An Interview With Candice Georgiadice
Differentiator — You have to have a differentiator to set you apart. For example, we didn’t invent the bikini, but we are the first to offer bikinis based on your butt size through a sizing metric that considers your inseam as well as your hip size.
Many in the fashion industry have been making huge pivots in their business models. Many have turned away from the fast fashion trend. Many have been focusing on fashion that also makes a social impact. Many have turned to sustainable and ethical sourcing. Many have turned to hi tech manufacturing. Many have turned to subscription models. What are the other trends that we will see in the fashion industry? What does it take to lead a successful fashion brand today?
In our series called, “5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand Today” we are talking to successful leaders of fashion brands who can talk about the Future of Fashion and the 5 things it takes to lead a successful fashion brand in our “new normal.”
As a part of this series I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Cameron Armstrong.
Twenty-eight year old Cameron Armstrong, an Atlanta native and UNC — Chapel Hill Alum, was always frustrated by the constant sagging of her bikini bottom. She heard similar complaints from friends with the same issue, and other complaints with the opposite problem — never having enough coverage. She left her role in Marketing at L’Oreal in 2018 to combat the woes of swimsuit shopping and build Kitty and Vibe. Armstrong ultimately hopes to cultivate kindness by helping women feel more confident in a swimsuit, through a better fit and empathetic experience.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?
I was born & raised in Atlanta, GA. I am blessed to be the sister of a special needs person. My brother, Richard, has been instilling the virtues of kindness and empathy in me from the day I was born. I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill and moved to New York City post-college to embark on a career in Marketing with L’Oreal. After noticing my own consistent struggles with swimwear and hearing similar complaints from friends & women across the country, I set out on a mission to revolutionize the product and shopping experience.
Can you tell us the story about what led you to this particular career path?
POV: it’s 2017 and we are fresh out of the presidential election. I attended my first Women’s March in NYC and started seeing women at the forefront of successful product-based businesses (think Emily Weiss of Glossier, Jen Rubio of Away, Ty Haney of Outdoor Voices, etc.) I felt drawn to their leadership and wondered if there was a product out there that needed revolutionizing — one that I could pioneer. That summer, I started noticing my frustration surrounding swimwear — the lack of empathy from brands when marketing such a vulnerable product, the overpriced nature for a quality suit, the lack of diversity in marketing campaigns, and the ill-fit of my constant sagging bikini bottoms. There was much to fix and I believed I could be the one to do it.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Going viral on TikTok was definitely one of the most surreal experiences in Kitty history. A video of me describing our sizing metric garnered almost 4 million views and brought 200K visitors to our website in one week. It propelled the business to new heights in 2021, and laid a whole new foundation for awareness of the brand.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Curiosity — I used to carry a tiny notepad with me where I would jot down ideas for products, services, businesses, whenever they popped into my brain. The curiosity allowed me to look at things in new ways and sparked my interest in dissecting why swimsuit shopping was so stressful.
Empathy — I think growing up with a special needs brother allowed my empathy muscle to develop at a young age. This has contributed to my business by giving me the genuine drive to build an inclusive brand community.
Scrappy — I’ve primarily bootstrapped Kitty and Vibe to date, thus “scrappy” is my middle name. I packaged the first 4,500 orders with my own two hands, and frequented the post office 3 days a week for 17 months.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Our engaged and devoted community doesn’t call their swimsuit a “swimsuit” or a “bikini” — they call it a “Kitty”. Similar to how the “Kleenex”, “Post-It” or “Jordans” were born, we are proud that our community has coined a new word for the bathing suits they love so much.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story of how that was relevant to you in your life?
When you get knocked down, stand up and try again. I was rejected from business school twice, yet now I run a company that’s achieved triple digit growth 3 years running.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Do you see any fascinating developments emerging over the next few years in the fashion industry that you are excited about? Can you tell us about that?
We’ve been noticing community being at the forefront of everything. We tap into this by not using professional models for our campaigns, but instead using fans & customers of the brand. Social media has become less of a polished aesthetic, and instead has gravitated towards a relatable and casual glimpse into people’s lives. We believe folks want to see their favorite brands be human and integrate more seamlessly into their feeds.
Can you share how your brand is helping to bring goodness to the world?
Kitty and Vibe exists to awaken and fuel self-love for a kinder world. We believe there is self-love in all of us, and that each one of us has the ability to unlock and utilize it. We believe that wearing a great-fitting swimsuit is one of the ways we can unlock self-love. When we are feeling this confidence towards ourselves and our bodies, it can translate to showing kindness towards others.
Can you share with our readers about the ethical standards you use when you choose where to source materials?
Kitty and Vibe is a female founded small business based in NYC. Our swimwear is one of a kind, designed in-house. The fabric is digitally printed in Bogota, Colombia and manufactured at a family owned factory, also in Bogota, where Kitty and Vibe is produced ethically in small batches. The factory is run by a woman, Ana, which upholds the female empowerment and inclusive ethos of Kitty and Vibe. All workers have work contracts (to ensure job security), retirement plans, health insurance as well as above-minimum wage.
Kitty and Vibe swimwear ships in 100% recyclable, biodegradable and compostable mailers made from 100% recycled content. The individual swimsuit units ship in their own 100% biodegradable bags. Over 75% of our line is made using sustainable swim fabric. The contents of this fabric is 82% Recycled Poly | 18% X-Life Lycra.
Fast fashion has an advantage, that it is affordable for most people, but it also has the drawback that it does not last very long and is therefore not very sustainable. What are your thoughts about this? How does your company address this question?
We always choose to work with people who promote ethical practices and transparency. We want to prioritize high quality products and ethical standards in everything we make. It is core to our values and brand.
Thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand”. Please share a story or example for each.
- Community — Kitty and Vibe fans have the opportunity to vote on each and every product we launch. This allows them to feel embedded in the design process and feel that much closer to the product when it’s available to purchase.
- Transparency — Show your customers who you are. Being authentically you will only allow them to connect further with what you’re building.
- Differentiator — You have to have a differentiator to set you apart. For example, we didn’t invent the bikini, but we are the first to offer bikinis based on your butt size through a sizing metric that considers your inseam as well as your hip size.
- Heart — I think in order for you to succeed you have to have true heart behind what you’re building. It can’t be only for financial gain.
- Evolve — In order to succeed, you have to be willing to evolve and listen to the feedback of your customer.
Every industry constantly evolves and seeks improvement. How do you think the fashion industry can improve itself? Can you give an example?
I think the fashion industry can improve itself by putting more care into garments beyond a sample size. A rude awakening I discovered when launching Kitty and Vibe was that the norm for producing a collection was to approve a size “small” fit sample, and simply proportional “grade” the rest of the sizes without doing fittings. We have rejected this archaic practice and instead do fittings on all of our sizes and add features to improve the fit when needed. For example, a size B bikini top does not need the same level of support as a size G given the lesser weight of the breasts. In our bikini tops sizes DD+ we add an inner layer of power mesh in between the fabric and the liner for increased comfort.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Call people by their name! I heard once that everyone’s favorite sound is the sound of their own name. It’s personal and affirming, which leads to bigger smiles and greater human connection. I challenge a movement where people intentionally spend an extra moment remembering someone’s name and continuing to use it in conversation.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Feel free to follow us on TikTok and Instagram, and check out our line at kittyandvibe.com!
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Thanks for speaking with me!
Modern Fashion: Cameron Armstrong On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand Today was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.