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

Alright, Kiana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Too often the media represents innovation as something magical that only high-flying tech billionaires and upstarts engage in – but the truth is almost every business owner has to regularly innovate in small and big ways in order for their businesses to survive and thrive. Can you share a story that highlights something innovative you’ve done over the course of your career?

I launched dMondaine in 2010, which I now know was ahead of its time. Nobody was producing sexy shaping underpinnings that promoted body positivity. dMondaine launched exclusively with Neiman Marcus and then was sold at luxury retailers all over the world such Net-a-Porter and Harrods. I graduated from design school in 2003 from the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and spent the next 10 years working in both London with premier luxury designers such as Roland Mouret and then in LA for ready-to-wear, couture, and intimate brands. In 2010, I decided to go at it on my own with a very tailored dress collection. Within the dress collection, I had been developing a few key shapewear pieces so women would feel confident in the dresses. I initially went in search of something on the market that actually gave you shape, enhanced your assets, and looked good enough to complement the dresses. I soon found out it didn’t exist! So I set out to make it myself and managed to get a patent for the “ResultWear Technology” that celebrated shape. The ResultWear technology roots from my knowledge of couture and dress construction. The patented technology lies in the garment construction. There are bands that are strategically sewn within the garment to create shape, lift your bum, and to enhance the female figure. In my opinion, the hourglass is to be celebrated and I made it one of my missions to celebrate women’s curves, not stuff them into a tube.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesstylefile/2014/07/03/designer-spotlight-dmondaine-creates-shapewear-with-sex-appeal/
https://fashionweekdaily.com/the-shape-of-things-to-come-with-haute-label-dmondaine/

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In my over 20 years as a brand builder, I have worked across almost every vertical there is, fashion, beauty, tech, cannabis, retail, entertainment, hospitality the list goes on. The work I have done in each given category has allowed me to be a better leader with powerful and diverse insights drawn from seemingly unrelated categories.

I am a firm believer in continuously pushing the boundaries, and drawing from all industries to create cultural impact and growth no matter what size of company you are. This is foreign to some and as a result we see brands producing the same things over and over again.

This belief is something I cherish as a superpower. Bringing experience across so many different spaces allows me to connect dots that others don’t always see. It is definitely a lot harder to blaze a new trail than it is to walk a pre-cleared one but it is exciting and worth it.

So, in 2021 I launched the No.9 Agency with the goal of helping emerging brands break through the noise and avoid making costly mistakes.

At No.9 we identify and capitalize on opportunities for all our partners and brands. We motivate and empower individuals or teams within organizations big or small. We contribute to making organizations move faster, achieve larger impacts, and foster growth.

Have you ever had to pivot?

One of those pivotal moments was when I joined the Beboe “ The Hermes of Cannabis” in 2017. I had just come off the ride of building a successful women’s lingerie brand sold in all major department stores Neiman Marcus, Net a porter, Saks, Harvey Nichols, Harrods, etc. and was tapped to join a new cannabis company that needed a marketing lead. It was the wild west at the time, and Beboe was the only “luxury” brand in the category. My years of retail marketing experience building my own premium brand allowed me to dive right in and pave the way for this industry that had no playbook. It was exhilarating and all so new but an incredible experience that led to the largest acquisition of its time.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

As a seasoned founder, who has started and successfully run brands as well as a recent exit.

Now that I have my agency, I treat any business I am supporting as if it is my own. That mentality of making sure we are intentional with the money and time they spend on facets of their business, and always striving for the best and most creative way to share a brand’s story. I take pride in my work and love to support founders and teams.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.no9agency.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiankaa/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiana1/
• Other: Overall account: https://vimeo.com/user219108135How We Roll: https://vimeo.com/942457241?share=copyVivid Suite: https://vimeo.com/942455946?share=copy

  The Roll Up: https://vimeo.com/942460289?share=copy