 Aloha! Welcome to the Savvy Chick Show on Think Tech Hawaii. I'm your host, Chantel Seville. Now, this is actually my last week for a little while because, well, I'm kind of due next weekend. So lucky I made the show today because it's a pretty exciting one and I'm so excited about our guest. You might not know who it is, but it's Honolulu Fashion Week here in Hawaii. And who better to have on the show than Kini Zamora, the Hawaiian fashion designer himself. He's an all-star from Project Runway and the CEO of Kini Zamora, the brand. So let's welcome Kini. Thank you so much for coming on the show today. Of course. Thank you for having me. Oh my gosh. Baby, stay in there. Are you okay in there? We have a show this week. Okay. Hope you don't have it on here. This is what I'm hoping for. I know. Kind of me, maybe. Maybe not. Just stop the camera if that happens. It's been such a pleasure being here on the Think Tech Hawaiian to have the last guest for a little while being yourself. This is going to be fun. So we're going to have a lot of fun today. For those of you watching, we'll show during the show. We might take one caller with a special question for Kini. So we'll put up that phone number throughout the show. And if you're the lucky one, you can ask him a question. So yeah, it's all about fashion. So tell us, you are doing the runway show this weekend. Yes, I do. I have a fashion show on Saturday, November 12th at 2 p.m. for Honolulu Fashion Week. And it's partnered with Reach the Runway with Honolulu Magazine. We put on a show. Honolulu Magazine actually does Honolulu Fashion Week every year. And it's the runway show. It's our third year doing it. And it's an amazing event to bring out fashion enthusiasts here in Hawaii. And it's grown so much since then. So you've been a part of it all three years? Yes. So you've done a runway show all three years? Yeah, I've done a runway show three years. So just looking back at what we've done, it's kind of crazy. This has been how fast the fashion industry in Hawaii has grown. And just knowing that three years in, we're still going strong. It's pretty special, though. I think that you had a lot to do with bringing some attention to it, being with your history and whatnot, which we will get into shortly. Yes. But what does it mean to you to be a part of the Hawaii Fashion Week or Honolulu Fashion Week? Being a part of Honolulu Fashion Week, I think it's huge. It's a lot of weight on my shoulders. But then again, it's great to have that energy to put behind the fashion industry here in Hawaii and to help it grow and mold and just to be behind it at a young age, I guess, here in Hawaii. And just show people that there is fashionable creative people here in Hawaii. And that was my whole thing going through Project Runway, was showing people that there is creative people here. We don't wear Moomoo's, we don't do that. I mean, there is that culture, you know what I mean? And that's where we come from. But there is other things that happen here. We do have elaborate couture outfits that we create. And we don't live in Moomoo's every day. We do it on Fridays. And we know how to create different styles. Yeah, on Fridays. But there's so much beauty around here to inspire you to create things. Exactly. I think that that's, you know, from being, I guess, grown up in Canada, and Australia now being here, you just see such a beautiful island. Of course. And just like so much soul and depth. I think perhaps that's what shows through your creations. Of course, yeah. What's the latest collection you have coming up on the... So we have, we're creating our Spring Summer 2017 collection. And that was inspired by actually a traveling couple going to a destination. We are in a resort state. So I wanted to bring back the brand to a resort state. So a lot of the pieces that you'll see is from, is inspired by Hawaii. Things that we can use here. Things that you can pair with other collections of mine. And things that you can use on the beach, transforms into a cocktail event into an evening event. So I really wanted to make a lot of pieces more versatile. And things that you can use throughout the whole day. That's so good. Because when you get something, like whatever I buy, if I buy a dress, you can kind of wear it and everyone just knows that dress. Exactly. Whereas if you have versatile pieces, you can continuously reinvent your outfit and pair them with other things from your collection or someone else's. Totally. And just create your own style. And I think that's really important too. Yes, of course. So I like it. Very good. Now something that's really important to me, another reason I really wanted to have you on the show, is Reach the Runway. Yes. Can you tell us about your involvement in Reach the Runway and what it's about and what it means to you really? So Reach the Runway is a great opportunity. Stacy and Lenny last year, they had partnered up with a bunch of amazing young creative kids that wanted to learn the industry in fashion, photography, hair and makeup, graphics. And they had a great course for them to learn all of these things behind the scenes. And this year they had an amazing course as well too and they put together an amazing team to help out with that as well. And it's just great for Hawaii to offer that to these young kids. I didn't have that one growing up and I didn't have anyone to really nurture me through that. The only thing I had was my aunt who taught me how to sew and she basically was the one who taught me fashion. And then just going through whatever I knew and watching television and looking at magazines. So I think the kids are very fortunate to have this opportunity to network with industry people at this level. It's so incredible. These girls and some boys are in grade six and they're able to network with a project runway all-star. And for a person like myself, I'm