EAGG meets LuLu Chen, Founder of The T!NY iSSUE

image by Kelly Lee

LuLu Chen's brand motto is “Together, we can make GOOD even BETTER!” In an era of selfies, self-obsession with an emphasis on 'I', we wanted to hear about how LuLu is changing that perspective, one issue at a time.

LuLu is a story-conscious creative who only recently stepped into the role of entrepreneur. With her roots in Taiwan shaping her personality, her desire to explore the world led her into the advertising industry in Tokyo. During the pandemic she enjoyed cycling through an array of jobs in the creative industries She moved to London in 2023 to start a new journey, with the seemingly crazy idea of launching an physical, print magazine for “GOOD”. THE T!NY iSSUE was thus born for one simple reason: to highlight genuinely good things, not for commercial purposes. THE T!NY iSSUE prints all magazines using sustainable practices, and hosts offline events for people to find their tribes in this overly busy and distant world wherever they may find themselves. Read on to hear how LuLu feels that, “Together, we can make GOOD even BETTER!”

Your THE T!NY iSSUE brand motto is, “Together, we can make GOOD even BETTER!” Tell us what this means to you.

There’s a metaphor my mom used to tell me when I was little that I value to this day: when you have one chopstick (what a perfectly Asian example) in hand, it’s pretty easy to bend and break; however, if you have a bunch of them altogether, it would be far from easy to tear them down. As individuals, even if we try our best to do something good, it wouldn’t make much of a difference. But if we bring people together, we can change the narrative. I hope THE T!NY iSSUE can be a starting point for establishing a GOOD community and making a greater impact as a whole.

As an East Asian, a female founder who has lived in Taiwan, Tokyo, London, and now on to the next chapter how do you feel this varied background has played out in your work?

I sometimes joke about me being home-fluid. Having experience living in multiple foreign countries helps me grow a broader vision and a more open mind. To me, especially in a digital era, if my goal is clear, it really doesn’t matter where I live. All it takes is hard work and the determination to keep doing it. Gratefully, the kindness I have received so far, both work-wise and in private, has far exceeded the hardships of adapting and homesickness.

And how has that played out in your personal, family lives? For many of us, living double (or triple, etc.) diasporic lives, big life choices can have a big impact on relationships.

In recent years, I've started to reflect more and wonder about whether I’m too selfish to chase my dream out here as the only child, while my parents are far away in Taiwan. I still haven’t figured out the best answer yet, if I’m honest. I believe whoever has been through immigration understands this paradox: juggling the struggles of the new environment with worries about enjoying it too much whilst leaving family or friends behind. All I can do right now is text and video chat with them more, but I do hope that one day I can find a place to finally settle and find a solution to look after them, too.

Tell us more about THE T!NY iSSUE and the sustainability focus of your brand.

THE T!NY iSSUE is a platform that highlights small yet important stories and figures often forgotten by the mass media. Starting from a print magazine, we also host offline events to keep growing our community. To build it into a genuinely good brand, I pay attention to detail, starting with our printing practices; we use only recycled or eco-friendly paper for our paper products. Moreover, we really want to get the GOOD cycle rolling, so we donate from our magazine revenue to support different groups in need and host charitable community events as well. We're committed to transparency and have already shared our impact report at the end of 2025, marking our very first full-year milestone.

Where do you see THE T!NY iSSUE growing and going in the next few years?

The magazine is just a touch point that can bring people’s attention to us and encourage them to join this lovely family. We cherish all opportunities to bring them, with the stories inside, wherever we can, so we are working hard to expand our stockist network. Yet, my next goal is to find a physical location to create a community space that we can utilise as a community kitchen or cafe, providing affordable meals, hosting charity events, generating more income through venue hires, and selling products with stories from all over the world. I dream of crafting this inclusive space for all; it might be tiny, but it will definitely have a massive positive influence.

Finally, East Asian Girl Gang is all about celebrating a shared cultural and ethnic heritage. What does it mean to you and why did you join?

EAGG is a support group for me as a foreign female in London. I gained so much support and encouragement from sisters in the group. In addition, I’ve met so many amazing human beings here, and some of them have even led to collaborations, such as with Tina from HumaniTea, who was featured in our recent iSSUE003. Even now that I have left London and the UK, I still get to reconnect with everyone, and just knowing that I have people to visit and a place for me there gives me a sense of home, away from home.

To learn more about THE T!NY iSSUE, or contact LuLu:

Website and e-shop(where you can order directly from us): thetinyissue.com

IG: @thetinyissue

Current Stockists:・Paris - ofr. Paris・Lisbon - Under The Cover・Taipei - Boven・And more to come!