Explore Katya Alexander's journey in the Fashion Design Industry

I was born in Russia and I moved to the U.S over eleven years ago. I come from a very small city, I have a wonderful family still living in Russia. My grandmother was a seamstress. I think this has impacted me a lot because my mum and grandmother really liked to dress up. My grandmother would always make dresses for me and my sister and we would change them hourly. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to learn a lot from her because she passed away when I was twelve. However, I feel this passion for fashion runs deep in me as I’ve always liked to make dresses. I was very creative at school. I’m really happy that I’ve decided to revolve my life around fashion. I think clothes are a means of communication, our outfits represent us and how we want to tell people who we are without even speaking. As a child I was quiet, introverted, and too afraid to express my opinion so right now I like to say everything I think. Back then, I wanted to impress people with my clothes and help other people talk through clothes, to showcase strength, to make women feel empowered. In Russia I used to look at magazines and admire Louis Vuitton or Louboutin shoes. I had never dreamed of wearing or even seeing those types of shoes until I came to the U.S and started working hard. To me it all felt like a world so far away. I had always dreamed about it but never thought I would make it true. – Katya Alexander

I took several Arts & Crafts mandatory courses in Russia. I did sewing classes where we would work with prints, skirts and I was really good at that, really loved doing that. I remember my first design pretty well. I don’t know why this childhood memory is stuck deep in my mind. When I was in kindergarten I made a collection for the Barbie doll and the teacher liked it so much they put it on the wall in the hallway. I was walking with my friend and I showed him my collection and he said he didn’t believe that I had done it by myself. I had to take his hand and show him my name was written in the paper. I was extremely proud of my work and felt offended because he didn’t believe me. I wanted to show him that I could do it. – Katya Alexander

I would say six years ago. I was always so busy working. I had lots of jobs because I had to pay my bills. I always said that I was going to do it someday but every Mondays I would sit down and continue working. That’s how my days went by until one day I finally decided that I had to do it and not waste any more time. In Russia we say “Your eyes may be fearful but your hands are working”. The exact meaning may be lost in translation but it basically implies that you should do what you feel like doing. There are so many huge fashion brands out there and you may think you’re not going to be like Gucci or Chanel but that’s okay. I personally decided I was not going to be like them, I would be like Katya. The worst thing that could’ve happened to me was failing and moving on but I would rather regret what I did than what I didn’t do. – Katya Alexander

It was crazy. I had a full-time job, a second part-time job and I was working during the weekends. I now wonder how I did it. Sometimes I worked all day and came home exhausted. I had a really crazy passion. I really wanted it to happen and loved what I was doing. I remember one day where I had to do a photoshoot at twelve o’clock in Boston for work and had to be in New York at 4 pm. I arrived early for the photoshoot and drove all the way to New York where I had a meeting and was all dressed up and had my collection pieces with me. I couldn’t find a parking spot, I was late, I was running with a huge pile of clothes on me in high heels, in the cold and I was sweating. When I got to the meeting I had to look fine, like I hadn’t ran ten blocks just a few minutes earlier. I remember another time I went to New York for work. I think it was July and it was so hot, probably 90 degrees. I ran ten blocks with two bags on me because I had to buy some fabric. I was working on patterns and I really needed help with them. I would literally go to New York for a day and go back to Boston for work the next one. I guess I had this passion that drove me forward. – Katya Alexander

The first piece was a pair of wide-leg pants, because I am a really big fan of pants. I especially like wide-leg pants, I feel free in them, confident and powerful. I believe that when you start doing something, you don’t know what’s going to happen in the end. It is an amazing feeling to see the pants on somebody else. My first model was a friend of mine. She put these pants on and she was so excited. She loved walking and moving on them. I think this is the most precious feeling. That is what I want women to feel when they wear my clothes. It’s not about how I feel about the clothes but how the person wearing them does. I think that’s what’s most important. – Katya Alexander

I think it depends on the company. I work a little differently. I don’t do mass production, I do small quantities. My items are customized and tailored so it takes from three to six months. I need to find the right fabric, make sure there is enough for the quantity I want to manufacture and purchase it. It also takes time to make the same pants in different fabric or figure out what to do if the pattern is not coming right. I also try my product on myself on purpose when I go out to make sure it is comfortable. – Katya Alexander

I wanted to give women confidence. The whole idea about the name was before the “Me Too” movement. In Russia we celebrate March 8 as International Women’s Day. It’s a national holiday, everybody has the day off. Women dress up, don’t do house chores and get flowers. We usually take the day to be pretty, celebrate with girlfriends, family, it’s about celebrating and appreciating being a woman. Originally March 8 is about women fighting for their rights in the 1920s. However, nowadays it is not only about fighting for our rights but also about feeling empowered. That’s part of my brand’s mission. – Katya Alexander

