Mauryn Kkira, the founding father of Kkira Ft, created her enterprise on account of having hassle discovering sneakers that she preferred. After a few years of frustration on the incapability to search out on a regular basis sneakers that have been enjoyable to put on, she determined she would create them. She now has multiple hundred designs in simply two and a half years since her first pair was featured in Vogue Italia.
Initially from Uganda, the shoe designer is all about inspiring folks to precise themselves by means of shade, trend and naturally, private model. We had a chat with Mauryn Kkira and on this interview she shares her journey as an entrepreneur, constructing Kkira Ft, and extra.
Right here’s Mauryn Kkira in her phrases…
Hello Mauryn, it’s nice to speak with you and introduce you to our neighborhood
Hello! It’s nice to speak with you too, and thanks for introducing me to your neighborhood!
Are you able to inform us somewhat about your self?
Certain, I’m initially from Uganda and at the moment stay in Boston, MA. I got here to the US once I was nineteen and have lived right here ever since. The remainder of my household nonetheless lives in Uganda and my sister lives in Paris, so I’m nonetheless very linked to my African roots and tradition regardless of settling right here. I’m married to my favourite particular person on the planet, and this 12 months in October will mark my third 12 months of pursuing my dream of being a designer. I’m honored to have a group of folks that I really like working with, which accurately contains a few of my favourite folks ever: 2 of my greatest mates, 2 of my favourite siblings, and oftentimes my husband.
Now let’s discuss Kkira Ft Footwear. Your designs are fairly distinctive and really one-of-a-kind. What conjures up your artistic course of?
Like most artists will let you know, my artistic course of is impressed by all method of issues. It ranges from precise people to themes, to seasons, to a temper, a want, a press release I’m making an attempt to make all the best way to present affairs. Nothing is off-limits on the subject of inspiration. However the one factor that all of them have in frequent is that they’re filtered by means of the lens of genuine expression. My aim when I’m designing is to completely convey everything of no matter impressed me, to do it freely and unapologetically.
Would you say that your heritage has a big effect in your design ideation?
Completely! As an African lady, the love of shade, texture, and vibrance lives inside me. We Africans are passionate and expressive folks. We love life and ooze creativity. We are able to’t assist ourselves. We’re additionally very blessed to be no strangers to challenges and to have to make use of what’s round us to make life work for us, so we innovate. We take literal garbage and make it lovely, usually with ardour, pleasure, fearlessness, and a lot dignity. I completely profit from having all these magnificent traits coursing by means of my veins.
We see a wealthy number of sneakers in your on-line retailer. Did you resolve to design totally different sorts of sneakers directly, or did you begin with one first?
I truly began with only one pair of sneakers. In some methods, it was a little bit of an experiment, truthfully. I used to be simply making an attempt to design a pair of sneakers that I may put on on a day-to-day foundation that was an precise expression of me. I didn’t need to put on boring sneakers that have been simply blah as a result of that isn’t me in any respect. I’m a really comfortable and expressive particular person, so I wasn’t curious about sporting something that didn’t replicate who I actually was.
As soon as I designed the primary pair, it was so nicely acquired that it ended up on the Vogue Italia web site throughout Trend Week within the traits part. I had already been requested by fairly quite a few folks the place they might purchase them each time I wore them, so I took that as an indication that I used to be doing one thing proper and determined so as to add just a few extra designs. It occurred regularly.
What’s your goal market?
I might say my goal market is ladies, males, and non-gendered people who find themselves mission-driven, love shade, care about authenticity, worth high quality, and haven’t any particular want to slot in the bins that societal norms create. Our sneakers are made for comfortable souls who need to specific themselves freely. So it’s positively not for the wallflowers or those that need to slot in.
It’s fairly apparent that you just like to play with colours and prints. This has us questioning in the event you would ever create a single monochrome-colored design
LOL. As an artist, I might hope that I’m up for the problem of making a monochrome shoe, however I’ve to be trustworthy, I might most likely solely do this as a problem and type of progress and self-development.
We think about that the pandemic affected your small business like many others. How did you maintain the enterprise through the peak of the pandemic?
Yeah, it positively did. It’s exhausting sufficient to purchase sneakers when you have got nowhere to go for 2 years, so think about how a lot more durable it’s to purchase luxurious model sneakers underneath these circumstances. However do not forget that artistic and progressive spirit I talked about earlier than? It kicked in, and as an alternative of shutting issues down, we targeted on getting extra linked with the few prospects we had and rising our neighborhood by way of social media.
