Today we’d like to introduce you to Katrina Doss-Owens.
Katrina, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am a self-taught designer who taught myself how to sew about 10 years ago. On and off throughout the years, I would make Ankara skirts for myself and other women. I slowly began to step outside of my comfort zone and taught myself how to sew dresses. I knew I loved fashion and I wanted to be in that industry, but I had no clear vision of what it was that I wanted to do with this newfound talent. Without any real purpose, I lacked the passion to continue doing it. Earlier this year, I lost my daughter who was a stillborn. It was devastating to me and my husband. We have four boys and was hoping for a girl. I remember that day so clear. I can still hear the doctor’s voice telling me there was no heartbeat. I can still hear the silence on the heart doppler. The little heartbeat I had once heard at my previous appointments was gone forever. I had just lost my grandmother the year prior who was my last living grandparent. Then a few months after I lost my daughter, I lost my last living maternal uncle.
I was mad at God! I needed answers and in my battle with my faith, I grew closer to God. That’s when the answers started coming. I had so many plans for my future and was finally beginning to put them into motion. Losing my daughter was a way for me to find myself. To finally find my purpose because I was lost. It became what I needed to get back into focus and more motivated than ever. I began praying more. I got back into meditating. I started to take yoga more seriously. I was finding my peace. That’s when I decided it was time for me to go back to school to finish my Psychology degree and rebrand myself with the Kyrie Brand. K.I.M.I. Fashions, LLC x The Kyrie Brand is a brand focused towards healing and peace of mind. With this new evolution of not only my brand but of myself, I hope to bring women comfort with my yoga and loungewear sets. Bring healing with my future endeavors that will provide holistic healing and therapy to not only women, but men and children.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As with anything in life, you must go through certain experiences. Challenges build character and make up who we are. For me losing my grandmother and my daughter within a year of each other has been the hardest thing for me. I have struggled with depression most of my life. I started seeing a therapist a few years ago after struggling with Postpartum depression (PPD) with my youngest son. I struggled with PPD after delivering each of my sons via cesarean section. Therapy was my safe space and proved to be a great tool when I lost my daughter. Without it, I honestly don’t know if I would still be here today. The healing journey has been uncomfortable to say the least. There are so many days when I want to give up on everything. My resilience keeps me moving though. To know that even in my darkest moment, I was still able to find myself, motivates me to keep going for my children both alive and those who have transitioned. To keep going for myself because I do have a purpose. This entire experience has even led me back to my love of writing and film. I look forward to expressing myself through writing and film in the near future with The Kyrie Brand. All this is to say that I know that even when life gets hard, each lesson learned serves a purpose. That’s enough reason to protect my peace every day.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Everything that I have gone through is shaping who I am becoming. I am beginning to find my purpose. I am working towards growing my clothing brand and one day plan to start my very own therapy practice. I want to help women, men and children find healing through the clothes they wear, having the strength to be vulnerable so that we can have more difficult conversations especially with our children. So many children struggle with depression and are overlooked because of the adult mindset that children don’t really know anything. In a world where children have access to so much information, I can only imagine how overwhelming that can be for their growing minds. I want to provide a safe space and mentoring opportunities. I hope to help others to have those uncomfortable conversations that lead us all to our own individual healing journeys with the Kyrie Brand.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I hope to expand by brand within the mentoring community to offer more opportunities for children to find mentors as well as adults. One of the greatest lessons I have learned throughout my life thus far is to be open and always be secure in being a student of life. There are many things that we don’t know and there is so much opportunity to learn from others around us. Whether we gain some valuable gems from them or learn from their mistakes and choose to do things differently. Networking is essential to the growth of any business. Today there are so many events that offer networking opportunities. Make sure you attend as many as you can because you never know who will be in any of them rooms. I’ve met some amazing individuals at several networking events who have inspired me to pursue my dreams and who share my same experiences of heartache, pain, and resilience. Use these social platforms to your advantage.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kimifashions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimifashions/