Launching the Website I guess. I had a rich marketing background so I ended up designing the whole website. I had a photographer but I did everything else by myself. It was like those one-woman shows where I was doing it all. Despite the tiredness, it was fun and I loved doing that. It is harder in the beginning but when you grow it’s easier to delegate some tasks to someone else so that you can focus on more important things. I think after the pants were produced, I created the website, the branding message and the whole concept. Basically, it was pretty easy for me because that’s who I am so I didn’t have to sit down thinking what I should be or do. It all came pretty naturally. – Katya Alexander

The company was funded by me, my friends and family. I am very fortunate for their support and kindness. I have people around me who probably believe in me more than I believe in myself. So, I consider myself very lucky. – Katya Alexander

It’s funny. For me, I created this company out of my passion for fashion. However, I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I kept thinking that if it was going to go well, I’d be happy and I wouldn’t mind if it didn’t. This is what I wanted to do, I was going to create, get this message out there. I had a goal set up but I don’t think I had a number in mind. Later on I realized that was a mistake because I didn’t have a number and didn’t really think about selling. This is my advice to people who are starting out, don’t try to get everything perfect and beautiful, focus on sales. – Katya Alexander

Well, obviously social media is a necessity in fashion retail. I started locally so I had to use PR events for marketing. Online shopping might seem easier to do but at the same time, it depends on what you’re selling. I sell tailored clothes and they don’t have the same effect online and in person. When I went to events and wore these clothes, people would come at me, that’s how I got most of my customers. They would say they liked my outfit, say they wanted it, contact me the next day and purchase it. I thought that no one would present my brand better than me. I would give my outfits to my girlfriends, tell them to wear my clothes in the events they went to. I have friends in New York as well because I studied at Parsons so I got some connections there. My friends there have been very supportive. The pandemic really changed things because I was doing great, I had the whole social calendar planned for 2020. It might have slowed me down but I will keep running again. – Katya Alexander

When you buy from March VIII, you also buy the feeling. Everything’s coming together. I think there are several things that I have constantly focused on. For me, it’s not only a piece of cloth. People may say Chanel is a piece of cloth too but it all depends on personality and on the market. I’d also like to add that I make my clothes from natural organic fabric, it is not polyester because I think it is very important not to be wasteful. I consider my outfits to be classy and timeless. You can wear one of my pieces, hang in a closet and wear it again in a year. It’s not something you wear for one season and then you throw out. That is the idea of my business. I don’t want to follow fashion, I want to follow style. I don’t want to follow fall and winter seasons. When I was growing up in Russia I didn’t have the opportunity to buy clothes and I would wear the same clothes for years. This is how I keep clothes today as well. I have so many black pieces because they’re very easy to combine. I love classy clothes I can wear in two or three years. If I get tired from it I can make different combinations. My cloth is made of qualitative fabrics and tailored in a way that makes it easy for you to wear it any time. – Katya Alexander

It’s actually pretty difficult because when you’re starting, it’s a challenge. When you make one skirt for example you can find the fabric everywhere and get it done. However, when you have to make 20, 30 or 100 pieces, it’s a different story. When you haven’t decided how much you want to invest and don’t know your customer well, it’s hard to get it out. I had some connections in New York and I sourced fabric from there, from China and India too. That’s where we all get everything. They have representatives in New York as well, it is more expensive but if you’re doing small quantities in the beginning it makes sense. However, if you’re going for big quantity items, China and India are perfect because there are also trade shows you can go, in New York. I always went to New York for trade shows, you can find representatives of manufacturers and you can find all the fabrics you might be looking for. I used to get everyone’s business card and email them. Sometimes they get your business card as well and email you. – Katya Alexander

For a final customized item, no. Honestly, I don’t have all the equipment for the item to look great and perfect. I am a perfectionist so I’m going to drive everyone crazy until everything is perfect. I’m going to need calming down if I’m making something. So, when I develop the pattern and design, I make it myself but I already have seamstresses that work on the item in order to make it look right before selling it. – Katya Alexander

I developed important connections in PR, promoting and connections in manufacturing. However, I think for other people it depends on what you’re good at. If you’re good at something, you outsource what you’re not good at. If you don’t know how to make patterns, you outsource it. If you don’t know how to do marketing, you outsource it. So, you try to do the best at what you can. Some people don’t know how to do websites so they outsource it. I did it myself because I could. For me, textile manufacturing and finding fabrics were the hardest part of the company development because I had never worked in the fashion industry before. So, I had to find people in New York who worked for brands, manufacturers and asked them for help. – Katya Alexander

Well, the first one is passion. Without passion, you’ll never create anything. The second one is hard work for sure. I think this is what’s gotten me through everything and made me the person I am today. The third one is the support of your friends, family and other people. I wouldn’t be doing what I do if it weren’t for the support I constantly receive from them. – Katya Alexander

