- Sanauva-Nique
- Aug 14, 2020
- 5 min read
Creative of the week: Kya (owner of T-kini swim)
Hey guys! I'm back with Feature Friday and I'm super excited to be interviewing this lovely woman. She's beautiful, talented and always good energy to be around. With that being said, please welcome Kya to the chat! A young black woman owned designer with a bikini line called T-kini. I recently got the pleasure of getting to know her over the past month and knew she'd be great for the blog. So, lets get into it!
Interview
Me: "Hiii babe. For the people at home, please tell us your name, age and and place of birth. Also are you single? Asking for a friend (the friend may or may not be me.)"
Kya: "My name's Kya! But my stage name/alterego is superstarkya. I've been calling myself that since young and it's kind of starting to come full circle lol. I'm from Jersey and born in Jersey. I'm 20 But I'll be 21 this weekend. I am single!!!"
Me: "Leo season ladies and gents! Happy early birthday my love <3 And okay okay, good to know ....
So, something I always wonder about people who start their own brand, how and why did you decide "T kinis" and why specifically swimwear? Any inspiration(s)?"
Kya: "Okay so about a year ago I began wholesale swimsuits. I used to find the cutest swimsuits online but I was stingy with my sites! So I decided to start a little business out of selling the swim people enjoyed seeing me in! That went for a while until I got bored. As my fashion sense and style expanded I started having trouble finding swim I actually wanted to wear. So, after learning how to sew at school (Clark Atlanta University ) i took matters into my own hands to make graphic bikinis. I cut up an old t-shirt of mine, added some straps to it and boom! I made my very first T-kini. I see women of all color, size and shape in my bikini. I would love to see women like Rihanna in my bikini. That's like my one very specific inspiration lol."
Me: "I love that!! You really saw a need for something and decided to do supply it; as it should be! Also bikini shopping is hard especially when stuff either doesn't fit right or looks like every other bikini. You found a way to branch into your own lane and I truly commend you for that!
So what's been your greatest accomplishment thus far and also the hardest part about having a brand?"
Kya: "My greatest accomplishment so far has been making women feel confident. That's #1. I love seeing women embrace their bodies in something that I create from hand. That's the best feeling for me. Aside from that, being posted on The Shade Room was pretty cool, and going from selling out in a week to selling out in a day has also been huge for me. I'm thankful as fuck. The hardest part is finding your balance. Working for yourself is very uncomfortable in the beginning because you work on your own time. You set the rules and work hours. Some days I'm motivated, some days I'm not. So sometimes it's hard to put myself in front of my machine (being that I hand make the suits) but I try to just take advantage of any time it feels right & lock in."
Me: "That's beautiful. Being able to sell out in one day must feel so empowering! And then being featured on such a popular social media page gives you so much more exposure to people looking for a product like the one you offer. And I'm sure a lot of young business owners can relate to how you feel. Being this age trying to balance a social life and properly take care of business at the same time is tufff at times! But you seem to be on the right track. On top of these accomplishments, you're a black woman at that. How does it feel to be a young black owned brand in today's society?"
Kya: "Being a young black woman in today's society feels powerful as fuck. Growing up I didn't have that many woman to look up to, especially in my field so it's pretty amazing to now see so many creative black women doing their own thing. Working for themselves. Creating their own lane. It's a whole world of young black girls that look up to us and it's all very inspiring to me."
Me: "Yes! Seeing all the success of black women and men this year has been so heartwarming and makes me so so happy. With all your success thus far, have you ever considered adding on any products to your brand? Or strictly kinis?"
Kya: "As far as merch my ideas definitely expand past swimwear. This is just my starting point. Every time I think about easing off kinis I get more clientele, and it's only been a year since I've started. I'm very eager to move on from kinis but patience is a virtue! I'm in no rush. I've got a lot of life and a whole bunch of ideas to keep me company."
Me: "Only a year is crazy! I didn't know that. Shout out to you for all these accomplishments in such a short time span.
So now that we know a little more about your T-kinis, I'd love to know more about you. (I like to ask all my interviewees this as a form of self love and appreciation.) What would you say is your best feature and why?"
Kya: "I think my best feature is my eyes and my personality. My eyes are super sexy to me, I feel like I can eye fuck anyone lmfao. My personality is very bold, honest, calm and fun. I love my eyes because they either start conversation or make someone nervous. I love my personality because I can really change a mood."
Me: "Bitchhh, this is so crazy you say that because I agree 100% LMAO. Your eyes are literally so captivating I love it. I literally thought this after our few interactions. And you definitely have the personality to go along with it.
So continuing on the topic of yourself, how would you describe your style/aesthetic? You always look good."
Kya: "I would describe my personal style as sexy/cool 2000's girl. My style really depends on my mood or the weather. Sometimes I'm showing hella skin or I'm in something big and baggy. I love vintage anything though. I barely shop at the mall or in real life. I have a thing for collecting old designer shit."
Me: "On god, the stores and malls never have shit anyway.
So lastly Kya, what I ask all my guests last, if you could leave the people with any words of encouragement, what would it be?"
Kya: "If I had any words for anyone it would be to take the first step and no matter what, stay true to you. A lot of people believe that they have to be fake or try to fit into societies standard image. I hate it. Everything is better organic and all it takes is a little believing and patience."
*drops mic*
*end of interview*
THE WRAP UP
Well there you have it folks! Superstarkya and her T kinis. It was so fun getting to know more about her personally and also the brand. As a young black woman it makes me extremely happy and motivated to continue reaching the goals I have for myself. Kya turned a personal want and need for fire ass bikinis into a business that appeals to so many different women; that is truly inspiring. It all starts with that small idea!
I hope to see many more young women like Kya speak on my blog. The young women need to see things like this!!! Also her birthday is tomorrow so ya go wish her a happy birthday! I'll talk to you guys soon; thanks for tuning in! <3