all about I like connecting. Networking is not as much the word I like as connecting because you just got to connect. But you're going to connect with like-minded people. So whether you're in your 30s or you're 12, if you have a similar interest, I mean there's connection there and that can really get you far. Get you far, exactly. And they're working with not only me, but they're working with other celebrity stylists here and makeup people, photographers as well. And what they're doing is they're connecting with themselves as well too. They're actually growing a team at this young age and they're growing themselves. You know what I mean? Like they're befriending themselves at this young age and they're going to grow up with each other. That is very good. They're befriending themselves. Everyone, befriend yourself. That's a great quote. Keeney's a more happy friend yourself. Befriend yourself, yeah. It's so true though because in society, I mean everyone's judging and this and that. And when you have a focus and you have like, they say you're vibe attracts your tribes. You've got to focus. You've got to vibe. You've got something you're working on. You don't care what anyone's saying about you. Oh, you're this. You're that. You're, you know, you can't run. I don't care. I've got my thing I'm doing. I'm on my purpose. Exactly. So, I mean, yeah. And they're building their own team together. With me, when I build my team, it's a team of hair and makeup, stylists, photographers. It's a team. It's everyone together working as a creative engine, I guess. And that's what they're building right now at this young age. And that's great that they get to put that together now and work at it at what, 10 or 13 years old. And that's how young they are starting this whole thing now. And I'm 32 years old and they're 13. So they get to start at this age. I imagine what they can achieve by the time they're like, all right. Because I actually watched an interview or read something about when you were saying it's all about letting the people that you collaborate with as you're saying your stylist or your makeup artist to really, you know, nurture their own creative talent and give them some guidelines but also open. Yes. So whenever I do that, I give them an inspiration. It's all about the feeling and inspiration of what my collection is all about. And then I offer it to them. I don't tell them I want the hair and makeup to look like this. The photography I want it to be like this. It's all about getting them in the vibe and getting them excited about, here's my inspiration. This is what I thought about this season. And then they come to me and get excited as well too. I want people to get excited at how I do about my collection and then they give me back their excitement about, I think we should do this for hair and makeup. Or I think we should do photography and lookbook like this or a campaign like this. I think when you open up the creative juices into, I mean, a big bowl, I think it's a lot better that way. And you don't put people in a one track mind like I want it to look like this. I think you put people in a box in that way and you want people to be more creative if you tell them an inspiration and you let them go free with it. And with Savvy Shakes, we're all about living our dreams and just really going out and pursuing things that inspire us like you're doing your perfect living example. And it seems like everyone around you is also doing what they love. Do you think it's possible for people to really live what their talent and dream is? Yes. I'm one person to say that I guess I came from rags to riches. I grew up with a family that had basically nothing. My mother and father, Tireman and my mom worked at a bank and I had to pay myself through college. I worked my way through college myself. Knowing that fashion was going to be my career, I had to really figure out what I was going to do to get me through and what I was going to do after college to make it a career. Was I going to make it my business at the end and what I needed to do? It's drive determination. It's that sacrifice that you have to do at a young age to really fulfill your career at the end and really find out what you really love to do. How old were you when you realized and your auntie gave the sewing machine or was teaching you? How old were you at that time? Was fashion something you've always known that you've loved? I think so. My mom always told me. She said I started sketching at eight. Oh, so it started with sketching? It started sketching, yeah. I always wonder how designers, like, did they start sewing? Did they start sketching? But I guess everyone's different. Yeah, so it started sketching and she said whenever it came around Christmas time or my birthday, I always used to ask for pens and artsy stuff. And then my aunt had a sewing class with me and my cousins at 10 years old. And by the second class, I was the only one there that was sewing. And that's when I realized that I could create stuff, a 3D image. And basically what I did was that it was about 14 or 15 years old where I sketched something out and my aunt helped me create it. And I could realize in that moment, it was old enough where I could press print on my brain and I could show people what was going on in my mind, creatively. So it was a great opportunity for me to show people what was going on. That's a big challenge for a creative person to be able to actually articulate that in a way that other people can understand. There are so many different creative professions. And I find that a lot of times creative people get stuck because they can't express that. Like it's here, don't you understand? And unless they're with other creative people, it can be challenging to get that out. Exactly. And so you got yourself through college. What did you study in college? I studied fashion technology