We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kelli Raisler. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kelli below.

Kelli, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

When I was in art school I learned a lot about making sculptures, using different materials, and different ways to design products. I had been attending music festivals for a few years, and was always inspired by the elaborate outfits worn by performers and attendees. One year I decided I wanted to make my own art inspired outfit as well as a matching one for my boyfriend. While we were there so many people were excited to see me and tell me how much they loved it. A lot of people asked if I was selling the pieces which led me to explore the idea of selling some items on Etsy. I started with hats because I felt they like were more approachable to a lot of people. Adding a fun hat to an outfit could be easy for anyone to do and would be less expensive that a full art outfit. I started by making some disco hats in different styles and colors, spending hours covering hats in small mirror pieces. I would have my friends wear them and take pictures and videos for my instagram page. I started using social media as my main advertising source immediately. Knowing how well Instagram works to sell products today, I knew I wanted to learn how to use social media to connect with my audience as soon as possible. I wanted to sell online more than in person at first so I made sure I would be able to reach a larger group online.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Kalieda Festival Wear strives to help you feel good about yourself through your accessories. Our sparkling hats have made so many people smile, and I am really proud of that. We focus mostly on rhinestone cowboy and wide brim hats today as these are our most popular styles. Customers really enjoy wearing these hats to their favorite events because they feel super confident when they put them on and have so much fun wearing them. Customers often say that they get a ton of compliments from people when they wear our hats and knowing that makes me so happy for them. I really enjoy connecting with people when I got to festivals and events, but sometimes because of my social anxiety I struggle to start a conversation with a stranger. Once thing I really enjoy about wearing our hats is how easy it is to talk to people while wearing them. Someone will come up to me how much they love my hat and suddenly we chatting it up and becoming friends. The sparkles of our rhinestone hats really draw people in and it creates a fun shared experience. We stress a lot over the details and quality of our hats. We want every single person that purchases one to have the best possible experience wearing them so that they’re excited to share it with the world.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media has been the key driver for my business. Something that has been really successful for our hats has been a focus on videos. It’s difficult to show what something looks like in real life in still photos. People want to get an idea of what something will be like in person. Rhinestones can be made out of different materials, and the 12 cut glass rhinestones we use have an incredible sparkle in person. Videos, Reels and Tik Toks have been great ways for us to showcase the true sparkle of our hats. Another thing that was important for us was to really understand who are customers are. Where do people like to wear cowboy hats? What would they want to wear with it? What do people expect when buying a cowboy hat? Showing our audience different ways to style them is important for giving them inspiration with such a unique item. If our hats are a bit of a stretch from their normal style we have to be able to show them how to get there or they will think its out of their reach. We want our customers to know that they can confidently rock anything they choose to wear and that they deserve to feel amazing with their fashion choices. We choose brand ambassadors that have unique styles and genuinely enjoy wearing our hats. We like to show that there are different ways to wear them. We have been very lucky to have a few viral videos from our ambassadors that have helped us grow our audience a ton. Building out the right audience has been super important for us, its not just about big numbers.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I keep in touch with my clients through social media. I try to speak to my audience pretty regularly and share my story with them now and then. Before starting my business I was a lot less confident. Through my business I have learned new ways to express myself through fashion, learned to love my body more, and feel amazing about the challenges I have overcome. I think sharing these stories with my audience helps them feel inspired to do something similar. I see a lot of people say things like ” I could never wear that” or ” I don’t have the body to do that.” I want to be an example whenever I can and showcase ways to feel good about yourself just by making some small changes. Everyone deserves to feel good in what they wear and be able to really express their personalities. We are all incredibly unique people so I think it’s really special to be able to showcase that by celebrating the real you. I hope that my brand can inspire people embrace this through fashion as well as other aspects of their lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kaliedafestivalwear.com/
• Instagram: @kalieda_festwear
• Other: Tik Tok: @kalieda_festwear