsidiary in order to expand and build local leadership. My husband and three children were very excited for this experience, but we knew it was for limited timeframe.

The three years we spent working and traveling in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia and around the region changed my perspective on what I wanted to do moving forward. While I accomplished the goals of growing the local Thai team and setting them up for success (including an acquisition), this sense of “now what?” only accelerated my desire to leave corporate life and pursue my passions for home decor, interior styling and design. As soon as my last job ended, I formed Kurated Style in Dec 2020 while still living in Bangkok, established Thai and Lao partners, took courses on branding, e-commerce, boosted social media, and built a website at www.kuratedstyle.com. It was finally the right timing to start my own business and continue to grow it for US customers as we moved back to California. I am more experienced and prepared to deal with the risks, instability and rewards of being my own boss, and have never felt more in control and free to express my creativity.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I think what sets us apart from other brands is that we have a cultural connection to what we sell, and only produce handmade quality goods from SE Asia. As a Lao American, I want Kurated Style’s products to remind people of where their parents came from, or where they grew up (many of us also lived in the Isan region in Northeast Thailand). I was born in Vientiane, Laos and came to the US as a refugee when I was 7 years old. As Americanized as I am, I still speak Lao and have an affinity for my culture. Many Lao Americans born in the US also desire to connect with our heritage, and I hope our products serve that purpose.

Getting to this point was not easy, as the competition for home goods favors large retailers, seasonality and big warehouses. I’ve always preferred handcrafted products, and owning pieces that tell a story. We definitely see a market for niche home and lifestyle products, even if we can’t easily mass produce, compete with big box stores or Amazon. Our limited collections are truly unique and we will remain intentionally small for the time being. When you buy our products, you will be supporting female artisans and small business owners across Thailand and Laos. We source directly from the makers and have the opportunity to preserve traditional craft skills. We are delighted by the enthusiastic feedback from our customers because our custom designs and curated goods are inspired by the beautiful arts and cultures of Southeast Asia.

The biggest challenge with handmade goods is the time to market. Unlike products made in a factory, goods made by hand depends on the availability of natural resources, the weather and time. It can take many months to produce large orders or back stock, but we can resolve inventory issues by working with different groups of artisans, so there is a constant flow of new collections. As we work across multiple time zones and languages, there is the risk of misunderstandings with design specs and production timelines. But patience, transparent communication, and anticipating problems are part of any start up business.

I’m very proud that I get to work with talented people, have some impact on modernizing designs, distribution and support female entrepreneurs. We hope our customers appreciate the back story of these crafts, reminds them of places they’ve lived, and inspires them to travel.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Walnut Creek, California, about 35 miles east of San Francisco. Driving into the city takes about 30-45 minutes, and we love the city and bay views on a clear day, whether you’re crossing the Oakland Bay Bridge or Golden Gate Bridge.

Our quaint downtown is full of great restaurants, cafes, shopping, and farmers’ market every Sunday. I love the tapas at Teleferic Barcelona, brunch at the perennially hip Main Street Kitchen, and pretty cocktails and appetizers at Torsap Thai Kitchen and Lita. My kids can’t get enough of Slice House pizza and boba teas from Pink Pink Tea Shoppe and Mr Green Bubble. And don’t forget to try the matcha or ube mochi muffins at Third Culture Bakery. I could go on, but for shopping the two-story Anthropologie store, Free People, Madewell, Aritzia, etc means we don’t have to go far to find fun clothing brands. Walk along Main Street and Locust Street to shop small businesses too, which makes the diversity of our suburb that much more interesting!

SF is full of world famous sights, hikes, restaurants and Insta worthy architecture. Besides the colorful Victorian and Edwardian homes of the Painted Ladies, there are gorgeous old homes covered in ivy, plum blossoms and wisteria in different neighborhoods such as Pacific Heights, Sea Cliff, Noe Valley and so on. When I’m in the city, I make a point to get ramen in Japantown, and donuts at Mochill Mochidonuts. If you can get reservations, try dim sum at Palette Tea House, afternoon tea at Son & Garden, and brunch at the San Francisco Proper Hotel. If you want a cool, laid back vibe with food trucks and fire pits, try Spark Social SF. Take those iconic pictures of GG Bridge from Baker Beach, Crissy Field, Fort Baker and endless hikes along the coastal cliffs.

We are so lucky to have a bustling downtown, but it would be even better if we had a Lao restaurant or more handmade home decor shops that showcase Southeast Asia. The latter is what I hope to open in the future as we expand.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people who have helped guide and supported me throughout this journey. First, I would not be here today without the encouragement of my husband, Andrew, who insisted that I not look for another corporate job and take a year or more to start my own business. My kids also benefit from having me be part of their daily routines as I have more flexibility to do my job from anywhere, at anytime.

From a partnership perspective, there would be no Kurated Style without the collaboration of our amazing Thai and Lao vendors such as Thorr, Paya, Roy Rak, Baan Straw, Tai Baan Crafts, and a few others. I love handmade decor, and my goal is to help elevate beautiful handcrafted products from brands you’ve never heard of in the US, but are well loved and serve a larger purpose in Thailand and Laos. I’m lucky to have found vendors that allow me to produce exclusive collections, co-design, provide feedback on production, quality control and co-marketing. These predominantly women run small businesses train and work directly with female artisans in low income communities to maintain craft skills, such as hand dying, weaving textiles, baskets and bags from natural materials. There is no factory, all the products are made by hand in various villages all over Thailand and Laos. The artisans can support their families while sustaining what is considered to be a ‘dying art’. Our story is told through the inspired SE Asian designs and curation of arts and crafts from these talented artists. We hope we can inspire younger generations to appreciate handcrafted, slow fashion that reminds them of their travels and cultures.

Website: www.kuratedstyle.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kurated_style

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kurated-Style-104814208157874

Image Credits
Artisan photo credit: Thorr The rest are mine