By Samantha Sanchez
Staff Writer
Senior Kaitlyn Kwon made known her initiative is greater than the average teen’s when she took a head start on a career and opened an online fashion store in August of 2015. She sells Asian and American styled clothing, accessories, stationary and skin care packages.
Before beginning her business “Fusion Republic,” Kwon gained experience promoting for small businesses, such as Born Pretty, Bambu and Shop YenYen for about a year on her blog “Sharper Than Eyeliner.” Most of these businesses she found on Instagram and contacted to ask if she could promote them.
“I became interested in how people ran small businesses, like how they advertised and got people like me to promote their clothes,” Kwon said.
Kwon came up with the idea for her own business last May when she saw her online friends were promoting businesses and decided to try it. In eight months, she has a successful small operation which she promotes through her website, Instagram and Facebook page entirely on her own.
Since the opening, Kwon has made over 200 sales, gained over 1600 followers on the “Fusion Republic” Instagram, and has 62 likes on her Facebook page. Her goal is to reach 500 sales within a year of opening and 3000 followers on her store’s Instagram.
“I didn’t think my business would get to the level of popularity it’s at now within such a short amount of time,” Kwon said. “It makes me want to put in 110% of my energy into more fashionable clothes and even better customer service so that my business can continue to grow.”
Kwon has only one client that is a Costa student, senior Jenessa Gonzalez. Kwon says this is because she has not promoted her fashion shop to many people outside of her private friends. Only recently did Kwon use her personal Instagram account to publicize her business.
“This store is just a side-hobby/business and a way for me to express my fashion interests while making profit,” Kwon said. “I hope to make it even more popular in the future and introduce a nice mix of Asian and American fashion to others.”
Kwon does not make her own clothes, rather she buys from small manufacturing companies in China. Recently, Gonzalez bought a t-shirt with Japanese lettering from Fusion Republic.
“I would for sure buy from her again and I love what she is doing,” Gonzalez said. “Her drive is really settling and it is showing through her entrepreneurship.”
Kwon’s shop can be found on Instagram @shop.fusionrepublic, on her website shopfusionrepublic.storenvy.com, and on her Facebook page. Kwon hopes to major in Psychology, and her current knowledge of the subject has helped her in advertising and pricing for her shop she said. Fusion Republic is a hobby for her, but she does hope it will expand in college.
“I love the thought of making others happy when they see my package in the mail,” Kwon said. “I love getting things in the mail so I want others to be just as happy when they buy from my store.”
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