Breaking into the international fashion market is no small feat. The competition is incredibly fierce for startups without deep pockets or established reputations. Industry statistics reveal that approximately 90% of clothing startups fail, with 30% closing within the first two years and 50% not surviving past the five-year mark. Despite these daunting odds, some entrepreneurs like Fisayo Longe have defied the statistics.
Fisayo Longe is a London-born Nigerian who transitioned from an auditor at KPMG to founding Kai Collective, a fashion brand that has surpassed £2 ($2.5) million in annual revenue.
Since its inception in 2016, the brand has generated over £6 ($7.5) million in total revenue, placing it among the exclusive 4% of startups worldwide that have surpassed the $1 million mark and continued to grow and influence the global fashion industry.
“I want women to never accept limitations or stereotypes from anybody – to realise how powerful they are.” – Fisayo Longe, Founder & CEO
Finding the missing link
When Fisayo Longe did not meet the cut-off mark to pursue a law degree, she had to take a year off. However, her mother had one condition: if Fisayo wasn’t attending school, she needed to work. At the age of 18, Longe joined KPMG as a gap-year student. She impressed the team so much that she was offered a work-study scheme that allowed her to divide her time between auditing at KPMG and studying accounting at Durham University. Nevertheless, she felt that something was still missing.
The creative had always been drawn to fashion, lifestyle, and travel. In her downtime, she started a blog, Mirror Me, documenting her travel adventures and sharing photos of outfits she made from fabrics she sourced herself. Her content gained her a loyal following, and the fashion lover decided to leverage it. Thus, in 2016, with a loan of £8,000 from her mother, she launched Kai Collective, a fashion brand inspired by her love of fabrics collected during her travels.
Kai Collectives
Kai Collectives is a fashion brand based in London that specialises in affordable, luxury-inspired womenswear. The founder, Longe, launched her first collection with just ten pieces. Although she hoped her 40,000 social media followers would make significant purchases, only 23 orders came in on the launch day. Rather than give up, she carefully analysed what wasn’t working and revised her strategy. As a result, everything changed for the brand.
Her breakthrough came with the creation of the ‘Gia Dress’. This stunning print mesh design captured something she calls “main character energy.” The Gia Dress went viral and became Kai Collective’s signature look, celebrating confidence, individuality, and femininity. By 2020, Kai Collective was everywhere, from Elle to Vogue and even Beyoncé’s directory of Black-owned businesses.
Her success has enabled her to give back by supporting organisations like the Mirabel Centre and Stand To End Rape in Nigeria, which provide care for survivors of domestic violence. She has collaborated with Nike, Google, Aldo, Shopify, and Lancome.
Fisayo Longe once believed she would become a lawyer. Today, she is a trailblazer in the fashion industry.
