Weiwen (Vivienne) Jin

“Car crash changed me entirely from PR assistant to design reshaping global fashion”

Hometown: Shanghai, China

Fun Fact About Yourself: I first learned management in university and then shifted to fashion design out of passion. Now I went back to management because I want to make a difference. I believe that Chinese designers and brands deserve more attention in the world arena, while in many cases, Chinese brands need to learn the techniques and skills to target foreign customers and send proper branding messages.

Undergraduate School and Major: Tongji University, Publish Administration, Shanghai

Parsons School of Design, Fashion Design, New York

Most Recent Employer and Job Title:

Head of Design

What makes Manchester such a great place to earn an MBA degree?

From my MBA student’s perspective, transportation is very convenient. The city’s compact nature enables people to walk or cycle almost anywhere. Most MBA students I know live within the walking distance of both the university and city center, saving time and money. Buses are also around the corner for easy commuting.

Mancunians are famously friendly – there’s a reason Manchester is often called the “friendliest city in the UK.” As an international student, I found people genuinely interested in helping and making you feel at home. Fantastic networking organizations in the city help MBA students and young professionals build networks easily while enjoying life.

Most importantly, Manchester’s economy ranks as the UK’s fastest-growing city, outside London. As a major tech city, financial center, and media capital (home to BBC and ITV), it offers abundant opportunities while maintaining living costs that are 40% lower than London. The vibrant startup ecosystem and regular industrial networking events make Manchester an exciting place for career development. Its economic momentum shows no signs of slowing, making it an ideal city for MBA students.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Alliance Manchester’s MBA curriculum and programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? 

The university’s prestigious reputation and extensive global alumni networks appeal to me. The MBA program’s comprehensive curriculum offers deep insights into how corporate functions integrate to drive organizational success. The diverse cohort from various industries and cultures creates a rich learning environment where different perspectives generate innovative business solutions. Learning from the cohort is as important as from lecturers. Through collaborative learning and networking, I would be able to build valuable relationships that can evolve into future partnerships and career opportunities.

The global alumni network spanning continents and industries provides essential resources for career development and market intelligence, enabling continuous professional growth and business ventures. For example, the alumni of UoM have been very active even in my hometown since there’s a campus there and it’s been working with one of the top business schools in China. I’d have the opportunity to study in top Chinese business school and network with the cohort there. It’s all very exciting.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most at Alliance Manchester? 

I really enjoyed Startup Weekend in November 2024 organized by Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC) which supports student entrepreneurs and freelancers works as an entrepreneur incubator at Alliance Manchester Business School. We formed groups and worked on different projects and pitch to win funds. My journey from developing a fashion startup idea to winning the competition during Startup Weekend was greatly enhanced by the supportive system that MEC has created for student entrepreneurs at the University of Manchester. We were given lectures and practical hands-on tips on how to do a business plan and pitch to a large audience. It was a great opportunity to learn.

Beyond just the Startup Weekend, MEC offers a comprehensive range of support through various workshops throughout the year. These include practical sessions like “AI as Your Marketing Partner” and “Intro to Starting a Business,” as well as specialized workshops on personal branding and neurodivergence in entrepreneurship.

What’s particularly valuable is that MEC provides one-on-one appointments with tutors who can guide students through their entrepreneurial journey, whether they’re interested in launching a startup or pursuing freelancing opportunities.

Alliance Manchester is known for its hands-on consultancy projects. Tell us a little bit about a project you worked on? What did you learn that will make you a better professional?

I’ve worked on the RNCM consulting project helping one of the top conservatoires sustain their ranking and fund from the government. This is such great learning experience teaching me invaluable professional skills, particularly in stakeholder management and strategic communication. As the main point of contact with the client, I coordinated and conducted interviews with many diverse stakeholders, including students, staff, and external experts from the University of Chicago. This experience enhanced my ability to ask insightful questions, actively listen, and synthesize complex information from multiple perspectives. I also got confidence in being the person to break the ice when meeting a client for the first time. For me, it’s definitely an effective way to help me step out of my comfort zone.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:

My most significant achievement so far was bringing an in-house brand, Fawnfit, from China to California. It all started when I joined Kiwi as the chief design director in 2022. Like Joyberry, Kiwidrop was also a cross-border Chinese platform that targets West Coast users in the US. Contrary to satisfying the mainstream demands for slimmer and tight outfits, Fawnfit was a brand that emphasized being oneself, i.e. clothing should fit customers, not the other way around. Regardless of the figure, body measures, and ethnicity, Fawnfit advocated for a natural and confident expression of oneself. Thus, we provided apparel for all sizes of girls. The process was not straightforward, but through trial and error, it took us one month to fix the measurements due to the different body features of the Chinese and Americans.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in Alliance Manchester’s MBA program so far:

The MBA program transformed my presentation style from design-focused to strategic business-oriented. I now structure presentations with clear frameworks: business analysis, problem identification, and data-driven solutions. My PowerPoint slides evolved from design-heavy visuals to consulting-style formats using strategic frameworks, and data visualization. When presenting fashion concepts, I connect them to business metrics, market size, customer segments, and revenue projections making my ideas compelling to stakeholders from all backgrounds.