Today, I want to share with you the story behind the brand,  KIT LONDON in this inspiring interview with Kitty Lai, the co-founder of KIT LONDON.  

KIT LONDON is a new sustainable fashion brand, founded by Chris Browne, and Kitty Lai, born out of a desire to do things honestly and differently. 

Chris is the global retail director and joined the brand from its beginnings in London. He is passionate about retailing and enjoys the current huge change that is sweeping through the traditional retail landscape.

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Kitty has brought her critical perfectionist eye to bear on all the brands she has worked with in a varied and exciting career to date. She also feels that change in the fashion industry is long overdue and is determined to have a positive impact on raising design standards, innovating and making the world of fashion a more entertaining and sustainable place.

In addition to her role as the co-founder of KIT LONDON, Kitty is also a visual design communicator, graphic designer, brand consultant and the founder of ME BRAND.

With two decades of senior management commercial design experience for iconic British brands such as Ted Baker and Cath Kidston, she is passionate about helping businesses come to life through visual communication. 

Today I am delighted to share Kitty’s inspirational story with you as well as her hopes for the future and her advice for other entrepreneurs/ startups. 

Exclusive Interview with Kitty Lai, the co-founder of KIT LONDON

Interview with Kitty Lai

Thank you so much for joining us, Kitty. Can you tell me what inspired you to take the leap to launch your own fashion brand, and can you describe your brand to us in a few words? 

It was actually a conversation over a coffee with Chris Browne and we were talking about how we are working with other brands. Chris suggested we should just create our own brand instead, and what was only meant to be a few T-shirts has turned out to be a mini collection for mens, women and accessories. 

Can you tell us the inspiration behind the name “KIT LONDON”? 

The name is actually named after both of us founders, obviously short for Kitty but it is also short for Christopher which is less well known. 

Can you tell us a little more about your career path prior to launching ‘“KIT LONDON”?  Have you always had an interest in fashion ?

I’ve always had an interest in fashion since I was young but I was more into packaging and graphics, which landed me an inhouse role at Ted Baker in 1999.

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I worked there for 10 years from a junior position to heading up a graphics team by the time I left and then joining Cath Kidston in 2010. I helped Cath rebrand everything and worked closely with her on packaging and campaigns.    

Can you describe what you mean by sustainable fashion and what does this mean for your brand?

We mean for our KIT LONDON clothing to last longer than most as the quality of production and material is a much higher standard. We’re not fast fashion and we’ve designed our pieces to be timeless classics that will stay in your wardrobe for a long while. 

We want to be transparent with our customers so we are doing our best as a small brand to use sustainable fabrics and materials that can make less impact on the environment whether it’s through the manufacturing processes or how it’s sourced.

For example, our sunglasses are made from biodegradable acetate and made using vegetable oils as opposed to petroleum. The case is made from Vegan leather and the cloth from 100% recycled PET microfiber. 

Where do you source most of your materials from and what is your favourite fabric?

Our designer has sourced fabrics with the suppliers so currently in Turkey and Hong Kong and my favourite fabric is the EcoVero Viscose, but my aim is to source and manufacturer in the UK in the future.  

Do you think we will eventually change the way we buy and look at more timeless and well-made pieces as opposed to so much fast fashion?

It’s important to know that we are are not fast fashion and we do not follow trends as such, we regard ourselves as slow fashion and ‘timeless’ and ‘longevity’ is a theme that runs throughout our products. 

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Where do you sell your pieces? Are we able to purchase them from somewhere other than your website?

They are currently only on our website, although some pieces like jewellery and sunglasses may soon be available in 3rd party marketplaces. 

Our products do feature on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest accounts but are directed back to our website for purchase. 

What kind of person is a KIT LONDON customer?

We’ve aimed at casually cool, design and detail focused, astute Men and Women.

With an age range anything from 25+, but we don’t really like to put an age on out KIT as we know some pieces would suit some younger savvy buyers. 

How do you want people to feel when they are wearing one of your pieces?

We want people to feel great and happy when they wear our pieces. 

In fact we’ve named each product with a feeling, so our dress Incredible would describe how I’d like the wearer to look and feel. 

