Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chyloe Leon Guerrero. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Chyloe, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Kūmana Activewear is the product of a semester-long project from an Entrepreneurial Finance class I took while pursuing my MBA. After graduation, I knew I wanted to bring my school project to life, but I made all the excuses in the book: too tired, not enough time, not enough money, I wasnʻt ready, you name it. While I was slowly making progress in making the company a reality over the span of two years, it wasnʻt until I lost my job at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that I was forced to make that leap. I knew that if I didnʻt take that leap at that point, I would never do it, and I would die regretting not taking that chance. Because I was laid off, I was given a sizable severance check from my previous employer, so I put that entire check towards starting Kūmana Activewear. To this day, I am still gutted that I lost that job, but the pandemic truly was a blessing in disguise for me. Who knows when I would have started my business if it wasnʻt for that. I am so proud of what I have created, and cannot wait to bring more of my ideas to life!
Kūmana Activewear is a combination of the many facets that define me: fashion, business, ethics, environmentalism, and Hawaiian language and culture. Not to toot my own horn, but I am the only person I know that is as well-versed as I am in all of those topics – and I continue to expand my knowledge!
Chyloe, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am Native Hawaiian, born and raised in Hawaiʻi with a passion for my culture, the environment, fashion, and business. From a young age, I was interested in fashion – I remember feeling embarrassed by what my grandpa wore when he would pick me up from preschool! By the time I was in middle school, I was sewing my own outfits to wear to school, and was telling my classmates that they could count on me having my own store. Some of them never believed me, of course! In high school, I was voted Miss Fashionista of my Senior Class, and went on to earn a Bachelors Degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising. Owning my own apparel brand was always my destiny.
What sets me apart from others is that not only do I actually design my own activewear, but I am very intentional in every decision I make for the company. Every color has a meaning, every collection has a story relevant to life in Hawaiʻi, every fabric I choose is environmentally-responsible in one way or another. In fact, every single aspect of Kūmana Activewearʻs operations are as environmentally-responsible as I can make it, particularly for Hawaiʻi’s infrastructure, from the packaging we use to the businesses we associate with. I pride myself in my integrity and my unwavering commitment to my brand values. More importantly, my goal is to produce collections that either deeply highlight aspects of Hawaiian culture, are a form of activism, or even a combination of the two. I aim not to produce simply based on what is “pretty” or “trending,” as such would be counterintuitive to ethical and environmentally-responsible fashion. For example, our current best selling collection is the Ua Collection, which consists of colors that evoke images of rain. This collection was inspired by jet fuel leaks by the US Navy at the Red Hill Fuel Storage Complex on Oʻahu here in Hawaiʻi. I wanted to use that opportunity to remind people how important fresh water is, and channeled my frustrations into creating this collection. Ua in Hawaiian means rain. Each color is named after a different type of rain in Hawaiian, a couple of which have direct ties to the Red Hill area. I also have printed Hawaiian proverbs about rain on each piece. The proverbs are, “Ua ka ua, ola ka nohona o ka ʻāina kula,” (Rain pours, and life comes to the plains) and “Uē ka lani, ola ka honua,” (The sky weeps, and earth lives).
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Yes! In fact, I have a whole Story Highlights section dedicated to book recommendations on my Instagram!
Brené Brown is always a go-to, but I particularly love Dare To Lead. My biggest takeaway from her is, “strong back, soft front, wild heart.” While it is something I continue to develop within myself, I find that this simple phrase is so powerful in guiding ourselves through management and entrepreneurial thinking. It reminds us to be open and kind to others while still remaining true to ourselves. She taught me that vulnerability is a valuable trait even in leadership. Simon Sinek is also a favorite source of inspiration.
Reclaiming Kalākaua by Tiffany Lani Ing and Hawaiʻi’s Story by Queen Liliʻuokalani are also of interest. This genre guides my entrepreneurial spirit from a Hawaiian perspective. King Kalākaua traveled the world during his reign in the late 1800s to broaden his global perspective. He sought to strengthen Hawaiʻi’s standing as a world-recognized kingdom by bringing up-to-date technology to our islands. Kalākaua met with Thomas Edison himself, and brought electricity to the islands, illuminating Iolani Palace with the first electric lights the kingdom had seen before the US White House even had electricity. I firmly believe that we as indigenous people can combine our cultural perspectives with modern developments to create a more balanced future for us all.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Authenticity is my creed! Early on, I thought I could get by with maintaining my anonymity. Such is not the case on social media. Today’s consumers enjoy being able to put faces to names, to see the human behind the business. Small businesses are very personal, and consumers are comforted and more driven to support small businesses with whom they feel they have a personal connection with. I try to speak with a very authentic tone when creating content, rather than an overly polished and commercial one. Depending on the content, I’ll use proper English, Hawaiian, and sometimes I’ll even use Hawaiian Pidgin (our own creole English dialect)!
I also am very vocal about supporting causes that are important to our community. Kumana Activewear is so much more than an activewear business, it is a platform through which I share news, opportunities for community action, and education relevant to Kūmana’s values. For example, because Kumana Activewear uses fabrics made of recycled plastics, marine pollution is a center stone topic for content, education, and activism. Recently, a 95-foot yacht was illegally moored off of a marine sanctuary on the island of Maui. As a result, the mooring snapped, and the yacht ran aground, damaging reef and leaking diesel fuel. Kūmana regularly shared updates on the situation from start to finish.
My most viewed reel was a hot topic for many! In this reel, I shared the real meaning of kamaʻāina in the Hawaiian language. Many mistake kamaʻāina to simply mean “local,” although even “local” has a complicated meaning in Hawaiʻi. Kamaʻāina actually means “child of the land” or “native-born.” So really, you would have to be born in Hawaiʻi to be considered kamaʻāina. The meaning is much deeper than “child of the land,” and it can even be argued that it has evolved over generations. Case in point, the translation of the word implies that one cannot simply move to Hawaiʻi and consider themselves Kamaʻāina. One can imagine how that was received by those who were disturbed to learn they are not actually kamaʻāina, and I had to quickly learn how not to be affected by social media trolls unhappy with the truth of a language and culture they know nothing about. Staying true to my mission and myself was so crucial in standing my ground as this reel was going viral.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kumanaactive.com
- Instagram: @kumanaactive
- Facebook: @kumanaactive
Image Credits
Craig Chang Kate Dolbier Zack S. Jr.