I don’t remember when I first came across KaPow, but I know when I did it was love at first sight. Luckily at the time I had a few presents to buy for so had a good excuse (not that you need one) to get some of the awesome threads. Andrea, like myself was a mum to one and was using KaPow as a creative outlet to her career job as an architect. She was my first creative friend on Instagram and I’m lucky to now call her a real life friend, so I thought what better way to start this blog then to interview her first.
This blog is going to be all about mums in business, featuring all the ladies that I have ‘met’ through the wonderful Instagram community so that you can learn more about the creative forces behind the brands that I have come to love and that I’m sure you will fall in love with too – if you haven’t already.
Ok that’s enough from me, let’s find out more about Andrea the designer and creator of KaPow…
What is the best thing about working for yourself?
I love owning my own small business. Working at home in pyjamas, no rushing to work in peak hour, being there for our son, Flynn, flexible hours, it’s the best.
What is the hardest thing about working for yourself?
There’s nobody to bounce ideas off, and can be isolating. I try to network with other mums/small biz owners as much as I can.
How many children do you have and do they influence your work?
We have one 3 year old whirlwind, Flynn, and one on the way. Flynn definitely influenced me to start KaPow. It was only after having a baby that I realised I didn’t want to work in a busy office anymore.
What inspires you and your work?
Anything and everything. I love bright, fun prints and patterns so I am influenced by all the prints around me.
What did you do before starting your business and has it had an impact on your business?
Before KaPow I was an Architect. Fashion and architecture are similar in many ways so it has been handy. In architecture you learn a lot about design, composition, colour, photography, form etc and so I have applied this to clothing design. There’s so much about Fashion that I don’t know though, I’m still learning every day. I taught myself to sew and taught myself pattern making, it hasn’t been easy. But I love it.
What do you like to do to escape from work?
I don’t think I ever escape from work, I think about it constantly. Not a bad thing, I love it. But when you have a small biz, sometimes you just cant ever escape it.
What’s your favourite thing to do with your family?
Go out for coffee/brunch. Or just be at home doing nothing!
Can you name a must follow account on Instagram?
@ministyleblog
Do you have anything new coming up for your company that you would like to share?
The new summer range will be dropping soon. Its very exciting – we will be doing bigger sizes, and all the fabric prints are exclusive to us. We are growing all the time, and for this new range we will have 25 stockists, which is pretty huge for us.
Do you have any hopes and dreams for your companies future that you would like to share?
I just hope that KaPow continues to grow and innovate. I hope that our lovely customers continue to support us, because they are the main thing keeping us going. We are very lucky to have so much support. I also want to remain small, I like the fact that KaPow is limited edition and not everywhere.