Joyce Lau

Joyce Lau never dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur. She came from a traditional family of professionals, and trained and was licensed as an architect in Britain for many years before she began looking into the benefits of BambooSilk, a thermo-regulating, anti-bacterial, chemical-free and eco-friendly fabric that, used as bedding, would be gentle on her young daughter’s eczema prone skin. When she launched her company, NakedLab, it resounded with so many families that Lau eventually left her job to focus on her business full-time.

Her years as an architect paid off, somewhat. “I guess I’ve always been interested in building things from scratch,” she jokes. From children and adult bedding to, most recently, a loungewear line, Lau’s vision for NakedLab seems only to grow with time.

Three leading hotels – the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong and the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong – already believe in her mission and stock her products for discerning guests and travellers. “Cotton bed-linen waste has been a pain point in the hotel industry,” Lau says. “I’d like to help more hotel groups with linen waste and upgrade the hotel stay experience.”

Lau’s most recent endeavours include launching NakedLab in two new markets: the UAE and Europe. Within five years, she hopes her business will become a leader in the industry and continue making a positive impact on the world. Becoming a household name would be a dream.

“Nakedlab isn’t a million-dollar business idea, but it’s my genuine love of a beautiful product that really made an impact on my family in terms of sleep health and skin health,” Lau says. “I just wanted to share it with the world.”

A sustainable business also relies on a sustainable daily routine and, for Lau, a mother of two with a growing business, this means working harder and smarter. Her days begin and end with strategic work planning, and time spent in the office is what she calls “high-intensity focused work”. But family and food are what keep her sane: her husband is still her biggest inspiration – and wining and dining her love language.