Mikai vs. Everyday Knicker Interview

Earlier this week I was asked by "Every Knicker" to do a little interview with them, they questioned me about my brand Mikai Swimwear and about my knicker's! The knicker interview will be up later this week on their website http://everydayknicker.com/ which you should check out! It has some fun never before seen images as well!

I wanted to share with you the interview conducted with me about my brand with you all, so I have copied it here below for you to read a little bit more about Mikai Swimwear and how it came to be. 

EVERYDAYKNICKER – Hey Mikhailla thanks for hanging out with us! Give us a brief history of your label?

 Mikai Swimwear is an Australian Swimwear label, developed in late 2013 for the typical girl that is Livin’ her life in a Bikini.

EVERYDAYKNICKER – How did your label come about?

Mikai simply started on my purchase on my 200^th Bikini. I figured I loved swimwear, I was always looking for new pairs, buying new pairs and really I was any swim stores best customer.  It was when I started working with swimwear more closely and a professional who developed a large Australian surf brand that I realized creating a swim label didn’t have to be such a distant dream. I spoke to anyone and everyone experienced in the industry, gained as much knowledge as I could, researched what I didn’t know,  Googled what I wondered and when I finally thought I knew what I was doing, I made it happen.

EVERYDAYKNICKER - What is the story behind the name Mikai Swimwear?

The name quite simply originates from my name Mikhailla. I was always nicknamed “Miki” or “Miki G” more commonly… I wanted a name that would be recognized as my own label, but without being to familiar with my own name… so I called it Mikai, most people pronounce it as “Mik-eye”, but it is actually pronounced “Mik-ayyyyy”.

EVERYDAYKNICKER –  What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone starting their own label or brand in any industry?

If you have a gut instinct that this is what you are meant to be doing, if you well and truly feel it in your soul then you are on the right path. I must admit, sometimes I wasn’t sure… but whenever I doubted myself, it was like I would get rewarded? I would get a sale, or some amazing opportunity and I knew that was life’s way of saying “ you are right where you are meant to be” and I think a quote always resonated with me “Don’t do what has been done”. It is so easy to look at another company doing something similar to you and to think you should do what they are doing to get to the top… but you need to remember, a copy will never be as good as an original. Listen to your gut, do what you want to do… not what you think you should be doing, or what everyone else thinks you should be doing. You’re the creator, breed difference.

EVERYDAYKNICKER -  Who is the most famous person to wear your label?

I have a fair few of large social media personalities that have worn my label now, I consider them to be famous in the social eye I suppose, but not anyone like Angelina Jolie or Kim Kardashian yet…

EVERYDAYKNICKER – How did you approach your collections such as the Mikai Signature or Toddler Swim?

 Literally, when I design a collection…I have no idea what I am doing.
I just draw, I create or find prints I like and I put it all together… it just happens, all so fast even though it can take a while the last process is so quick that I don’t even know how I made it work! Haha… still not sure if I do :P

EVERYDAYKNICKER –  What is involved in a typical first hour of your day?

 I always wake up to my alarm around 5:40am and eat a banana, prepared my EHPLABS bcaa’s and head to the gym. It’s the only time of the day where I feel like I am truly doing something for myself.

EVERYDAYKNICKER –  What 5 things that make your working day easier?

1/ a list

2/ crossing things off that list... haha

3/ Talking to my partner, he always knows the right things to say

4/ My mum, I am so blessed she looks after all my dispatch

5/ and my friends, I think I have my sanity and a normal social life thanks to them!

EVERYDAYKNICKER –  Where will your label be in 5 years and do you plan on making lingerie?

At this stage lingerie isn’t on the cards for Mikai. In 5 years, if I am well an truly speaking from my gut instinct (since I’m a gut instinct kinda person ) I see myself living in this beautiful home across from the beach with the sand as my backyard. I see myself still very much working, because I love it. I see Mikai being featured on the big catwalks. I have high hopes for Mikai Swimwear, I put a lot of work into it is like my baby, and I want to see it grow and thrive. I see Mikai becoming something bigger than I could have ever dreamed.

EVERYDAYKNICKER – What’s the best $100 you’ve ever spent?

Oooo that is a hard one, but I think any plane ticket, that takes me to a tropical location (in this case, north queensland) for under $100 is always money well spent.

Before our readers die (we hope they don’t) what is…

1 book they should read -  ‘The Secret’ and ‘The Starch Solution’

1 city they should visit – Byron Bay

1 movie they should watch – ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’

1 album they should listen to – I can't really say! I love anything that is in the now!

1 garment they should own – A Bikini, from www.mikai.com.au