Kianna Magelaki: Aussie fashion label loved by Carrie Bickmore, Sonia Kruger
Loved by celebrities like Jodi Gordon and Sonia Kruger, this brand is praised for its “flattering” designs that are also “versatile and classy”.
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For Kianna Magelaki, her clothing brand is not just a success but it gets the kind of exposure most businesses only dream of.
In the coming year, KIANNA is expected to make a whopping seven figures.
Her best-selling Shim pants have been sold a staggering 5000 times and the brand has been spotted on the likes of Carrie Bickmore, Steph Claire Smith and Sonia Kruger.
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HOW THE BRAND STARTED
After studying fashion design at university, Kianna began her career in fashion working for other brands.
“I just really felt that it wasn’t for me,” Kianna told news.com.au.
“I really struggled to work for other people and I knew that I wanted to do more with life but I just wasn’t sure what that really was.”
But it wasn’t until a trip to New York in 2017 that things began to change for her.
Aged in her mid-twenties Kianna noticed how expensive everything was, with anything affordable low quality.
It was this realisation that inspired Kianna to create her own brand.
“I really wanted to create really high-quality pieces and quality products that women could wear without having to spend $800 – $900 on a dress,” Kianna said.
Upon returning home, she said she decided to just go “all in”. However, as all business owners know, going “all in” can mean a lot of work.
For Kianna, this meant working 60 hours a week at her day job on the set of TV show Neighbours and saving everything she possibly could to put towards the growing business.
TAKING A LEAP OF FAITH
It took a few years for the business to actually start taking off, and Kianna admits she was “really naive” at the start.
“I studied fashion but I had no idea how to actually run a business,” she said.
“I just thought, ‘Oh, all I need to do is create clothing’.”
“Trying to think in an analytical mindset to grow the business, that has definitely been challenging.
“All I ever really knew was, how to sew, how to draw.”
It wasn’t until Kianna decided to leave her job and put all her efforts into KIANNA, that it really started to gain momentum and recognition.
“I was really lucky,” shesaid of KIANNA’s success after taking the business full time.
“I started to actually land wholesale accounts and have the product to go into boutiques, and then ended on THE ICONIC, which helped build that brand awareness.”
“Consciously crafted fashion”
While affordability is still a key consideration for the brand, Kianna says her first priority is quality. This includes her desire to create pieces that people can wear for seasons to come.
Her best-selling Shim pants are one example of this. They have been available from the very start of the brand.
“If a product sells well, I will intentionally repurpose those into future collections so I’m not just always creating new products for the sake of it, but I’m creating products that I know can be worn again,” Kianna said.
“It’s not just trend focus necessarily.”
Instead she aims to create clothes that are “consciously crafted fashion”.
“It’s about being really particular about how often I drop and what kind of product I drop. And can this item be matched back with last season’s items?” Kianna said.
LOVED BY CELEBRITIES
There is no doubt that the Shim Pants are the number one item for KIANNA.
They fill a gap in the market when women are after something dressy but don’t particularly want to wear a dress, Kianna said.
Plus, the high-waisted style and no pockets mean that they’re super “flattering” too.
“These pants are fantastic. They look chic and because there are no side pockets there’s no bulging or stretching in the wrong places. A versatile and classy look,” writes one five-star review on the website.
Another says, “the comments that I have received have been so positive and a great boost to my ego.”
The Silky Shirt, available in black and ivory, pairs well with the Shim Pants and is another of the brand’s best-selling items.
Made from a luxurious mid-weight silky fabrication, it’s perfect in a matching set with the pants or worn on its own as well.
To say the brand is getting noticed by some of Australia’s (and the world’s) most famous faces would be an understatement.
Paris Hilton has also been spotted repping the Aussie brand while Aussie model and fitness guru Steph Claire Smith has donned the Bianca Suit in Cream. Actor Jodie Gordon has worn the chic Chantelle dress in brown.
Although the brand has been worn by multiple celebrities, Kianna said that they were popular on their own beforehand too.
But one thing that has become apparent from the celebrity recognition is that it has helped her understand who her customer was.
“When it comes to understanding who my customer is, I now recognise I actually have a customer in the older demographic, but that wasn’t being portrayed within my branding and my imagery,” Kianna said.
Famous faces like Sonia Kruger and Angela Bishop have helped attract that age demographic to the brand and expanded her customer base — which she is definitely excited about.
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