We recently connected with Kyle Arana and have shared our conversation below.

Kyle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Picking a name was a fun challenge! I wanted a name that was strong, cool and meaningful. Something that people could connect with and relate to but one that also has significance to me and who I am today, which is strong, brave, loving, and free. I wanted a name that makes people wonder what it could mean or more importantly what it means to them. My designs are fun, bright, inspiring, soulful, thoughtful, and make a statement so I wanted the name to reflect that as well as some of the things I love like the mystical side of life, astrology, synchronies, higher power and freedom. I think Soulbyrd (pronounced Soul-bird), says it all!

Kyle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve wanted to be in the Fashion industry for as long as I can remember. I love expressing my personality through my own unique sense of style and have always had a natural flair for stylizing outfits and accessorizing. Shopping is one of my favorite things to do!

I became self-sufficient at a fairly young age and supported myself by working at a small dress manufacturer in downtown L.A. while simultaneously taking classes in fashion design. This company is where I learned about all facets of the industry from design, sourcing fabrics, sales, customer relationships, trade shows, shipping, receiving, and everything it takes to run a company. After 12 years, the owner decided to phase out of manufacturing, and I was offered the opportunity to take over the company which I did and owned for 4 years. I decided to close the doors and focus on my family in 2008 when the Global financial crises hit, and I was a new mom with my first-born son. 

While I was enjoying raising my children, I still had an underlying desire to be creative, make products and one day start a company as I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I had dabbled in different mediums like kid’s leather belts, hem tape and designer pepper spray to name a few.

In 2020 when the world was shut down, I spent a lot of time outside walking, to exercise, get fresh air and stay in a positive mindset. It was hard not to notice the disconnect with people, no longer making eye contact or saying hello. There was an overall heaviness in the world that was very negative, and I wanted to put my focus on something positive. This is when I started diving into my creativity as an escape and started design uplifting, meaningful and fun graphics. I quickly discovered how therapeutic it was for me and it soon became a passion of mine. What started off as a distraction grew into a collection of art that I felt had meaning and a message that I wanted to share with the world. It was also the perfect time for me to get back into working after dedicating so many years to my kids and family. Being a lover of trucker hats, I decided that this would be the perfect way to bring my vision to life and what eventually birthed Soulbyrd. 

Have you ever had to pivot?

Starting my company Soulbyrd in 2020 after being out of the industry for 12 years was a major pivot. I find it ironic that what inspired me to create my business, leading me back into manufacturing was the Global pandemic and what had contributed to my leaving manufacturing in 2008 was a Global crisis. Two major world events that created a lot of fear and chaos and two major pivots in my life that ended up being a positive experience for me. I’m a true believer that life is what you make of it and if you allow undesirable circumstances to keep you down or define you then you are ultimately giving away your power, but if you look to these times as an opportunity for change and are open to growth then what unfolds can be quite profound. I also believe that we create our reality and shape our lives by the choices we make daily and how we choose to show up for ourselves. I think it’s important to always look for the silver lining, dream and shine… some of my favorite hats.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I have two channels of business, one is direct-to-consumer, and the other is my wholesale business. For my direct-to-consumer business I connect with my clients by posting in a meaningful, authentic way on social media platforms such as Instagram and interacting with them through those various channels. I also have a website where people can shop. When I ship hats to my customers, I make sure to package them beautifully with branded tissue, a sticker and postcard from my brand. I think having a personal touch is so important and that the experience my customer has when opening their box should be a memorable one. This helps foster loyalty to Soulbyrd and encourages customers to continue adding styles to their hat collection. 

The way I connect with my wholesale accounts and create brand loyalty is to keep in touch with my buyers, get to know them and understand their clientele. I check in via email or call the store to see how the hats are selling, which styles are performing well and if they need a reorder or even want to trade anything out. I think it is very important to partner with my stores and build the business, so I make it a point to visit my local accounts to see how the product is merchandised in their store, as well as meet the staff and give them some product knowledge about Soulbyrd.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.soulbyrdla.com
• Instagram: @soulbyrdla
• Facebook: soulbyrdla

Image Credits
Jack Guy Michael Barian Nalina Koffman