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

Behind the Lens

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, Tumblr... 

There is seriously a never ending supply of social media sites!

We all just pull out our phone and upload an image whenever we want, but sometimes different types of image quality really just is the simplest improvement to social media and of course websites. 

When I am shooting campaign imagery for the website, I use a Canon EOS 600D. 

I have used a few different types of camera's for shooting before, especially across Nikon and Canon, and I would have to highly recommend the Canon for your Beach/Outdoor images. I find it easier to use and lighter which is important for shooting all day!

When it comes to the simple social media shots, on the go images I use a Fuji Film X-M1. I absolutely recommend this nifty little camera! especially for a quick social media upload as it has the wireless feature which allows you to connect your phone to it anywhere, anytime and send high quality images and then upload all within 2 minutes! It's also pretty old school looking which I love, and has the option to change lenses, which for a little camera like this is amazing. My most favourite feature? The review screen... it folds out and in all different angles so that you can take the perfect flat lay... I swear it was invented for instagram imagery ;)

Hope this gives you a little insight to the behind the scenes with Mikai Swimwear.

Much Love,

Mikhailla xx 

What does MIKAI actually do?

The 5 Major Responsibilities of a Swim Designer/Business Owner:

Someone asked me the other day.... "So what do you actually do?, what do you do for Mikai if you don't make the swimwear?"

It made me think... well what do I do? I don't make the swimwear so I don't really do much at all.... haha ;)...

1. The Design Phase
Making a swimsuit idea come to life isn't as easy as it sounds...
It all starts with that little drawing, then create the pattern and material sourcing. Each one of those little phases in themselves require so much time and effort. It can take me almost 4 weeks to put together one style and around 3 months for a full collection.

2. The Shooting Phase

I become a photographer for my brand shots. It allows me to get the exact looks I am after. It works for me, and my friends who are mostly the models! It is a long day, but I always try to make it as fun as possible. Oh, and when no models are available, I happen to become a model too!

3. The Marketing Phase

I am ready to sell! Not before I get an "action plan" ready thought. I set myself goals, how I am going to reach my intended audience, listing my strategies, setting the price points and how I am really getting my product out there which leads into the next phase.

4. The Advertising Phase

Different from the market plan phase because this involves another expense, the expense of negotiating with potential advertisers. The people who have a similar target market, represent the lifestyle and all round correspond with my brand that allow me to reach a wider audience. 

5. The Final Phase

The final phase doesn't feel so final because it is a continual phase. The orders come through, then they are packaged and ready to ship. This relationship doesn't end there though... The intent is to be long-term, so now the cycle begins again. 

All in all, I think the one part I don't do for Mikai (manufacturing) makes up for all the other parts I do DO! It is truly a full time job, presence is required, planning is required and so is action. It isn't easy, but you can ask anyone running a business and their response will be the same. Nothing is easy. 

Hope this tell's you a little more about what I do for Mikai.

Much Love,

Mikhailla xx 

Who is Mikai?

You actually have already probably seen me. I don't stray too far from my bikini brands instagram page @mikaiswimwear. I try to appear here and there, but my amazing models do a good job on their own!

I am Mikhailla, Mikai was formed as a bit of a nickname. Everyone used to call me Miki but lets face it I wasn't going to start a brand name as "Miki" so I just gave it it's own little edge...well actually just an extra letter. I am just 20 years old right now! Actually as of today!

When I was 16 I launched my first business venture starting an online clothing store selling other Australian clothing brands. This was a really hard market to break into, especially as an inexperienced 16 year old but you have to start somewhere! I took that as my learning curve - understanding what to do and how to manage a business. As expected it failed because I wasn't passionate about selling OTHER peoples designs. I wanted my own designs, I wanted recognition, not to help "other" brands gain recognition (Selfish hey? Maybe a Gemini thing - haha!) I then sold that business for the price I paid for me to start it so that was a bonus!

At the same time of my failed business venture I got a job in a marketing business, inexperienced again but I believe that people will hire you for what you can show them, not what is written on that resume because I didn't even show them a resume prior or during my interview! I still work here today because I absoutley love it. I can thank my placement in this job for inspiring me with all of my other endeavours. 

On the side of this I was employed (as a second job) to nationally manage a promotional agency in Australia - big step for me and I wasn't experienced AGAIN but this person had faith in me, more than I had in myself and I guess perhaps I was just determined, more than the person that would have been experienced. This was a great opportunity and learning curve which helped me to gain more knowledge in the field I was already interested in. 

At this point I decided I was doing too much, a university student studying marketing, a fashion agent and then national manager for a promotional agency. It was crazy! I gave up the national manager job to continue pursuing my own dream of having my own swimwear line, which was inspired by my job working in marketing alongside other Australian brands - one to which has a strong swimwear line!

After 3 months of painful researching and failures it eventually all came together releasing my first tester collection in April 2013, then my first official collection in August 2013 which sold wonderfully throughout the spring/summer period of it's release. I consider myself lucky because I not only have the benefits of working with other brands, but due to the people who surround me in the fashion industry they constantly inspire me, they keep me in trends and this in turn allows me to create price-point affordable swimwear consistent with the surrounding market and my own niche. 

xx Mikhailla xx