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fashion<br />
Kaela Kay is a forward thinking clothing<br />
line that transforms bold and ex-<br />
K AELA<br />
K AY<br />
travagant prints into sexy, feminine and<br />
KAELA KAY BRAND<br />
modern clothes – with an African flare.<br />
Kaela Kay’s success is due in part to the<br />
unique and ultramodern coupling of style<br />
and prints; the attention to intricate<br />
detail and creative symbolisms catapult<br />
Kaela Kay into the realm of luxurious<br />
fashion. With future goals to blossom<br />
Kaela Kay into a global brand, the grass<br />
roots of Kaela Kay’s longevity is to offer<br />
a powerhouse of style without definition<br />
and to keep all the clothes modern<br />
without losing femininity. Modeled<br />
after no one woman but designed for all<br />
women, Kaela Kay clothing is feminine<br />
yet strong; dainty yet bold; and totally,<br />
unconventionally, modern.<br />
THE KAELA KAY WOMAN<br />
The Kaela Kay woman is…a woman<br />
who wants to stand out in a crowd, who<br />
wants to be heard over all the voices, a<br />
woman who respects her heritage and<br />
uses that to plan her future. She is a<br />
mother, a wife, and a corporate worker.<br />
She is educated and refined. She walks<br />
tall with her shoulders back, and she<br />
knows her worth. Classless, brash, and<br />
discourteous – she is not. She will play<br />
with anyone, and laughs with everyone.<br />
She loves, and she is loved. And she does<br />
all of this, looking fiercely gorgeous and<br />
perfectly distinctive in her Kaela Kay<br />
dress.<br />
THE DESIGNER BEHIND<br />
THE BRAND<br />
As head designer and creative director<br />
of Kaela Kay, Catherine Addai lives on<br />
creativity. She loves to play with prints,<br />
patters and crafty detail. Always following<br />
her intuition, she designs with one<br />
goal in mind: to design clothes that she<br />
would love to wear every day.<br />
Abina Vivienne Citron Block Skirt<br />
Bella Lulu Print Pop Top<br />
Anna Maria Kukua Full Skirt<br />
Why did you name your company KAELA KAY?<br />
KAELA KAY is named after my daughter Mikaela. My<br />
dream of starting my own clothing line came to fruition<br />
just after my daughter was born, while I was on maternity<br />
leave. Mikaela’s birth spurred a desire in me to do more<br />
and be more. The drive to “own” my own business, to<br />
express my creativity, and to be successful heightened and<br />
I threw caution to the wind and started KAELA KAY.<br />
What does fashion mean to you?<br />
To me, fashion is about personal expression. Wear what<br />
you want, when you want and express your personality<br />
through your clothes. KAELA KAY is a representation<br />
of who I am, how I dress, and how I feel about fashion. I<br />
don’t follow trends; I believe that anyone and everyone’s<br />
style is a trend – their trend and we should all aspire to<br />
be individuals and fashion is a great way to promote that<br />
platform.<br />
Don’t be swayed by trends and<br />
other people’s opinions – style is<br />
totally personal.<br />
As fashion designers, how hard do you believe it is<br />
to succeed in this industry?<br />
It can be difficult to muddle through the process of being<br />
a fashion designer. From financing, to production, to<br />
creativity to exposure – they are all necessary pieces of<br />
the success puzzle and especially in the beginning, it can<br />
be very difficult to achieve all. Luckily, KAELA KAY has<br />
been extremely well received and the feedback has been<br />
nothing but positive. But there are definite struggles that<br />
fashion designers have to go through; I strongly believe<br />
with the right support, the right avenues and channels, the<br />
right connections and of course the passion, it is very possible<br />
to succeed in the industry.<br />
Why did you choose African inspired<br />
prints for your designs?<br />
The premise of KAELA KAY is to represent clothes with<br />
modern styles and sophistication while still representing<br />
African culture and heritage. I wanted to get away from<br />
the traditional view of African attire and bring a fresh<br />
perspective to African inspired style. The ntoma/Ankara<br />
prints are so beautiful, colourful and lively that I wanted<br />
to show that and prove that it can be mainstream and high<br />
fashion. I want to showcase the beautiful textiles that<br />
Africa offers, but in a very stylistic and modern realm.<br />
How would you define the<br />
style your line exemplifies?<br />
KAELA KAY clothes are modern, sexy, clean and elegant.<br />
I want all women to feel sophisticated and classy<br />
when they wear KAELA KAY clothes.<br />
Do you prefer sketching designs<br />
or actually constructing them?<br />
Both activities are pragmatic and necessary – but I love<br />
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