in college here in Honolulu Community College to just further my education and just to see the world. I guess I packed up right after college here and I went to FIT in New York and I stayed there for about a year and a half just to see New York. I didn't know anything about New York or basically a little Hawaiian boy just gets out there and I'm like, I'm going to go. I got accepted to the college and I was like, okay, I'm going to go. Here you go. And I didn't know where I was staying. Figured it out and it was something that I really wanted to do and just go for it. And I did. And it's something that's the drive that I wanted. I wanted to be a fashion designer. I knew this is all I knew. Like did you have a vision of runway and everything when you were young, is that what you sort of saw for yourself? Or what did you, you know, in your biggest light see for yourself? I did. That's all I saw myself doing was just creating clothes and designing. That's basically what I saw. My future is being. It's kind of cliche to say that, but I didn't see myself doing anything else. I was just doing that. Yeah. And so getting to New York, were you surprised about what is, you know, where are we? What is this? It was kind of like a concrete jungle shock to me when I first got there. It was like, oh my God. Yeah. Like, oh my God, I didn't realize what I was getting myself into. But then I just had to get the hang of it. It was kind of fake it till you make it. And that's what I did. Made it and kind of, I didn't know where I was staying. I had no place to stay. Aunt's friend kind of lend me a couch until I could afford to get a place. And then I had to travel from Jersey to school in the city. And it was just, You just made it happen. Made it happen. Exactly. We've got so much to talk about in the next segment, so I'm very excited. But I did also watch something that you'd said about where you get your creative inspiration, like how you clear your mind and then just go for it. Can you just give me a little insight on what that's all about? So whenever I get inspiration or inspired, I always have to clear my mind by, I go to the beach a lot. And to do that, I just really go to the beach alone. I go out at six or seven o'clock in the morning and just look out in the ocean and just kind of appreciate what's around us. Sometimes we forget what's around us and forget how beautiful the land that we live in. And we kind of forget that we live here. And I do that sometimes because I'm so busy with my life and what the business that I'm in. So I take that time and I sit and I just relax and kind of clear my mind and think about things and then it kind of puts me in a mood and a vibe and that clears me for my inspiration for my next collection. And it can be totally different, I guess. You can literally reinvent yourself from collection to collection just from clearing your mind. Just from clearing my mind. And as I'm clearing my mind, these little bits and pieces will pop into my mind. This will just resonate and stick in my mind and that will just stay. And I'll just go and put it on an inspiration board. Stay tuned because we want to be inspired more by Kinies and more. This has been amazing. Thanks for tuning in to the Savvy Chick Show on Think Tech Hawaii and we'll see you in a minute. Hello, my name is Crystal. Let me tell you my talk show, I'm all about health. It's healthy to talk about sex. It's healthy to talk about things that people don't talk about. It's healthy to discuss things that you think are unhealthy because you need to talk about it. So I welcome you to watch Quok Talk and engage in some provocative discussions on things that do relate to healthy issues and have a well-balanced attitude in life. Join me. Hey, how you doing? Welcome to Abachi Talk. My name is Andrew Lening. I'm your co-host and we have a nice program here every Friday at 1 o'clock on Think Tech Studios where we talk about technology and we have a little bit of fun with it. So join us if you can. Thanks. Aloha. Hello, I'm Marianne Sasaki. Welcome to Think Tech Hawaii where some of the most interesting conversations with Honolulu go on. I have a show on Wednesdays from one to two called Life in the Law where we discuss legal issues, politics, governmental topics, and a whole host of issues. I hope you'll join me. Aloha, welcome back to the Savvy Chick Show on Think Tech Hawaii. We are celebrating Honolulu Fashion Week this week and it's very exciting. We have an all-star project one-way participant guest here who is Kaini Sabar. But I'm so excited. I want to hear all about his project runaway experience and I know you do too because, I mean, what girl who loves fashion doesn't want to be on something like that. But before we get to there, I want to know how he got there. So let's go back. You told us that ever since you're young you love fashion. You're sewing with your auntie. Then you sort of found yourself, went to college, funded yourself to college because you came from a family that wasn't just throwing money out your way and just doing your thing. So that's very inspiring. So where did you go after that? After that, I came back home actually, figured out that the amazing thing was going through college. I figured out that the college there taught me everything that Honolulu Community College has already taught me. When I figured that out, it was amazed because Honolulu and Hawaii was teaching the things that New York was teaching and it was kind of at that same level. So it was great to find that out. And then when I got back home, I figured out, I was trying to figure out what I was going to do was I was going to start my business. Then at that point I was taking in a little custom clients here and there and I was working at PacSun. I was working at a retail store as a manager there. And throughout that whole retail career I wanted to figure out all the