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cover art for Ep.17 'Failure Was New To Me, I Wasn't Ready For It' - Fisayo Longe On Forging Your Own Path To Success.

Working Hard with Grace Beverley

Ep.17 'Failure Was New To Me, I Wasn't Ready For It' - Fisayo Longe On Forging Your Own Path To Success.

Ep. 17

Fisayo Longe is the founder and CEO of Kai Collective, the womenswear brand offering attainable clothing with luxury aesthetics. A brand crafted intentionally to make women feel their most confident Kai Collective is one of London's 'most talked-about online boutiques, Fisayo was personally recognised for her success on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Art & Culture list in 2021.


Fisayo launched Kai back in 2016, a time when her popular fashion and travel blog 'Mirror Me' gained popularity and simultaneously began to attract large brand partnerships. Exchanging accounting for fashion and entrepreneurship, Fisayo went on to focus on Kai full time, her iconic Gaia collection her main product for growth. Still a bestselling print to this day, the Gaia dress went viral in after Fisayo wore it to a BAFTA party in January 2020. Despite the pandemic, the Gaia dress sold out immediately with thousands left waiting, ending up in the wardrobes of several A-listed celebrities including Saweetie and Jackie Aina.


Recently, rather than forcing herself to continue running the business, Fisayo took the brave decision to publicly step back from Kai to get herself a break and add a little work-life balance. Reconnecting with her business, Fisayo realised that taking care of herself meant she was also taking care of your business, as her break sparked inspiration, creativity and productivity. As result, Fisayo's brand continues to evolve and flourish - I can't wait to see which celebrities wear Kai next!


Topics:

- Self-doubt and imposter syndrome in an industry with no experience

- Fisayo's inspiration and concept for Kai Collective

- 'I was on Right Move looking for the house I was going to buy the next day in cash' : Fisayo's initial misconception about business success.

- The power of limited edition products and community in business

- 'Copycat culture' in the fashion industry

- Burnout and business breaks

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