When Karishma Kasabia decided to launch her own fashion brand in 2017, she started with a small collection of six dress styles, unaware what she was getting into.
“My background is in Graphic Design and Marketing. I started a design studio and once I’d sold that, I turned to fashion,” says Karishma. “Every summer, I would go to India and work with artisans and tailors, designing Indian style clothes for myself and my sisters.
“One year I was asked to do a wedding trousseau for a big fat Indian wedding, [it involved] three women – the bride, her sister and their mum – and three occasions. I loved it. They paid for it. It gave me a new kind of confidence in my eye and my ability to make things happen in India.”
After talking to a counsellor, Karishma decided to test her skills back home in Melbourne, and the brand Khòlò was born.
“The name Khòlò means simply, ‘open’. It was one of my son’s first words. He would look at me with the most ‘un-openable object’ and ask me to ‘khòlò’,” Karishma explains. “I suppose I was going through a time in my life when ‘opening’ Khòlò seemed un-openable. And I thought … What if we look at everything in this way? Corny, but the impossible becomes possible.”
For Karishma, launching Khòlò felt “essential”. “It was like making something official [occur]. My friends came to my home [to see the collection], some took a whirl, some met new friends, some gave feedback, some placed orders. It was magical,” says Karishma.
“Starting the brand was, in some ways, the hardest part. I know that might seem weird. However, at the start is when your doubt is at its highest and its deepest. It’s only with each compliment, like, DM, purchase, repeat purchase, 5 star review, reinforcement – that we get the confidence to keep going.
“So at the beginning, imagine not having all of that? I would genuinely say that was the hardest bit: believing in myself.”
Karishma describes the brand’s aesthetic as being “happiness in your wardrobe”, which is clear in the colours, shapes, prints and details in her sustainable garments. The range is also super inclusive in sizes from 8 to 26.
Customers can also ask for two different sizes to be sent to try out, and if they can’t find something they want in their size they’re also invited to let the team know so they can try to help them out. It is about creating “happier shopping experiences for women” according to Karishma.
She gets her inspiration from a range of sources, including designers Vivetta Ponti and Richard Quinn, but art is more her thing.
“To be honest, I prefer stalking artists, beaders and vintage fashion. There is something a bit more head turning about the radical,” says Karishma.
Holding to her sustainable goals, she chooses manufacturers which are either SEDEX Certified or ISO Accredited. “All staff are over 21 and the fabrics chosen are long-lasting and breathable”, says Karishma.
As for the future, Karishma says that it is all about carrying on with everything they’re doing now, but increasing scale and working towards more refinement.
“We’re inclusive, joyful and sustainable. To me, those things shouldn’t change, they’re what make us Khòlò.”
Website: kholo.com | Instagram: @kholo_thelabel
Discover more interesting independent Australian fashion brands in our list of Brands & Designers.
