By Brandon Nguyen
The chance to make a difference. The strength to compete against the biggest conglomerates and shatter the status quo. A hungry ambition that drives her to reach for the top. A willingness to get through the rough and tumble.
All of this describes former Baron and Garden Grove High School senior Michelle Lam, the founder and CEO of Infinite Euphoria, a handmade, sustainable, slow fashion brand.
It all started her freshman year of high school. Like many teenagers her age, high school was a time in life where Lam was defining who she was. She needed a way to express herself and it came through fashion.
“I started with fashion because of the way it can describe somebody. You can do so much with one tank top, one shirt, one pants to nonverbally present who you are,” Lam said.
Lam researched what impact her clothes had because of her love for the environment. What she found left her aghast. She had discovered fast fashion, unethical human rights practices, cheap synthetic fibers and incredible waste thrown into the environment, all for huge profit margins.
“I just want people to be conscious of it and there’s been a lot of environmental issues surfacing,” Lam said.
Undeterred, she started Infinite Euphoria in order to align her passion for fashion with her morals. As of now, the brand mainly tailors to women and offers an assortment of tops, tank tops and crewnecks that range from $25 to $40.
Her clothes have been worn by model and actress Sydney Schwartz, actress Eden McCoy, influencer Sofia Li and most notably TikTok star Katie Sigmond, who has over six million TikTok followers.
The brand often pairs with other brands such as Far Out Florals to diversify patterns and styles. As of now, Infinite Euphoria has nearly 9,000 followers on Instagram and ships worldwide.
This success hasn’t always come easy. Lam often found herself stressing to meet deadlines and struggling to keep focused. Spending hours to hand make different patterns just to be dissatisfied and start anew continuously has at times made her question her efforts.
“It takes a lot of willpower. I have a job too, so it’s definitely harder to manage, but you just have to make sure you find the right time to not stress yourself out” Lam said. “I’ve just been having a burnout feeling and I’m trying to push through and stay calm.”
Satisfaction and validation from customers has energized her to keep going. Lam personally ships every order and gets energized seeing where people from all over the world are purchasing. In fact, Infinite Euphoria has been shipped to all seven continents.
“Seeing that people actually enjoy it and are willing to spend a little extra for an eco-friendly option makes me feel happy,” Lam said. “I have an option for people to give out tips and notes and it’s really nice when they give positive feedback.”
However, the feedback isn’t always positive. Lam has had many customers questioning why the prices are higher than regular tank tops. Her sustainable, slow fashion approach means one tank top is more labor intensive and that it’s harder to source ethically produced materials.
“I think that a lot of people are used to seeing a tank top for five dollars. The reality is I know all the effort and materials that goes into a sustainable sourced shirt,” Lam said. “But people still criticize me for the prices and I stand firm because I know my employees are treated ethically and fairly compared to little kids in India, Indonesia and China.”
The motto Lam lives by is “Do good things and good things will follow.” She looks up to the late Paul Walker and is planning to major in business for college.
Her interests also stem outside of fashion. She’s interested in economics and hopes to one day achieve financial freedom while making the positive impact she wants to see on the environment.
Lam plans to become an entrepreneur and recognizes that money is the force that makes the world go around. While Lam loves the environment and speaks out against unethical practices, she has no problem being steely tough. She recognizes that partnerships in business can’t be friendships and harsh realities at the top of the business arena.
Lam says the key to her success is discipline. She picks and chooses the lessons she believes will help her succeed from her array of financial guidance books.
“[The] number one thing in business is don’t let your feelings get in the way,” Lam said. “I’m slowly integrating these lessons in my life, not to care what other people think and to not take things personally, but I still do get my feelings hurt sometimes even when I probably shouldn’t.”
It’s a gradual climb and story of persistence of reaping your sow. It’s a lesson in being attentive to what goes on around you. It’s the chance to make a difference. But above all, it’s the story of Michelle Lam.
