" Fast fashion is highly exploitative, and I was on a mission to find any alternative possible. " - Olivia Fisico
Olivia Fisico is a fashion design student that has created a local e-commerce fashion brand in the midst of a pandemic. This interview gives insight into what her company is, the challenges of starting a small business and how she adapts through marketing herself to her consumers.
Taylor: Thank you for interviewing with me today Olivia. Could you start off by telling me a bit about your brand?
Olivia: “My company is called Calabrian Kiss, and I am an apparel brand based out of Oakville, Ontario. I aim to be the most socially responsible brand possible. This means I place a massive importance on sustainability, ethical creation of garments, being inclusive of diverse body types, modesty levels, and ensuring that my brand represents educated and equitable political views. All of the clothing that I create is original, and I design all of my garments from the ground up. I hand pick my fabrics from Canadian suppliers and try to purchase materials made domestically whenever possible.”
What would you say was the inspiration behind starting this brand?
Olivia: “During the pandemic, I realized how much fast fashion was negatively impacting our world. I became hyper focused on where the products I was consuming came from and started learning about the downfalls of the fashion supply chain. Fast fashion is highly exploitative, and I was on a mission to find any alternative possible. People around
me were suddenly forced to be more conscious about what they consumed as there was less opportunity to consume mindlessly. Many of my friends and family members needed custom masks to ensure they were safe, comfortable, and stylish during this unprecedented time. I tried to fill the gap in the market for this newly required product and realized that there was a massive demand for made-to-order Canadian clothing. I had always been passionate about sustainability, inclusivity, fashion, and social issues, and found that creating a custom clothing brand would allow me to combine my interests seamlessly. With mask production slowing down, my current mission is to empower women of diverse walks of life through my original garments and accessories.”
What does a typical day look like for yourself and your brand “Calabrian Kiss”?
Olivia: “My days vary greatly, but I typically wake up around 7:30 AM and check my email and my social media to make sure I'm up to date on important messages from clients and fashion trends. I'm currently in the George Brown Fashion program so I may attend several fashion-based classes in a day in order to hone my skills. By the afternoon, I'll head down to my office and either sketch out technical drawings for a client or begin/continue sewing a garment for an order. I typically spend from 5 to 12 hours a day at my machine depending on how busy I am with orders. I spend a lot of time each day curating posts for my social media platforms. For example, I film most of my work to share on Tiktok to engage potential clients. I also work another job (tutoring) in the evenings in order to ensure that I have enough funds to keep my business operating at the level I want it to. I visit local fabric stores twice a week, usually Wednesday and Friday to restock on notions (thread, buttons, etc) and get materials for custom orders.”
It seems as if your brand has really evolved quickly during this short time you have been in business! What has been some challenges during this process of starting a new brand in such a financially difficult time for customers?
Olivia: “The biggest challenge that I faced in the beginning of my journey was sourcing materials in a quick and timely fashion during the height of the pandemic. This has become less of an issue recently, and now I struggle to find a work/life balance when our lifestyles are increasingly socially confined. I find myself in my workspace for hours on end without any reason to leave for a break, which is not the ideal situation to produce my best possible mental health.”
Since your brand is an e-commerce brand, I assume that you have had to do lots of digital marketing in order to get brand recognition and develop a following for customers to find you online. How has that process been?
Olivia: “During the pandemic, it was difficult to make new connections due to social restrictions. I have tried my best to think outside of the box with giveaways on social media, and different promotions to drive traffic. I did a scrunchie promotion where I gave each customer a free scrunchie with their orders for the month of November, and that was particularly well received. I've also really delved into my previous social connections in order to expand my brand, reaching out to those that I knew would be interested in my work within my close or distant social networks. It is important to rely on friends, family members and coworkers to initially grow your brand, and that has been my focus as my business is very new.”
Who would be your target market audience that you are designing for?
Olivia: “My target market is female-identifying individuals between the ages of 18 and 40. I've had older clients as well, but I tend to make clothing that appeals to younger women. My designs are meant to appeal to women from all socioeconomic backgrounds, and I work within a lower budget to allow my work to be inclusive. I direct my work at socially conscious individuals with a passion for sustainable and ethical clothing.”
Through targeting your specific audience, which social media platform do you believe is most beneficial to your brand and why?
Olivia: “The platform that I use primarily is Instagram. I find that it's wonderful for marketing as it allows me to present my designs in an alluring and attractive way, as well as it helps to engage with others that might find my work visually interesting. I get the most engagement through this platform as it directly engages my target market (women between 18-40) quickly and effectively. I also use Tik Tok as a means to share clips of my creative process and to hopefully entice a different group of customers. It seems to appeal more to people with previous creative experience or interests, and it has been much more difficult to gain a following for me there. I sell my work through Etsy, which has helped me draw international traffic and display my work in a simple and consumable way for clients.”
As you are a fairly new brand, have you thought about doing paid ads or paid promotions for your brand? Or do you prefer to keep everything organic?
Olivia: “I have absolutely thought about paying for ads, as I am often around creatives who have said this has yielded very positive results for their businesses. The reason I haven't explored this avenue yet is that I am particularly busy with balancing school and my other job. The order volume I am getting is perfect for me at present, however, when my schedule becomes more open, I will consider this idea so my business can reach more potential clients. Although I prefer to keep things organic, I believe the clothing market is highly saturated, and small businesses often need paid ads to propel them into the mainstream eye.”
As I understand, currently you are the sole owner and employee for the brand from designing the clothing, to doing social media content and customer service. Are you looking to expand eventually and bring on more team members or do you think you will always be independent and be the sole worker for your brand?
Olivia: “My brand is very much an aesthetic representation of myself, and I plan to remain the sole proprietor for that reason. I have trouble letting go of the creative freedom of my work as it is quite a personal process. Having said that, I have hired contractors for small jobs like creating my logo or obtaining sustainability advice for my business. I am very much open to expanding the marketing side of my work to someone with more experience in that field, but I am not planning to add additional designers or seamstresses unless my business expands rapidly. It's incredibly difficult to find someone that matches my design goals and creative process as all artists are unique.”
Calabrian Kiss is currently accepting orders via Instagram and Tik Tok as well as her Etsy shop.
@Calabriankiss https://www.instagram.com/calabriankiss/
@Calabriankiss https://www.tiktok.com/@calabriankiss
@Calabriankiss https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/calabriankiss
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