 |
KIS Fashions LLC Founder and President,
Wabasha native, Kelly McDonald |
|
Wabasha County Herold
By Regeena Roemer
Fashion Design Student
W-K grad tells of internship with local fashion merchandise company that
believes in “Keeping It Simple”…and scrumptious, sexy, sleek, smart,
sporty…
KIS is a company that creates beautiful leather handbags and women’s apparel. Instead of a label that makes someone feel like they’re better than anyone else, it’s a product line and a company that makes you feel great about yourself! The label, KIS, is not someone’s name or something that represents a group, it’s whatever the consumer/new owner makes of it. KIS stands for keep it…simple, scrumptious, sexy, sporty, special, sleek, smart, sassy, stylish, sophisticated, silly, and spectacular!
 |
| Fashion student, Regeena Roemer (left) | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
My name is Regeena Roemer, and I’m studying at the University of Wisconsin-Stout towards a degree in Apparel Design and Development. Over the summer, I had the wonderful opportunity getting to know Kelly McDonald, the founder and president of KIS Fashions LLC. Ms. McDonald is very determined, hard-working, and so much fun to be around! Kelly began her company out of an office in her home. She began by doing research online; reading product reviews to find out what women wanted, yet not getting from their apparel and handbags.
With every handbag comes a solution for more organization and function – this was the agenda for KIS and the handbag line. With other businesses that Kelly had been involved with, she said that from time to time, she would have doubts during the process. That was different with the forming of her fashion venture.
“Since the beginning of starting KIS, I never questioned my decision to move forward with KIS Fashions, LLC.” Kelly added, “I have felt a spiritual guidance every day and opportunities of small and tremendous significance have blessed us, coming with just what we need at just the right time.”
Kelly started with a number of different handbag designs, then researched factory options in different countries such as those in the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, China, India and Italy to name a few. Samples were made and put into production. Yet there were still challenges building an infrastructure to address all needs, while operating with efficiency, and within a budget. That’s where networking came in.
KIS is headquartered in Wabasha. Kelly admitted, “There have been challenges being in a small town: fewer people to network with, difficulty finding warehouse and fulfillment resources, skilled labor.” And to boot, she was spending more time on the road traveling, which means less time spent in the office. But she added, “I don’t mind hard work and I love being here with my parents, so the decision was easy.”
Kelly was working with factories in China, negotiating prices for the new designs and getting ready to take the trip to review the finished samples when new information influenced her decision to take the company in a different direction. “The prices have gone up, the minimum order quantities were harder to negotiate, “and she said, “It just didn’t feel right. I want to create employment here in the USA.” Kelly researched American manufacturing, calling factories in New York, Georgia and California.
Although every American factory stated that KIS would need to double or triple their price points, KIS is proceeding with a factory in Chicago and with locally sourced talent. The factory, in addition to a skilled leather craftsman, will be doing the KIS handbag designs from the sampling to the production.
 |
| One of many KIS popular designs |
Kelly McDonald/KIS Fashions, LLC are members of The Makers Coalition (www.themakerscoalition.org), a movement to bring manufacturing back to the United States. The Makers Coalition collaborates closely with Dunwoody College, which offers a cut-and-sew program that is training students into skilled factory workers. Since joining The Makers Coalition, Kelly’s dream to create a manufacturing facility that would benefit a greater good felt closer than ever.
In October of 1990, Kelly lost her sight within a day’s time. She became visually impaired until she received a corneal transplant the following year. The experience forever changed her outlook on life. Now, Kelly is on the board of Vision Loss Resources, a non-profit organization in Minneapolis that helps the visually and hearing impaired by offering programs and services that empower individuals to lead more normal lives. The Director of VLR approached KIS with the idea of their organization being involved with the manufacturing of KIS products. This idea is being explored with different professionals to see how this could work.
