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Ali Hoffmann and Tess Hamilton, FIDM Alumni and now successful 'salty' entrepreneurs. Starting their brand KAOHS, these two brilliant minds have joined forces to make a big impact in swimwear. KAOHS is inspired by the skate, boho, and surf lifestyle that the two California locals grew up in. Pursuing a career in fashion, Tess and Ali met at FIDM, sparked an interest for their love of all things beach and created an empire together. Inspired and devoted, the young entrepreneurs have shaped a brand that combines rad detail, flattering cuts, and rare style. The two use their background to establish an effortless yet bold bikini line that encompasses beachside vibes combined with Los Angeles’ street style.
The Gracious Lady had the lovely opportunity to ask the minds behind KAOHS some questions about their successes and to shoot with their first collection.
How does your story begin? When and how did you decide to grow your friendship into a business partnership?
We met through a mutual friend at FIDM, we had a lot in common and eventually wanting to start a business came up as a topic. We meet the next day for lunch and now we're here.
Describe your experience creating your own brand.
We didn’t know much about starting a company, other than the fact that we wanted to. We started with sketches on notebook paper and asked a lot of questions. We also made some mistakes, but they made us better. It’s stressful but worth every minute of it.
How long did it take to develop the brand, sketch the swimwear, and bring your vision to life?
It took about 10 weeks for us to get our sketches to samples. From then on we started to implement more aspects of the company. It slowly came together and fell into place.
Were you anticipating the Kaohs brand to grow in exposure and celebrity attention as much as it did right away?
Together we had a really strong list of resources and connections, we knew with hard work we would be able to get our suits in some pretty big hands, which would essentially help our growth.
How have you reacted to your brands quick rise to success?
We try to be modest. We are definitely excited about how things are going, but also like to keep things in perspective.
How did The Jenner/Kardashian family get the opportunity to wear your swimwear?
We have a good friend, who is one of Kim’s best friends. When Kim saw the bikinis she was instantly supportive and so was the whole family. Having the Kardashians and Jenners as fans has helped grow our business and get us some great press online as well as, US Weekly, In Touch, Life & Style, etc.
The Gracious Lady had the lovely opportunity to ask the minds behind KAOHS some questions about their successes and to shoot with their first collection.
How does your story begin? When and how did you decide to grow your friendship into a business partnership?
We met through a mutual friend at FIDM, we had a lot in common and eventually wanting to start a business came up as a topic. We meet the next day for lunch and now we're here.
Describe your experience creating your own brand.
We didn’t know much about starting a company, other than the fact that we wanted to. We started with sketches on notebook paper and asked a lot of questions. We also made some mistakes, but they made us better. It’s stressful but worth every minute of it.
How long did it take to develop the brand, sketch the swimwear, and bring your vision to life?
It took about 10 weeks for us to get our sketches to samples. From then on we started to implement more aspects of the company. It slowly came together and fell into place.
Were you anticipating the Kaohs brand to grow in exposure and celebrity attention as much as it did right away?
Together we had a really strong list of resources and connections, we knew with hard work we would be able to get our suits in some pretty big hands, which would essentially help our growth.
How have you reacted to your brands quick rise to success?
We try to be modest. We are definitely excited about how things are going, but also like to keep things in perspective.
How did The Jenner/Kardashian family get the opportunity to wear your swimwear?
We have a good friend, who is one of Kim’s best friends. When Kim saw the bikinis she was instantly supportive and so was the whole family. Having the Kardashians and Jenners as fans has helped grow our business and get us some great press online as well as, US Weekly, In Touch, Life & Style, etc.
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What was the most pivotal accident, or unexpected discovery you made towards your success?
We need to trust our instincts, we're bad at that. We also learned the hard way that when you custom dye fabric, it shrinks, A LOT!
Where do you see Kaohs progressing?
We plan of continuing to expand our bikini collection with a spring and summer collection as well as ready to wear pieces. Hopefully, we can bring kids swim and mens board shorts on soon! And hopefully surfboards one day!
What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Production. When things get backed up in production we just have to sit back and tell each other we got this and we need to be calm. It doesn’t always work, but we try.
What three pieces of advice would you give to college students who want to become entrepreneurs?
Above all, trust your instincts and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Learn from your mistakes and write everything down in one spot, like a planner. Phone numbers, dates, addresses, EVERYTHING, it’s much more reliable than storing all important info in your phone!
What do you love about designing and building an empire you believe in?
It hasn’t been easy but the support we receive from our family, friends, and customers keeps us going. We love hearing feedback from our customers. It's an awesome feeling when they go out of the way to let you know how much they love the product.
What are some of your proudest accomplishments thus far?
I think we are really proud of hitting our goals; breaking even point, web sales, wholesale sales, and being definitely being asked to be a part of Mercedes Benz Miami Beach Swim Week this upcoming July.
What does entrepreneurship mean to you both?
Being an entrepreneur is both scary and exciting. We are both really thrilled about growing as a company. As we continue to grow, we will get to give back and share our experiences and knowledge with many.
What does entrepreneurship mean to you both?
Being an entrepreneur is both scary and exciting. We are both really thrilled about growing as a company. As we continue to grow, we will get to give back and share our experiences and knowledge with many.
We need to trust our instincts, we're bad at that. We also learned the hard way that when you custom dye fabric, it shrinks, A LOT!
Where do you see Kaohs progressing?
We plan of continuing to expand our bikini collection with a spring and summer collection as well as ready to wear pieces. Hopefully, we can bring kids swim and mens board shorts on soon! And hopefully surfboards one day!
What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Production. When things get backed up in production we just have to sit back and tell each other we got this and we need to be calm. It doesn’t always work, but we try.
What three pieces of advice would you give to college students who want to become entrepreneurs?
Above all, trust your instincts and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Learn from your mistakes and write everything down in one spot, like a planner. Phone numbers, dates, addresses, EVERYTHING, it’s much more reliable than storing all important info in your phone!
What do you love about designing and building an empire you believe in?
It hasn’t been easy but the support we receive from our family, friends, and customers keeps us going. We love hearing feedback from our customers. It's an awesome feeling when they go out of the way to let you know how much they love the product.
What are some of your proudest accomplishments thus far?
I think we are really proud of hitting our goals; breaking even point, web sales, wholesale sales, and being definitely being asked to be a part of Mercedes Benz Miami Beach Swim Week this upcoming July.
What does entrepreneurship mean to you both?
Being an entrepreneur is both scary and exciting. We are both really thrilled about growing as a company. As we continue to grow, we will get to give back and share our experiences and knowledge with many.
What does entrepreneurship mean to you both?
Being an entrepreneur is both scary and exciting. We are both really thrilled about growing as a company. As we continue to grow, we will get to give back and share our experiences and knowledge with many.
