Kinesis by Shinna Interview (Uncut)

This interview is one of the five that I conducted as part of the 3000+ word guide on how to start a clothing brand! 

Me: So firstly, what was your life like before you started your clothing brand?

Shinna: I grew up with my brand. I made my first hoodie when I was 15, and I was around 16 when I first started my brand in 2018, so I was still getting used to life, lol. It was cool, though; I grew up in several different refugee centers around different cities and countries, so it was different, but I just remember it as wild. I used to be mad active skating, drawing, doing all kinds of sports, and doing dumb, crazy shit with friends, almost the typical movie wild kid lifestyle.

Yeah, I definitely hear it! I personally started trying entrepreneurship in 2019 when I became a graphic designer!

Being that you said you grew up in several refugee centers, what country are you from, and how much did your upbringing influence your motivation to start your clothing brand/designing portfolio?

My ethnicity is a big mix of Balkan and Slavic countries, but I’m from Ukraine. I grew up living there—the Czech Republic, Germany, and the Netherlands—although I mostly remember living in the Netherlands, where I live currently. That being said, I could act like it had a huge impact on me, but I didn’t know it was different or anything like that growing up; it just felt normal. I was a very curious kid interested in anything I didn’t understand, so seeing so many different people and cultures together was cool to me. It didn’t really influence my motivation to start, but it’s definitely the reason I am the way I am now. I grew up thinking I and my brothers were different. I didn’t let kids in school influence me or change the way I am because I already felt like an outsider, not even in a bad, corny way; I was just always in my own world, and that’s probably the reason I do creative work now.

Ooh, fair enough! I get what you mean when you say you “felt like an outsider.” I grew up in the UK, and being Black definitely pushed me away from the majority, if you know what I mean. I guess that’s why I also do creative work now too!

What do you think was the moment that made you decide you wanted to start designing and start your clothing brand?

I just wanted to be part of something and build something. I didn’t know what I just came up with a name for and got a hoodie printed through a shop to rep it. The plan was to make it a friend group type thing, almost like a little club. At the same time, I want to be a leader, and I like being independent, so the friend group thing wasn’t either. I liked wearing the hoodie so much I started to make more and sold some to my skater friends. Once I started seeing people around me wear something I made at that age, it just hit, and I realized this is what I want to do. I was always into fashion without realizing it because even when I had to wear whatever we had, I still tried to stand out and make it look different. My brand was my first actual income too, so me accidentally getting into fashion is what also got me to be able to afford fashion and realize that’s something I love, which is crazy to me.

Most definitely! It’s cool how you found the confidence to show off your brand to your friends and social group! It might’ve seemed like a small thing, but a lot of people find that a hard thing to do!

Now earlier, you said that your upbringing influenced your future work, and I imagine it caused you to delve into learning certain skills and professions! What skills did/do you develop that helped you start your brand when you founded it?

I was always just into creative things, drawing, making stuff. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, but I had no idea how I was going to do anything, to be honest. All my design and brand knowledge started with my brand, and I had to learn everything through trial and error. My mom and grandma were always into sewing and making clothes, so there’s something pushing us to make clothes, lol. But besides designing, I really don’t have any special skills. It still feels like I have no idea what I’m doing, but people just trust my ideas.

I definitely hear that, man. Trial and error was definitely how I learned a lot about graphic design growing up too, lol.

If I’m correct, you started your clothing brand before you started designing. So tell me a little about how you came up with the name of your brand and what the name means to you.

I wasn’t really looking for a name yet; I just saw the word kinesis, and it stuck with me. I used it without even knowing the meaning, and when I looked it up, I saw it means movement/motion. My brand was the first step of me finding a way to do the things that I want to do and express myself, so in a way, it was literally a movement, which is also the meaning of Kinesis." The name made sense before I even realized it.

Most definitely! I think Kinesis really suits your brand and its message!

When you started out your clothing brand, what were some immediate (practical and creative) struggles when you started, and how did you overcome them?

I did everything with no experience, no classes, and no knowledge, but no income or budget either, so it was really just an idea for the longest time. I ended up shifting more into designing for other brands because it was more practical; I didn't have to print and ship anything, and it helped me build a name and budget for my own brand. My friends were into things like editing and photography, and they were always down to help me and make things easier for me. Looking back, things were really shaped for me; every time I needed someone, there was a friend for that role. All my friends are creatives or workers. Everything worked out pretty well for someone going in blind; it just took many years. Connections are huge; if you can’t do something, someone else can. The biggest struggles were all mental, things like comparing myself to other designers that achieved things earlier than me. I felt like I didn’t do as much as I wanted.

True say, man! A lot of other people who I interviewed also mentioned that their network played a huge part in how their clothing brand developed! And yes, it can be difficult to push yourself in entrepreneurship when you’re always comparing yourself to others; a lot of people struggle with that too!

Aside from reaching out to your friends, practically speaking, how did you find the resources to begin producing and designing (manufacturing, designing, distribution, etc.)?

My Photoshop knowledge came from a pirated version on my grandma’s old laptop; printing clothes just came from googling it and testing out different sites. I didn’t even know how to set up a website, etc.; I just googled it and kept trying. I was struggling a lot with finding the right manufacturers, etc., but I spend all my time on this. My brand and design career are all I think about, so I’m always learning new things and trying more.