At the same time, Kelly is also looking at manufacturing in or around Wabasha. She says if this were to be the case, they would like to tie into the local DAC. Close personal friends to Ms. McDonald have been very active and passionate about their charities and involvement with organizations such as the DAC. Kelly has been touched and inspired by witnessing their involvement and passion and this also near and dear to her heart. KIS’ start with the local talent is just the first step towards a local factory which all can feel good doing business with.
Kelly has no intention of owning the factory, but she is willing to do all she can to help set up the facility and bring other companies in that would also like to have their products manufactured in the USA by such a “feel good” company. Remarkable, yes indeed, and KIS is taking it even further by cutting their profit margins to make manufacturing in the U.S. possible. She said, “We just have to work harder and be smarter, the hard work doesn’t scare me if I feel good about the business I am doing and the products we offer, it’s just the right thing to do!”
If you think this all sounds too good to be true, Kelly is also reaching out to America’s design students and working with Art Institutes of America. KIS is a case study for the students to learn about a company experience, and Kelly has served on a panel of judges reviewing Portfolio Presentations created by Retail Management Bachelors of Science Graduates, KIS understands that as designers, the students face a number of obstacles trying to turn their ideas into reality – from finding suppliers to drumming up PR. Consumers only have the option of buying mysteriously conceived designs by a company they may be familiar with but a designer that is unknown.
As of September, 2013 KIS is launching a program where all designs of handbags, apparel and bedding will be created by Fashion Design Students within the USA. KIS® Fashions, LLC is a company that is for Fashion Design Students and all of us, consumers.
Fashion Design Students currently enrolled or that have graduated within the past five years are encouraged to enter, submit a winning design and earn rewards for themselves and possibly their teachers. Consumers will be able to visit the KIS Website and get to see the winning entries and get to know the designers. As Kelly has been setting this program up, she has been consulting with a professional designer and me, a fashion design student. The professional designer commented that she wishes she had this opportunity when she was in school and I can’t thank Kelly enough for truly making my kindergarten dream come true.
Kelly says she loves win, win situations and knows this is what she is supposed to be doing. She said, “It feels like the right thing and I feel it is the beginning of something great.” McDonald is confident about the team she is putting together and the opportunities that await her growing brand including the chance to show off beautiful bags on ShopNBC. “When the new design inventory arrives, we will be on-air for 75 Million viewers to see, our story will be shared via media opportunities, student designers and our local manufacturing will be established and growing.”
When I went to university orientation at the very beginning of the summer my professor had made very clear the students that we needed to start gaining experience in the industry immediately, and figured out who we wanted to design for. My professor also asked who we wanted to design for and without hesitation, we all said we wanted to work for a famous designer that we looked up to. It wasn’t the answer she was looking for.
I know now what a better answer might be because of my opportunity at KIS. The best way to
prepare for a career in apparel design is to actually design, and Kelly had me doing just that. With every design, KIS always has a solution in mind, I learned so much through the process by making trend boards, creating a design, making the pattern, and sewing the sample handbag that would be sent off to the manufacturer.
By the end of my internship at KIS Fashions, I knew exactly what my professor meant by asking who we wanted to design for. Now I know I want to create products for someone who has a good outlook on life, good-willed intentions, and of course, an amazing company, like KIS Fashions.
So, keep your eyes on this company – KIS is creating great things to bring to market and wants to do good in the process.
If you wish to help KIS in their pursuits, feel free to reach out to KIS’ owner and founder, Kelly McDonald email: Kelly@kisfashions.com or 651-560-2140 – I was glad I did!
KIS products are currently being sold via the popular TV shopping network, ShopNBC, and retail shops and boutiques throughout the U.S. KIS products were being manufactured in Mexico and then China, but in July 2013, KIS started the process of basing manufacturing in the U.S.
Kelly moved back to her hometown of Wabasha to be near her aging parents. Employment opportunities for Kelly’s extensive business qualifications weren’t readily available so Kelly decided to start her own company and have fun with it. Ever since she was in middle school, Kelly would draw lips on scrap paper and notebook covers accompanied by the KISS line, “Keep it Simple Stupid.” These days, she believes everyone deserves a KIS…and there’s certainly nothing stupid about it!
