We recently connected with Kamilla Silina and have shared our conversation below.

Kamilla, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

10 years ago I came to United States from Uzbekistan. I followed my love and left my home, my family, my culture and my life behind. I enjoyed living in the US, learning about American culture, history, traditions. But I also always missed my home. Especially since people closest to me were still living there.

Uzbekistan is a country in Central Asia. Very few people here in the US know about it. When someone asked me where I’m from I would say – Uzbekistan. They couldn’t pronounce it and often mistook it for Afghanistan or Pakistan – two countries with very different culture than mine. Uzbekistan is an ancient country and the Great Silk Road used to pass right through the middle of it. The Great Silk Road once was the only route that connected Europe and Asia. All the trade between the two parts of the world would pass through Uzbekistan in Central Asia.

To this day one of the distinct and my favorite places in my country are big vibrant markets called bazaars. That’s where all the life is. Farmers sell fresh produce, street food fills the market with luring smells, people negotiating and trying to grab customers attention.

My mother always took me to the bazaar and we would spend a whole day shopping for new clothes and shoes. The key was to negotiate the price. She taught me tricks to get the best deal.

We have built a good life here in the US. We have kids and a home. But part of me was left in Uzbekistan. I missed my mother. Last year she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Being away was painfully hard. We all united and fought this disease. I was amazed by the bravery and strength of the woman who raised me.

I came up with the idea of founding IKAT wear online clothing store right after my mother told us that she is cancer free. I felt so happy and so inspired that I wanted to create something that would celebrate my culture, my heritage, my story and the one person who means a lot to me – my mother.

My goal with IKAT wear is to spread my culture. I hope more people learn about Uzbekistan and where it is on the map here in the US. I always imagine someone walking down the street wearing one of our colorful kimono robes and being noticed, being complimented. I also dedicate this business to all the immigrants who left their home and built something here from zero. It is hard and I applaud them all.

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

My name is Kamilla Silina. I was born and raised in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. I came to United States when I was 16 years old on a cultural exchange program. My host family lived in Farmersville. They were so kind to me and they taught me a lot about American culture and history. I went to Farmersville High School for one year and returned to my home country. I graduated university as a Bachelor in Business Administration and started working in an international organization.

I was always fascinated with cultures and I love to travel. Together with my husband we visited over 30 countries and I lived in four different places so far. I think everyone should travel to learn more about themselves and live in another country at least once in their lifetime. It changes who you are and teaches you so much about life.

For over nine years I’ve worked for an organization which promotes cultural exchange programs. Right now I even have my own program which helps Americans travel abroad and live with host families in Europe or Asia.

I wanted more people here in the US to learn about my country, my culture. I decided to create an online store where I could sell beautiful handmade kimono robes, pant kimono suits and jackets with the traditional print called IKAT.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I lost my primary job during the pandemic since it was related to travel. I was so lost and didn’t know what to do next. I started taking online courses on social media and digital marketing. One of them was very essential – a Digital Marketing course from General Assembly. The knowledge I gained motivated me to test my skills and I worked as a freelance social media manager and digital marketer for a few businesses my friends own.

With Ikat wear I wanted to do it all myself. Build an online business from scratch with a professional website, social media, online shopping integrated into social media and well-established SEO. Of course, it is all still work in progress, but I’m glad I was able to navigate through the challenges of building a business online.

The key to building my presence on social media was being honest and telling my story. Since many of my own friends and followers on social media have left their country and went through similar experience, they instantly connected with the brand, with the emotional component of my small business.

If I could give one advice to those starting to build their business online – it would be to be true to who you are. Being vulnerable and showing real emotions is not a sign of weakness. It is the point where people might connect with you. It’s also important to have a strategy and consistency. Continuing the conversation once started shows you are committed to your community and draws more people in.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I chose to sell through my own website, but I wanted to integrate my online shop into Facebook and Instagram. Today my followers can see the prices and buy my products with a few clicks on these two major platforms.

I decided to start here and then possibly move to other platforms such as Amazon, Etsy, etc. The main reason for this was that I wanted to reach out to my already existing community of friends and followers on social media. Their support was a big help to my business at the very start.

In addition, it helped me build a more personal relationship with my audience. People wanted to see something that reminds them of home on their home feed. It attracts attention and calls for an emotion.

The cons of this choice is that shipping and distribution can be a challenge. I think with Amazon it would be easier to reach some consumers that are not in my network.

For every business it takes research, understanding of the marketing strategy and business specifics to choose their own path. But for my individual brand it was a good choice.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ikatwear.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ikatwear/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IkatWearStore
• Other: https://goo.gl/maps/mogwpsFD2WNDAfGY9