Over the years, I’ve had plenty of surreal moments seeing Kiyonna out in the world. I’ve spotted our dresses on television, seen celebrities wearing them, and even ended up at weddings where guests were dressed in Kiyonna. Those moments are always exciting, but one of my favorites happened somewhere much closer to home.
Last year, I decided one Sunday to go to an open house in my neighborhood. I have to admit I was being a little bit nosy, as I wasn’t looking to move anytime soon.
I walked around the house admiring the floorplan, the kitchen counters, and other details, and made my way to the main bedroom of the house and was stopped in my tracks when I looked at the walk-in closet.
Hanging there was one of our cherry blossom prints. I knew it instantly. There is something very strange about recognizing a print you’ve seen through every stage of its life. I had known it long before it was a dress. I had seen the swatch, watched the fabric become a sample, followed it through fittings, production, photography and finally out into the world.
In a funny way, every style feels a little like something we’ve nurtured and love, and then sent off to find a forever home. You hope your creation gets chosen and can be part of someone’s beautiful moments. You hope it gets loved. And apparently this woman who adopted our Vienna cherry blossom print maxi didn’t stop there, because as I kept looking, I found another Kiyonna print, and then another dress. By the time I was done snooping, there were five Kiyonna dresses in this stranger’s closet.
I was completely delighted.
What made it so special was how ordinary it was. There was no red carpet, no photoshoot and no fashion editor. Just someone’s closet, in someone’s home, filled with dresses she had chosen to buy, keep and wear. Somehow, that made it feel even bigger.
When you spend years building a brand, so much of your time is spent looking at numbers, inventory, production schedules, returns, ad performance and all the other things that come with running a business. You can forget that somewhere, in a house you’ve never been inside, there is a woman getting dressed for dinner, a wedding, a party or an important day in her life, and she’s reaching for something you and your team created.
Those dresses weren’t inventory anymore. They were part of someone’s actual life.
And that may be the part of 30 years that still gets me most. You make something, you send it out into the world, and then one day, when you least expect it, you find out it has been living a whole life without you.
Sometimes, apparently, you just have to open the right closet door.
Next Week – Not all celebrations look the same.
For years, I thought our job was to help women find something beautiful to wear for life’s special occasions. Then a few customers changed the way I saw what we really do.
Spoiler: It was never just about the dress.