Source of Creativity- What's original?

Have you ever thought that every book ever written after the dictionary is just a remix? Every scientific theory is just a version of the big bang? Every garment is based on the last? And how in the world are you supposed to find good music, food, art, or heaven forbid a bikini that no one else has? Is there any thing we can say is totally original these days? _________________________________________________________________

 Being a new employee, I am able to see the manufacturing process from an outside perspective, and couldn't be more impressed with the Kaikini team. With the summer rush coming in, and the bikini bods heating up, production records are soaring! The beautifully decorated headquarters offer a positive environment for the creation of award winning suits from the ashes of organization, expertise, design, laughter, honesty, and everything in-between. The only direction is up for Kaikini's and we are progressing every day! But as we all know too well, growing also entails stepping out of your comfort zone and by doing this we are talking on a few extra projects we are excited about!

I love this company because we communicate. Nothing is swept under the rug and topics and ideas are always being discussed.

 A popular subject that seems to be in the hot seat is the source of originality, main focus on bikinis. We recently discovered some bizarre knockoffs of our suits on EBAY, copywriting of model's pictures, and replicas of ours and other suits in popular magazines and media.

And so we discussed: Being an apparel manufacturer and to work in an industry where copying is the rule, NOT the exception is a hard and humbling concept to grasp. Especially when the swimsuit industry is booming and everywhere you turn a new bikini manufacturer pops up usually with styles looking very similar to the last 10 you've already tried on.

 We took the high road and asked ourselves; do you think the swimsuit industry actually thrives because designers borrow and steal from other designers? Can you actually replicate something so much that it re-invents itself as something new?

 Then we took the low road and asked ourselves, is it legal for them to copy designs like this? Should we be watermarking every image? Should we get a lawyer? As you can see, it was easy for us to get upset when a swimsuit that looks remarkably similar to that of which just took months for us to design shows up in a popular underwear catalog.

 But the facts are in the fashion industry- there is very little intellectual property protection. Anyone can copy an image, but to create utilitarian 3 dimensional object to wear and sell is TOTALLY legal.

We also considered our customers: Do more options make it easier or harder to choose a bikini? What criteria is considered when purchasing? Fit? Material? Price?

We then questioned KaiKini's trademark styles that we considered original. What about the day-one scrunch butt bottoms that have been perfected? Or the traditional bikini top that ties around the back of your neck (which gets caught in your hair and strains your neck) that we modified so the straps crisscross in some creative way for more support and comfort?

Sigh. Unfortunately these designs can all be replicated.

So how can we distinguish ourselves? What makes us different from all the other bikini companies out there? Ding! Our tireless efforts to give you the best swimsuit to fit your lifestyle. The consistency and perfectionism applied to every suit that is made. The dedication and persistence to treat every customer with repect, and to make our products affordable. The production management, the designer's ideas, the quality control- all these things are original to us.

I know KaiKini will always continue to transform the things that CAN be copied, by combining the elements we are inspired by; our customers, surroundings (Kauai), adventure, and YES- other bikinis. For all of those who know how hard it is to pick a bikini, we hope we meet your expectations in inspiration and originality.

 So... we welcome all bikini manufacturers, all budding designers, and all dreamers who are willing to create. If your creative impulse is feeling unoriginal don't get discouraged- use it as inspiration! Don't let images from others filter into your work.
Instead perfect your product by putting together what you have in the present moment and be your OWN creative genius! Focus on being innovative, understanding, hardworking, and YOU!- that can never be replicated!

 Hand-made with originality and Aloha, -Kaikini HQ :)

 Mahalo- Kona-Kai Wilson

Customer Service... from the other end of the line

Every day millions of consumers shop online and wait patiently (or not) for a shiny new treasure to arrive at their mailbox. The wait is painful – but surprisingly addictive! I have to think it stems back to the excitement of getting mail as a kid. It still makes me giddy!

But sometimes... and I know we’ve all been there… something goes wrong. Mr. Postman gets lost, or confused – the size is wrong – they shipped the wrong item – or worse I see the package arrived 1 day after I left on the vacation I’d been planning for 6 months. WHY?! (Yes, this happened to me, and the wound is still fresh!) So, I proceed to find out how to contact customer service and spend the next hour composing a “somebody done somebody wrong song” - and - if they catch me on the wrong day, I just might jump down the throat of the first person who tries to help me.

And sometimes, that’s the only way to get things done, right?

WRONG.

In this day of everything-I-want-is-online-and-I-want-it-right-NOW we've skipped over the person to person interaction and rarely see a face or smile to go with the purchases we make. Worse yet, somewhere along the way we forgot to be nice – on both ends. There are places I frequent that maybe aren't my favorite or I 'll even pay more for something just because the person on the other side of the counter is SO wonderful I can’t help but want to support them! Finding good customer service these days is like a Diamond in the Rough. (Like my Disney reference girls?) Likewise, the internet has made it easy for us to be abrupt, demanding and downright rude because we know we’ll never meet the person on the other end of that email or phone call.

