Christine Willson, a former project accountant, turned a passion for fashion into a thriving business. Launching Khira Fashions, she has created a foundation of sustainability and charity all rolled into one. Let’s meet her.
What was your career prior to entrepreneurship?
Prior to entrepreneurship, I was a project accountant.
Where did you develop a love for Fashion that was the catalyst for it being something that you once did for yourself into something you could offer to friends? Did you sew/make your own patterns back then?
I developed love for fashion as a young girl. During middle school and high school years, I watched my mother, her sisters, and friends get dresses custom made for special occasions. Me and my sister got beautiful dresses designed too. I would always take the left-over cotton or silk and hand sew dresses for my dolls. I made friends with all the designers and tailors in my neighborhood. As an adult, I prioritized attaining my accounting degree to provide for my girls. My passion for designing increased when I gave birth to two girls. I did not make patterns back then. There was always a designer in the neighborhood to help me cut the patterns. I was, and still very good at repurposing a clothing item to create a unique look.
For anyone considering a business in fashion, what is one lesson learned or a bit of advice to the woman considering launching her brand?
Go for it! If fashion is your passion and it keeps you up at night, start small and build your business. Success does not happen overnight. Have a good marketing strategy. Be patient.
You started Khira Fashions in the middle of a pandemic. What, if any, obstacles did you run into due to this and did you have any fears that you had to overcome?
I knew I was taking a huge risk starting mid-2020. At the time, like many, I had no idea the pandemic was going to affect us for such a long time. On the upside, I had more time to research my niche and figure out whether I was going to sell wholesale items or design my own brand. All the local trade shows closed down and I was left to market online which can be very challenging reaching the right audience.
Who is your ideal client?
My ideal client is women thirty and over. These women are mostly employees or entrepreneurs. They go on multiple vacations yearly and are looking for a chic and comfortable resort wear or kaftans to throw over their swim wear. Women who love fun, bold prints, and patterns.
What research did you do on what the women in your demographic were looking for in resort wear?
Google was my starting point. It gave me stats on luxury designers who were emerging into resort wear collections. I read the reviews from their customers and found out that the fashion-conscious customer was left out in the category of resort wear which included bathing suits, sport sundresses, and transparent cover-ups. Further research mentioned that the future of resort wear will include a wide range of collection from warm weather looks, vacation, and cocktail attire. I then grabbed my note book adding bullets about how the fashion-conscious women would like to feel in resort wear. My focus group started with my friends, their co-workers, pretty much every woman in my network gave similar answers when asked about which resort wear item they would prefer. Majority of their answers were a cover up while feeling chic and comfortable. Most of these women wanted a resort wear that they can walk out of their room onto the resort grounds for lunch, dinner or hang out at one of the buzzing bars at the resort with confidence and comfort.
Tell our readers how you came to focus on luxury resort wear as your niche.
Every resort wear I designed for myself was passed down to my friends including a few co-workers’. When I designed dresses for special occasions that may never be won by me after an event, there was always a friend requesting the dress after my event. I was glad to pass them on to the women who always believed in my passion for fashion.
You currently offer Kimonos, Print Dresses, Skirts and Blouses. Do you have any plans to expand the brand and what do you think would be the first addition to your line?
There are plans to expand the brand. I started by designing special occasion dresses. I have a strong feeling that will be the first addition to my line. Probably a Khira Couture line.
How much input do you have in the overall design of the garments?
I would say at least 70% input. From sourcing the fabrics from suppliers, patterns and quality, I’m very much involved. When fabrics are sourced abroad by a team member, I’m only a video call away to see and hear why the chosen fabric/fabrics are the best for the next collection.
Have you been able to scale your business (sales, employees etc.) to meet your initial goals?
We are growing at a steady pace and forming a reliable and trustworthy team. We are definitely setting the stage for scaling and optimizing work flows. A business must pick the perfect time to scale to avoid premature scaling. We are confident that we can fulfil maximum orders for our best sellers in a short amount of time for products that are low in stock.
I know that you have fabric sourced for your brand specifically. Are there any plans to offer more variations in fabric choices?
Our main goal is to use sustainable fabrics. When shopping for fabrics, we will always look for more variations relative to the design or designs we have in our next collection. The team member sourcing for fabrics will take the pattern to suppliers and find out the best fabric for the design. Viewing fabrics online can be deceiving for a design. Touching and testing fabrics is also imperative during fabric sourcing.
Has it been easy converting the friends and family who supported your fashion early on into customers?
A group of friends that cheered me on my journey to entrepreneurship are repeat customers. Some family members have been customers. While we appreciate our advocates, family members, and friends are a small segment. We concentrate on marketing to women in our niche nationally.
Tell us about your work with Community Hands Against Poverty and why it is important to you?
Working with Community Hands Organization is very gratifying. At Khira Fashions, we choose charities that align with our purpose, therefore, helping orphans and less privileged kids in Sierra Leone, which is my country of origin is where we have leveraged relationships. We provide housing support, educational supplies, food and nutrition for the kids. We also support Inland Aids Project which supports families with HIV and Aids here in the US. While in San Diego, California, we donated socks and shoes for children, and toiletries to San Diego Rescue Mission.
How do you balance life as a mother and running your own business?
The beauty about having young adult kids, they help with admin duties and trade shows when needed. My girls are grown, but a mom’s love and support never ends. My first daughter is a junior engineer. My second and youngest daughter just started a master’s program, therefore, needs a little more support. We spend quality time together, when possible.
Tell our readers where they can support you online.
Our website is www.khirafashions.com We are @khirafashions on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok
Anything to add?
Thank you so much for this interview. It has been a pleasure.
