We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katiana Morisseau a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Katiana , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
The idea started off as any other hustle. To make money doing something you love. I enjoy playing dress up which is kind of funny because I am such a homebody and don’t really go anywhere but when I do I try to make the best of it. When I first started it was coming up with a name that was hardest as well as finding wholesale suppliers & vendors. The name you see today wasn’t the original. I felt this idea would work and connect with people as fashion is a BIG thing in this world and has been for quite awhile. Each country you visit or different backgrounds of people you see something different. To me it’s always been colors an how they are used to pair or not pair with other items of clothing, I’ve always found that to be spectacular.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started paying attention to my items of clothing as I progressed into adulthood. I remember going into the clothing store with my mom and siblings, and she would tell us to each get three shirts and two bottoms. It had nothing to do with being poor because we weren’t. It was just too many kids to shop for. I’m hoping to show the world that fashion isn’t always about the brand of clothing that you wear. It’s about showing personality through your everyday clothing. I’ve come across many people, and what you wear does say something about the day that your having at that very moment. But also you have others who their own style speaks volume about the person they are on a daily basis. I want everyone to understand that we cannot judge anyone’s sense of style just because it may not accommodate with what they like, and that is okay. We were never made to all be the same. Be stylish in whatever you wear. It’s more than just clothing. It’s a lifestyle. What I can say I am most proud of is my ability to overcome any doubts I have as a retailer. It can often get discouraging when you have no sales and/or you see another store doing better. A reminder to myself is to always keep going and to remember that those same stores I idolize started out exactly jus like . What I want potential customers to know about my brand is that fashion to me has no limits. Some days you will go on site and may see something sexy, something conservative, something classy and so on. Fashion is whatever my customers choose to make it.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
Currently, I fund my own business which is still my initial and only capital. It’s hard as a new entrepreneur to find let alone get funding as a lot of banks or lenders look for years in business as well as revenue. Grants on the other hand tend to be more of a competitive format as your honestly proving to lenders why you should be awarded for a grant.
Funding your own capita can be challenging but it also pushes & motivates me to push not only myself but my brand & my products. Reminding myself that even though I just spent this chunk of cash on a few items I’m going to make that back double what I paid for. That’s’ the mindset. If I am to purchase something it’s because I have the confidence within my marketing strategies to know that I will create sales and revenue to earn back what I spent.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I find that building an audience is key to the success of a business. Yu have to know who your target audience will be prior and during your buildup of business. Customers can come from anywhere around the world, which goes bac to what I was saying regarding the different backgrounds and cultures.
I have come to realize the more you create content or even ads on social media it definitely attracts people to not only your social media but also I receive store traffic. his does not always necessarily mean I will have purchases but I may have a few new subscribers. The more social media handles you have to display your brand the better just try not to overwhelm yourself. Another way is to get other individuals and/or influencers to model your product as well as get more followers. I’ve also noticed people tend to relate with individuals they already know promoting a product as they know it’s worth it and more likely to make purchases from me. It’s definitely a lot work but worth the outcome. Patience is KEY!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://itsfashionheaux.com
- Instagram: ItsFashionHeaux_Apparel
- Facebook: ItsFashionHeauxApparel
- Other: TikTok: ItsFashionHeauxApparel