aspects of being a manager and owning my own business. So you do that you wanted to have a business. Is that always an intention? Yeah. So I wanted to know how... I knew I was going to have a retail store. So how was I going to run a retail store? Better to be a store manager and know the whole thing of how to run one. So I knew I learned visuals really fast, sales managing, how to manage employees and how to do that whole thing just from working there. And that's what I took all those tools, worked there for about two years. And after I basically got out of that world, I put my foot down and I was like, I'm going to just take that leap of faith and start my business. So were you actually still creating while you were working at the store there? You said you had a few custom clients just so you were keeping your craft alive, essentially. But learning. Because I think often people, we want to just go do what we do. But it does help to go work for someone else and learn a business perhaps and have that hands-on experience with a lot of customers as long as you're outlating your creativity. So I was still doing my clients here and there and then I was still working my retail job. So it was just balancing both of it at the same time, trying to. Trying to. Trying to balance both of it. Trying to being the key word. But it's really what you got to do when you're pursuing something you love. Exactly. A lot of energy needs to be put in that. And then once one thing, when the designing started to overtake my day job, that's when I realized, okay, I can't do this anymore. So that's when I kind of put my foot down and I was like, I need to take this leap of faith and start my business. And did you just start as Keeney Zamora straight away? Yeah, that's when I started as that. And then I just went straight into it as my full-time job and got more clients and I just kind of relied on that. And what kind of fashion were you doing at that time? It was a lot of custom stuff. So I was doing pageants and proms and bridal stuff. So it was a lot of just people coming to me for these individual pieces. And then I had to realize what I was going to do to make my bread and butter, I guess. So I started a Hawaii collection, stuff that people in Hawaii usually wear. And at that point, I was kind of stuck. So it brings me to how am I going to let other people know of my brand, of who I am and whatnot. So of course, Project Runway has always been in my mind. I watched Keeney Zamora for seasons. Tell us all about the experience. Yes. So I tried out, when I first moved to New York, I tried out for, I think it was the first or second season and then a couple of times after that. And that's always been in my mind. So during that time where I quit my job and going into starting my business, I was like, okay, I guess I can try it out again. And I believe it was at my, that was my fifth time trying. Fifth time. Fifth time. Five. Five guys. So if you try one, so it doesn't work, five. Yes. Some people try 500, you know. That's awesome. There's people that tried out six times. So just the fact that you just keep going back. I mean, that's what I think in society, often we don't realize, oh, it didn't work. Okay. It must not be for me. I'm going to go this way. It's like, no, if it's meant for you, you just keep like, hello. Can I come in yet? Hi. Remember me, the island boy? Yeah. And for me it was, I took every time that I went back, it was a critique and I learned from it. It was everything that they taught me. And every little bit that they told me I needed to fix, I fixed. And I tried and I always thought in my mind, of course it was, why aren't you choosing me? And then it was the, okay, I'm really listening to that. That's the reason why they're not choosing me. So the fifth time it went really far. I went down to, I think them calling me, asking me if I wanted to be under the gun. And I was like, of course, it's a TV show, I'll do it. It's more pressed for me and people to see my work and see what we have exposure. It was free exposure, that's what I thought. And then it was the denial letter. It was the casting that I didn't make. And then I was like, oh my gosh, this is a lot. It was like, all right, what do I do? It put me down, but then I was just like, no, let me just try my business. And it was just like full force with my business, even stronger. And then they had emailed me one more time and it was like, we have all your information. You basically don't need to come to LA because you have everything. And but if you do want to come, here's your interview date with Tim Gunn and blah, blah, blah. So I was like, oh, I have time. I'll just come, whatever. I kind of just threw my hands up and I was like, here's what I have. You're going to take me for what it is. It is what it is. And I basically did it like that. And I went in there with an attitude kind of like, here's my collection. I stand by it. This is me. And they loved it. They took it and was like, yes, we want you on the show. And I kind of stood back and I was like, OK, what did I do this time? That was kind of different. And then the casting was different this year for regular runways because they flew us out to New York. Everything happened so fast. It was literally, I got the email. And then a week later, I was flying to LA. They told me, yes, I got the casting. I got still finalists. And then a week after that, I was flown out to New York to do a live taping of them choosing the finalists and the cast for it. I flew there on a Monday, got there on Tuesday. They filmed on Wednesday, announced the cast, and I got casted for it. And I flew back on Thursday. The email doesn't say we're leaving in a week to be filmed for six weeks. So everything happened within two months. And now this is during summer. And I was like, oh my gosh, this is happening really, really quick. And I have to be