We recently connected with Dakota Trent and have shared our conversation below.

Dakota, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry

Some of the biggest trends I see in the handbag business is that social media plays a significant role in the success of my business. Before it used to be “let me wear this cute bag” but now it’s “oh I see an influencer wearing this bag let me add it to my collection. You must remain 100% engaged in social media to build community and work extremely hard for your product to come across the right person or page. It’s very important for KoSpire to maintain that sense of community on and off social to keep our customers engaged.

That leads me to the next trend that has been really important, which is that customers are looking to have an experience when shopping with us. That is why we start the experience from the moment the box lands on the steps of one of our customers. We work very hard to maintain the luxury experience before and after shopping with us.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I actually have not always been in the handbag business. I started out in healthcare but my love for bags and traveling led me to follow through with KoSpire. KoSpire got its name from me. I was always a person that people found to be inspiring, people always told me I was different but somehow I was never satisfied with that statement. I felt like when people said things like that, they were excluding themselves from that same luxury of inspiring others. My belief was that we are all inspiring, we all have something to offer that’s different. I love that I am an inspiration to others but people don’t realize how inspiring they have been to me contributing to my success. Whether it was a good or bad influence I took it and made something with it. The actual name is pronounced Co-Spire but the “K” was used instead to keep my name attached to the brand since everyone calls me Kota. This name is important as it is the core of all of my businesses and it sets the tone for how I inspire my community.

Our motto is “Experience luxury with KoSpire.” Our vegan leather bags are designed for today’s busy lifestyle, KoSpire, believes in high-quality handbags. Our luxe and affordable collection combine fashion and function into one exclusive collection. Chic, stylish, and crafted from the finest materials available, our handbags offer a unique everyday solution for working, traveling, or going out in style.

Our primary messages that we send to our community is that luxury does not have to break the bank, everyday women are still winning, and you can embrace who you’re through your style and accessories. One thing that I am most proud of is that I don’t have to compromise my business by following trends and trying to stay up with fast fashion. We take our time releasing products ensuring that they are best for our customers.

Our dream customer isn’t just someone who purchases a handbag from us, it is someone that brings others along for the experience. They are women or men who can be placed in any room and still shine with a KoSpire bag.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest things I had to unlearn in this industry is the statement “no means no.” If I had given up after every “no” I received I would still be strolling on Instagram looking at other people gaining success in the areas I believe are for me. Many people never get where they want to be because they give up so easily. I would be lying if I said I didn’t give up like 100 times just as early as last week. But I always have to remind myself why I am here and more importantly remind myself that I belong in the handbag industry I just need to work harder to gain visibility for my business and continue to show up as me because that is how my business grows.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

So I was actually using money from my job at the time to fund my business. I was using my monthly income to buy samples from different manufacturers. I didn’t really know much about funding for business until I stopped working and didn’t have a choice but to find the money for my business. I am still looking for an investor today but in the meantime, I made sure my credit was good enough to obtain small amounts of funding from banks to cover material, marketing, and shipping of my products from another country. Today in my third year of business, I invest all my profits back into the business as a tactic to continue to grow business because as we all know you have to spend money to make money.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shopkospire.com/
• Instagram: Kospire_

Image Credits
Photographer: Malika Humphrey of Humphrey House Studios 3 Models: Jymiah Hollinsworth Sade Ketchen Dayy Colbert