But you know who is on the other end of that email or phone call?

Me. 

I’m not pointing any fingers – I’m as guilty as the next person – but being the face of customer service for KaiKini has opened my eyes in a major way. Gone are the days where I immediately assume the person on the other end of that line doesn’t care about my problem. We DO care! You’re the reason we get to make bikinis on a gorgeous little island in the middle of the Pacific. But sincerely, please be understanding as much as possible and believe we are doing our very best to make you feel the ALOHA.

I’m not saying it’s all bad!

I have to give a major shout out to our amazing customers, because for the most part, you are sweet, understanding and gracious. You have no idea how much it means when I get to post a good review about our Kinis or get a ‘Thank you for the amazing customer service.’

So, THANK YOU. You rock my world!

Survey says...We have the best fans in the world!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

We were so blown away by the incredible response we received from our survey last month! The feedback we received is invaluable and we wanted to take the time to let you know we've heard your requests and want to address some of the most common ones specifically.

• Bandeau Tops – Yes! We know those tan lines can be pesky! We have a new design in line to be cut & sewn (as a matter of fact we’re working on it as we speak) that should be released in a month or so and it is beautiful! 

  

  Sneak Peek of our new Bandeau

• More Reversible – We love this one because we’re as excited about the new Reversible styles as you are! We've already released a new Reversible Burnt Orange & Nude Kai and have big plans to expand this line in the coming months!
• More coverage/ Bigger Sizes – We already offer a couple styles that give more coverage than our Cheeky Styles like the Kai. The Okole & Kahuna bottoms are both more of a boy short cut offering more coverage for the booty. The Kahuna even has cute strappy sides like many were requesting! Our Makai bottom is more of a full coverage bottom and actually already comes in our Larger (Size 8-10) and we have plans to bring at least the Okole in size ‘Larger’ in the future, so stay tuned!
• Price – We hear you – bikinis can get expensive! With some brands charging upwards of $200 for a bikini set, we’ve done our best to keep our prices reasonable. Just in case you didn’t know, each piece is cut by hand and sewn with care and aloha right here in our warehouse on Kauai. While most swimwear companies eventually outsource their line to be made overseas where labor is cheaper (or even worse, in a sweatshop), we've held strong to our commitment to keep production here, where we can give back and offer jobs to our local community. Our story and the wonderful people behind KaiKini make it more than just a bikini. Your support and love is something you can feel good about – you can read more of Our Story here: http://www.kaikini.com/our-story/

A few things you asked about that we’re already doing:

• More styles and patterns – You may not know, but we release at least one new pattern each month if not more! We also try to release a new style every couple months. J Keep in mind, we make small batches of everything so we can give you more variety, but we are a small team, so we can’t release every new print or color in every style we offer unfortunately. We do our best to rotate through our most popular styles though, so keep on the lookout. (P.S. We have a new PinUp top and Makai bottoms in the works!)
• Tops for bigger chested women / More supportive tops – We have a few different options for Larger chests that we offer on a regular basis. Our Sport Tops and Elua/Ekolu tops are both offered in sizes up to an ‘E’ cup and our PinUp top is offered in sizes up to an E/F cup. The PinUp’s style and straps are specially designed for better support of the ‘ladies’ and we have customers who love these comfy options sans the usual padding and under-wire.
• Free Shipping – We have a free shipping option for all shipments within the US and there is only a $30 minimum order to qualify! We even have free shipping to Australia for orders over $50! Just select ‘Free Shipping’ at checkout!
• Rewards Program – We have a VIP Rewards Program that was launched at the beginning of the year and we've been awarding our faithful bikini addicts each month! You can find out more about our 2014 Rewards Program here, but be on the lookout, because we have plans to unveil a new and improved Rewards Program for 2015!

…. And finally, we wanted to address something we hear quite often regarding the models and photos we use to promote our products. We receive a lot of heat for using fit models or the same models to represent our line. Many of you have requested to see more curves/bigger breasts/full figure/voluptuous women sporting our suits. The truth is EVERYONE has a different idea of beauty and while we do our best to represent our line with beauties of ALL shapes and sizes, we run up against many challenges that maybe aren’t obvious at first glance. We find that no matter what photo we upload we get comments along the lines of ‘needs to work out’ ‘too skinny’ ‘too big’ ‘ugly’ or some other variation of hate telling these girls that they’re not good enough. We know many of our models and brand ambassadors personally and they are all beautiful, happy and healthy women. Isn’t it sad that no matter the shape or size of a woman, we can count on some type of negativity from every photo we post? We have a hard time posting a picture knowing it will be met with comments tearing the person down rather than lifting them up. At KaiKini we strive for ‘HAPPY.’ We talk about spreading aloha and what it means to us to live in a way that treats others with love and respect. We ask that you consider this next time you’re ready to comment on a photo and realize that these are real people – Real. Beautiful. People. And it’s time we start recognizing that beauty regardless of whether it comes in the shape or package you prefer. And always remember:

Stay tuned! We have another survey coming and we’re going to need your help again soon!