The Color Perfect

Wang Juanjuan helps her customer identify the right colors. Gao Erqiang / China Daily

Young mother makes hay with tips aimed to keep customers pretty, confident

If all clothes had the same color and shade, Wang Juanjuan would have joined the ranks of several others trying to make it big in an overcrowded and highly competitive job market. But clothes, just like people, come in a wide variety and the fast changing trends often make it difficult for individuals to get the perfect style that matches their desires and personality.

That in turn, has opened up fresh vistas for Wang and several others, as more and more new jobs appear on the horizon to cater to the discerning tastes of customers.

Wang is a color matcher by profession, a relatively unknown position in the job market till now. Her job involves identifying the right colors for the entire wardrobe apart from providing tips on the right makeup, hairstyle and accessories.

Niche jobs like color matchers have shown a strong growth in recent times, thanks to the growing purchasing power and the desire to make a striking impact in society with the right fashion.

In lighter vein, Wang says that she has a job that every woman would envy and not mind doing.

A typical day in Wang's life begins with doing her hair and make-up in the office. She then takes time to browse through the latest fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle and Esquire in office, before heading out to the nearby shopping malls to check out the latest fashion trends. The young mother not only gets a handsome pay packet for doing all this at her convenience, but can also indulge in her passion to dress up like a princess.

But it was always not a bed of roses, she says.

"Color matching was a relatively unknown profession when I entered the industry seven years ago. It was not in the list of professions approved by the government," says Wang, a senior manager in the personal image management department of Ximan Color.

Likening her job to "color magic", Wang says her tips are aimed to make customers pretty and confident.

But the color matching service is also an expensive affair. The one-time basic image service, which includes diagnosis of best colors, recommendations on clothes and makeup, and the services of a one-time shopping companion, can cost upwards of 3,800 yuan (409 euros).

Customers who opt for top-end services, priced at around 20,000 yuan, are entitled to VIP services like shopping and organizing an entire wardrobe at any given point of time during the contract period, she says.

With most of the services aimed at high-income individuals, it is also not an easy task to convince them about the services, says Wang. "On several occasions I had to reject well-known brands purchased or worn by the customers as it did not match their profile," she says.

"I haven't taken the label off this blouse, or I bought this coat for over 10,000 yuan and have worn it only once," are some of the complaints that Wang has to often contend with.

"Patient counseling has helped me build up client loyalty and most of them stick by my judgment these days," she says.

Part of the counseling process often involves trying out the various dresses and accessories on customers before arriving at the right match. Wang uses a color cloth to make her choice and ensures that it suits the customer. Sometimes she also dresses her customer to reinforce her point.

Rightly so, for a peep into her studio is like traversing through a field of colors, while her wardrobe resembles that of Paris Hilton's. Hundreds of dresses in a variety of colors dot the walls amid racks of jewelry, with mirrors everywhere.

Wang also offers tips on the right accessories and jewelry to match the wardrobe. In addition, she provides information on the correct eye shadow, blushers and even the right nail colors.

"Most of the customers are satisfied with the color choices when they leave my studio," Wang says.

Striking a confident pose, Wang looks elegant and energetic in her black dress, pink heels and spirals, well complemented by the black hair. She explains that black works best for her.

"From my daily pictures, you can see I'm just an ordinary-looking young mother, but you can see the magic that colors can do for me."

To be a color consultant for picky customers, Wang and her colleagues have to look gorgeous every day, which also means heavy expenditure on beautiful clothes.

"When I started off, I had to spend more than what I earned to buy clothes and accessories to look good," Wang says, recalling the early stages of her career.

"Gradually I learnt how to spend less on clothes, and to select brands that do not get outdated for at least three to five years."

In the past five years, her customer base has nearly doubled to 800 and encompasses a wide spectrum of the society.

"Many companies also invite us for color matching lectures, as part of the facilities they provide to employees," says Wang.

"Most of them are Fortune 500 companies. Surprisingly, even government departments like the Bureau of Civil Affairs have started inviting us for similar sessions," she says.

During the first two weeks of March, Wang and her colleagues do not accept any personal appointments and devote their entire efforts on corporate clients. Most of the lectures last for two hours and each session costs around 8,000 yuan.

"Spring and autumn are our busiest seasons as women can finally shed the heavy garments and show off their beauty," Wang says.