At first, I actually sold other brands’ clothes and was doing my own accessories. I was actually making necklaces and chokers but wasn’t selling my clothes. In a few years I launched my own collection because I thought that was the time for me to do that. I think it took six months after I launched the collection for people to start buying, tag and message me on Instagram. That felt great. It’s not even about tagging, it’s about how you make people happy, how they feel when they wear your clothes and especially when you’re not a known brand. You think that people love what you’re doing. It’s an amazing feeling. They are proud and happy. A lot of my friends are my best marketing people. My girlfriends would always go and cheer for me. They advocate for my brand everywhere and care for me more than I do for myself. – Katya Alexander

Yeah, I think I have learned from some of the mistakes that I have made. The world is constantly changing and the pandemic has accelerated that. You have to change. Otherwise, you’re not going to survive. I am thinking differently now, some of my clothes are dressier. One day we’ll return the days of our social lives but right now I am doing masks too. However, it’s not what I want to focus on because they are a temporary product. I am already thinking for the next year because when the restrictions will be lifted you have to be there or you’ll be left behind. You have to be a step ahead. That’s especially true in fashion. – Katya Alexander

Well, I think it’s important to stay true to yourself, be honest but at the same time be innovative. In today’s world you can’t be just a designer unless you’re a celebrity. If you’re a simple entrepreneur like me, you live the simple life, you should be the combination of several things. Fashion nowadays is about the design, clothes, branding, your message, your communication with clients and who you are. It also depends on what level you’re aspiring to get to. I think you have to do a combination of things because it is not enough to be just a designer. You have to be an entrepreneur too. Designers talk about Coco Chanel a lot but if you read her biography, you’ll find out she was a good salesperson who had really good connections. Her designs weren’t enough. She had another set of skills she used in order to push the brand and build the business, it didn’t happen just with a pretty dress. – Katya Alexander

I think being an immigrant probably helps a lot because I always think in terms of “I came here to win”. This is my mindset. I tell myself that if I lose, I have to go back to Russia. I have always worked hard, I struggled a lot, had difficulties with the language, I was in a new place where I didn’t know anyone. I worked so hard to be where I am now and I tell myself this is not the time to give up, nor the time to settle for less. I always tell myself that I will do my best. Sometimes good things happen, sometimes I fail, I make mistakes but I tell myself to do my best and use every single opportunity that I have. That’s what it means to be an immigrant with no resources or family here to help you. It’s hard and you have to do a lot of things on your own. They say difficulties make us stronger. Otherwise, I would be very comfortable. However, you’ll always want more. I also have a very supportive family back in Russia. I always believed that the U.S is a country of opportunities. That’s not a lie. I began to believe in myself here more than in Russia. – Katya Alexander

I feel like I make mistakes every day. I have a friend who has her own business too. She has had a great successful business for 10 years and she says she has no idea what she’s doing. I think my biggest mistake, as we‘ve mentioned earlier, is that I focus on perfection, put stuff that is not necessary and didn’t focus on sales. I was in Business School, I have a Business degree, I worked in marketing but somehow I didn’t have a business plan when I started my business. I had to catch up late, sit down and make myself focus that I am not just making art, I have a business and have to make money as well in order to support myself and my business. This is a mistake a lot of entrepreneurs do, they focus on making the business look good. However, if it’s not profitable, what’s the point? I made a lot of mistakes when I got into the fashion business, I didn’t know what I was doing but you eventually learn. – Katya Alexander

I think a lot of brands will always say: ”Be yourself” but I think it is also a society statement. My version of it would be: “Be the best version of yourself”. The thing about fashion is that you should not only be yourself but to do the best. You always have to try hard and become better. Being yourself is going to help you in the beginning because you always have to be honest and true. I think people should live every day. Plans may not be successful, bad things may happen to everyone but good things happen too. You get up and do your best. This is when you’re truly going to have success, as personality as an entrepreneur, husband, wife, mother, etc. My message with my brand is not only about fashion. It is about you, to look your best and do your best every day. It’s not even about the trend because trends come and go but you’ll stay and will have to fight during your life. So, this is what I believe in. – Katya Alexander

Fashion is unpredictable. I see myself pretty big. I try different things every day. I am very innovative. This is my message and it is still valid today, tomorrow, in a week or two. However, in ten years the world can be different. You will definitely see something. I don’t know what yet but you will see me. I’ll still be here in ten years, still fighting. – Katya Alexander

I’d say to just do it. Don’t overthink, don’t wait, and don’t say that you’ll do it tomorrow. If you really want it, just do it today. I am the kind of person who first does and thinks afterwards. I always jump into things and I highly advise it because you’ll never regret it. You’ll be surprised where it’s going to take you. People you have greeted just once might surprise and help you later on or you can help them. We all have to try and help each other. My message is: Just do it. – Katya Alexander