ready for this. And you had your business that you're running as well because you'd amped your business up because you got no project runaway. No project runaway. No project runaway. So what am I going to do? I'm like, I have my business. Now I have project runaway. I'm going to be gone for six weeks. So what am I going to do? And this is just a great opportunity. So it was just like everything kind of happened really fast. To being flown to New York in production, everything gets taken away. Your phone, computer, you're totally disconnected from everything. Wow. You don't even get a call home. You don't even know anything that's going on. You're basically shadowed from one place to another. So you don't even know if you're kidding. You would miss election. You wouldn't even know who won. So you don't even know anything that's going on. And throughout the whole process, you're just at all in kind of standing back. Like, am I really being filmed right now? All the time. So you're being filmed pretty much all the time? Pretty much you're woken up at 5.30 in the morning to be filmed till 12 o'clock at night. Wow. Being that I was on till I was the third runner up, so I was third finalist. You are, I was there for the long haul. I was there for the whole time. So it was like, oh my gosh, I'm exhausted and drained, not just physically, but mentally, because your inspiration just kind of gets drained. And you don't have time to prep during that two weeks of, okay, what am I going to do for the next six weeks? But you're collecting, by the way, look amazing. That is so, that was pretty awesome. And it was just, it was like that. It was just like, here's your challenge after challenge. Everyone sees a television show for a week and we think that you guys think we have to, we have a week to work on these things. We literally have every other day. Wow. And it's about eight hour days of work. It's not a full 12 hour day. We wake up at 5, we sit around for another two hours, get a challenge, shop for another half an hour, sketch for half an hour in the work room for eight hours, and then we're back in the runway the next day. And what are the, what are the, like the mentors and judges and everything like, is that, is that pretty, a pretty important part? They are. I think a lot of people see it on television as, they're being mean and cruel, but the thing is they're in the industry. They know what to expect. They have been there before. So taking their critique is really important for us as designers and we really have to listen to them because they've been there. I think it's honest opinion. Tim, everyone always asks me if Tim is really how he is. He is exactly how he is on television. He's the nicest person ever. He really gives your, his honest opinion about your collection, your pieces that you make, and he's a great mentor. Heidi's really fun on stage. She's so goofy all the time. Super, super cool. Nina is great with her feedback because she's a magazine editor. She knows what people and consumers who are looking at the magazine will be seeing. So we have to trust her judgment. And Zach, of course, knows construction. So he knows what pieces should be made like or made to be built. So of course we're going to be critiques on that. And so all of that that you've taken from them, is that now what you've put together to show us at Honolulu Fashion Week? Of course, yeah. I think that's what I've done throughout my whole career now is I'm thinking of all of those things, is putting together that stuff. And just bringing your Hawaiian spirit to all these different... Yes, knowing what I did throughout the show and then bringing it here to Hawaii and letting people know what we can do here. And just hearing the judges critique in my mind whenever I'm creating a collection is doing that. And putting it throughout my... I mean, they don't have... I don't have judges sitting at my studio telling me, here's my critique about your collection. So I have to put it in my mind, what would this person think about that person? Yeah. And what would Tim say about this and blah, blah, blah. So I have to really think about it myself and what these judges will think of on my own. And it's kind of scary to think, you know? But now you're on both sides. You're actually... I've got just a couple of things before we wrap up. But you're actually like a mentor yourself now. So what's your advice to young girls with big dreams? My advice, my big advice that I love to give people or young creative people is to be creative to who you are. Don't worry about the followers and don't worry about if people will like what you do. Just stick to your creative personality and how creative you are. The followers will come after when they find out how creative you are. That's just my big advice. It's being authentic, really. Exactly. For all of those of you watching who are in Honolulu, do not miss this show. Yes. Don't miss my show. So all the proceeds go to Reach the Runway as well. Reach the Runway. Yes. I mean, that's fantastic. And I don't know if there's still tickets for tonight. For the ball tonight? Do you know if there's still tickets available? Yes, there is. There are still tickets tonight. So you can go onto the website. I believe it's reachtherunway.com. There's a few tickets left over. So come out to the ball tonight and then our show as well on Saturday. It's November 12th. There you go. At 2 o'clock. Yeah, perfect. Now you can't miss it. No excuses. No excuses at all. It's right there. So 2 o'clock on Saturday. We're going to be covering that as well. Very excited. The Savvy Chick show will be there. Yes. Capturing you on the runway. So we'll get to see what it's all about. I'm excited. Yeah, I'm excited. Thank you so much for coming down to the studio because it's a crazy week for you. Yes. I'm excited that you've seen this lot of things. So thank you.