Do current fashion trends or color forecasting influence you when designing your collection?

Our designer would always have a say on this but we take a view on what would work in terms of colour so we are not solely influenced by it. Our first collection was possibly even a little too safe! 

Can you tell me a bit more about your current (and first) collection? What was the inspiration behind it?  

We wanted to offer beautifully designed fashion pieces that would pair well with each other. We were inspired by clothing items that we knew would make our customers feel great and look subtly sexy without even knowing it. 

Each piece has some branding touch whether it’s a red thread, logo embroidery or rivet. We’ve included some hidden details so you’ll discover them over time.  

What are your favourite pieces and why ?

Incredible : The Perfect Dress

The dresses because they feel amazing and the bias cut looks great on. 

Incredible : The Perfect Dress

The jacket has been designed especially to be fitted but a casually cool design. 

Incredible Dress and Lovely – The Jacket

The mens shirt is one of my favourites because the cotton is super soft to touch and the quality and details are everything you’d want in a mens shirt. 

Joyous – the perfect shirt

You have recently added handmade jewellery to your product range? Can you tell us a little more about this, and again, tell us which are your favourite pieces? 

Our jewellery is designed by us and handmade using Sterling Silver. We’ve collaborated with a silversmith located in Greece, someone Chris met on holiday in Crete. This is a capsule collection so pieces are limited. I can honestly say I love them all. 

Dropped Ring Necklace

What do you think sets you apart from other fashion brands? 

Our mission is to redefine the way a brand is built, collaborating with talented designers and individuals, to help support a more balanced lifestyle and a way forward in this changing world whilst making a positive impact on the environment.

One of the things I noticed on your site is your digital tailor ”SIZE ME UP”, which ensures that every customer gets the right size. Can you explain to us how this works and why it’s so important in saving the environment? 

Fit related returns make up 70% of online clothing returns, with customers ordering multiple sizes or returning ill fitting items, which increases the waste produced by the retail industry and therefore increases the carbon footprint on the environment.

The Size Me Up app can avoid this issue by recommending your ideal size with only two images and your height taken from your phone. 

Can you also tell us about your “1 Percent For The Planet” initiative, and how this benefits both people and the planet? 

As recently joined member of 1% for the Planet, we donate 1% of our sales profit to charities of our choice. We help support the Oceans and Forests which is close to our hearts. 

What has been the biggest challenge/ hurdle your brand has faced so far?

The biggest challenge was not being able to launch with a full collection as the suppliers were extremely late on delivery due to factory issues they had. It made a huge impact on launch day. 

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On a personal level, what has been your biggest milestone / achievement so far? 

For me personally to firstly overcome my fear of being on live camera when I launched my Facebook group and secondly go head on with starting this brand when we went into the first lockdown in 2020.     

This series is all about representing and empowering dynamic women everywhere; can you recall a particular moment in the last year that influenced your growth and evolution as a woman? 

Before launching this brand I was actually building my own Personal Brand as I had just launched my personal branding business ME BRAND so I was doing everything possible to get myself seen and heard. 

I could feel my brand growing when I was asked to be a guest on my first live interview then other requests soon followed which really made me feel great and that I was being noticed…finally.

What are your aspirations for the future? Where would you like to see your brand 5 years from now and are there any imminent plans for the company that you’d like to share?

The aspiration is to become a global household name and be able to fulfill our mission as much as possible. I want to see everyone wearing KIT. 

What words of advice do you have for any entrepreneurs trying to make it in the fashion industry? 

Do your due diligence and don’t rush into it. Know your budget and stick to it. Know your audience and know what your brand stands for. 

Is there anything else you would like to share with us today? 

We have a 30% off discount code of KIT30 currently, but sign up to our newsletter for more about deals and our products at kit-london.com

KIT LONDON’s goal is to prove that clothing and other lifestyle products can enhance your life and benefit the planet.

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I hope you enjoyed this inspiring interview with Kitty Lai, co-founder of KIT LONDON as much as I enjoyed researching it, and don’t forget to check out our other inspiring women posts.