We’re so fortunate to have a really supportive neighborhood they usually continued to search out methods to assist us all through the pandemic that we did even higher the second 12 months than we did the primary. So we’re grateful that our sneakers have been very warmly acquired by the individuals who learn about us and that they’ve continued to assist us as we develop. Kkira Ft
What are a number of the classes you realized from the pandemic and the way has that impacted your small business going ahead?
I feel the most important lesson I realized from the pandemic was that it counts to point out up for ourselves and others on daily basis, it doesn’t matter what the circumstances might appear to be. I might not have thought that we might have survived a pandemic for 2 years, not to mention grown, however the truth that we dedicated to taking motion to attach with our neighborhood on daily basis truly made a distinction and moved us alongside a lot additional than we thought we may have gotten.
I additionally realized that connection issues. It appears unusual when persons are speaking a few model they usually point out issues like neighborhood, however it actually is the connection and neighborhood that we create that carries us ahead. These two classes have formed our philosophy as a model they usually proceed to offer us ahead momentum, so I’m grateful for them.
Would you say that social media has performed a big position within the progress of your model?
Completely! The vast majority of our prospects discover us by means of social media and proceed to assist us so generously by getting in contact with us, sending us photographs of themselves in our sneakers, tagging us once they put on them, sharing our sneakers on their platforms and a lot extra. I can’t rely what number of instances I get direct messages from prospects writing me simply to inform me one thing variety about my designs or how our sneakers empowered them at a selected time of their lives. It truly is the present that retains on giving.
What are your favourite form of sneakers and why?
That could be a humorous query for me to reply as a result of my favourite form of sneakers is the type that tells a narrative proudly and unabashedly. I really like sneakers which are daring, comfy, and thoroughly straddle the road between ugly and fairly. Like those that appear to be they might simply flip ugly if one thing about them was barely modified, and but they’re so clearly and awkwardly fairly on the similar time. I do know that’s a bizarre reply, however it’s the easiest way I can describe them. LOL.
The place do you see the Kkira Ft Footwear model in 5 years?
In 5 years, I see Kkira Ft having no less than three bodily places and increasing into a life-style model. We’re at the moment on the point of launch some new additions to the model and it’s truly very thrilling for us, so positively keep tuned for that.
You seek advice from your self because the “Unconditional Self-Love Fairy Godmother.” Are you able to shed extra mild on this? Kkira Ft
LOL, I don’t know that I can declare to be the ‘Unconditional Self-Love Fairy Godmother,’ however I like to think about myself as one of many many who I’m positive to exist. Mainly, I’ve a principle (I truly wrote a e-book about it) that the one purpose that we human beings do horrible issues to one another is that we don’t have adequate empathy for each other; and I feel the explanation we don’t have stated empathy is that with a purpose to empathize with one thing or somebody, we’ve got to have skilled the factor we’re empathizing about indirectly.
For instance, if I don’t like the thought of somebody saying imply and hurtful issues to me, then I’m able to totally perceive that one other particular person won’t prefer it both. But when I don’t have the flexibility to grasp that I don’t like how imply phrases make me really feel, then I can’t even start to think about how those self same phrases would have an effect on one other particular person, as a result of I merely can’t empathize with their scenario. So I feel the explanation we aren’t good at loving each other as human beings is that we don’t love ourselves to start with. Kkira Ft
If we did, we might simply as simply love others the identical method that we love ourselves. In different phrases, we will solely give what we’ve got. I imagine that if ever there was a day once we all received up and really cherished ourselves unconditionally, that may be the in the future that humanity wouldn’t commit any hurt—as a result of individuals who love themselves really and totally are comfortable folks, and comfortable folks can do no hurt.
As a result of I imagine that so strongly, I began this model to offer folks entry to expressing themselves freely as a method of self-love and self-acceptance, and all the pieces I do is fueled by that want. So I like to think about myself as a Fairy Godmother of Unconditional Self-love. I kind of simply go round locations and sprinkle the equal of fairy mud on folks by way of enjoyable expressive sneakers, they usually discover themselves somewhat extra, specific themselves somewhat extra, uncover themselves somewhat extra, settle for themselves somewhat extra, and hopefully love themselves somewhat extra. I do know that was an extended reply, however you requested! LOL.
What do you do for self-care?
A number of issues. I pray, meditate, journal, do yoga, work out, dance, snort rather a lot, saturate myself in shade, create, sing, and journey my bike. There are most likely a bunch extra issues that I do for self-care, however these are the staples!
To study extra and store her designs, go to kkirafeet.com.
Pictures courtesy of Mauryn Kkira
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