Fair enough. It’s good that you fought hard to find the resources that helped you start out in design and brand ownership.

Initially, how did designing and brand ownership work out for you? How did it go within the first 1-2 years in the field? Were there any successes or setbacks?

The first years I was literally working 24/7 on the brand and designs. I got a fairly big client pretty early who was an influencer. He helped me fund my brand and set up more. I dropped out of school right away so I could focus fully on my craft. I was just practicing and grinding for a few years straight, and then when Covid hit, it went crazy. I suddenly started working with some of the biggest artists and people I looked up to when I started off. It all went so quickly and naturally. I just remember being shocked that things were actually working out. I already imagined most of the things happening when they happened, so there were lots of “I told you” moments.

And when I saw 24/7, I literally didn’t see the people around me because I would be designing until 10 AM, go to sleep real quick, wake up, and finish what I was working on. It lowkey turned me antisocial, and I had sleeping problems because I was just too focused on my work, lol.

That’s actually really dope! It’s impressive how much you succeeded starting out. Your hard work obviously paid off.

Although you were succeeding during this period, were there any setbacks you faced? Were there any times you felt like giving up designing or running a clothing brand? If so (or if not), how did you overcome them?

My biggest setback came from my success. I used to be working 24/7, so I didn’t mind taking, like, 5 projects a day because I was used to it. I would be doing this for years straight until I eventually hit the feeling of being burned out and demotivated. I thought it was just a phase and kept pushing, which resulted in me losing many clients and failing on a lot of projects. After COVID, I had, like, 30 projects I had to catch up on and still was taking consistent work. I was literally working 24/7 again to catch up to older projects, and during that process, I had so many partners, clients, and people I saw as friends saying I’m a scammer and I do bad business, etc. That was probably the most demotivated I ever was because I was working harder than ever but had so many people calling me lazy and things like that. It did teach me that business is business; you can’t leave someone hanging no matter what’s going on. Everyone’s busy, and everyone’s trying to make money.

I’m happy it happened early and not on a bigger scale; it taught me to handle things better early on. I can’t say I ever thought about quitting, though I was just stuck.

It’s very good that happened early on. Things like these could be career-ending setbacks, so I’m glad that it only served as a lesson to you!

Now, of course, you mentioned earlier that you won over a fairly big influencer early on who helped you grow your brand. As time went on, you went on to work with huge clients like Lil Baby, Adin Ross & Lil Durk. Give me some backstory on how you connected with them and how it was working for them.

Networking: I forced myself into this scene because it wasn't going to work otherwise. I used to do concept designs and make covers as practice. I would always just reach out to artists and try to work with them. One project led to another, and before I knew it, I was cool with artists and managers. Some of my biggest projects were just as simple as a story reply asking to work for them.

It's all networking. I live in the middle of nowhere. I still don’t even know how I managed to work with all these guys sometimes. In this industry there are lots of weirdos and leeches. If you’re cool and don’t do weird shit, people will like you. Treat an artist like a human instead of an opportunity, and they will respect you. I have some huge artist friends that I never worked with, but they tell other artists to hit me up and things like that.

If you surround yourself with people that have the same ambitions, you’ll have constant chances, and eventually people will see it and want to be part of it too. The biggest design I ever did was for Levi’s x JJJJound. I literally just woke up to a DM from them asking if I want to work with them.

This is a clear example of how far networking can take you! It’s really impressive how you managed to network and connect with huge brands and influencers!

Now if I’m correct, you started off with your clothing brand, then put the brand on hold for a little bit to delve into graphic design! After all those successes as a graphic designer, how was it re-immersing yourself back into your clothing brand?

Honestly, it was years of seeing companies make millions from my creativity and ideas while I was creating everything but still getting the bare minimum. I felt like I was wasting my creativity. I was in the hospital for a few weeks and got random motivation for my brand, designed a whole drop there, came out of the hospital, got myself a big Kinesis tattoo on my arm, licensed the name, and then told myself I have to push the brand more. I’m still young, but I’m not 17 anymore. I have to make moves now if I want to succeed. It was refreshing to feel like a boss and make every move myself instead of listening to someone else or working alongside someone else. Both are cool, but I’m a natural leader; I need some control at least. All the issues I faced during the first brand run weren’t issues anymore. It was fun setting everything up and seeing it work right away instead of the usual trial and error process.

Although I’m just getting started with the brand for real, I only dropped a few beanies and a tee, but the support is real. I sold out half the stock without any marketing or promotion.

That’s great, man! I remember interviewing another brand owner in the past, and they also mentioned that they got their brand name tattooed on their arm; they always seem to be the most motivated, if you ask me!!

Now that you’ve returned to the streetwear scene, I’m sure you’ve noticed that there are a lot of brands in the game too. It can be hard to stand out when there are plenty of alternative brands out there. How do you differentiate yourself from other brand owners? How do you stay unique?

Oh bro, I come from the Fucking Awesome, Supreme, Vlone, and FTP era, when streetwear was more “street.”

Everything is so accessible now; you've got kids making fully rhinestone cut-and-sew ghostwash tracksuits lol. A simple white graphic tee doesn’t hit the same as it did. I’m not trying to make unique clothes to stand out; I want to make clothes so people feel a part of something. The brand aesthetic I’m building is old ghetto Soviet war vibes, so standing out won’t be too hard. I don’t see much competition that can tell the same story with their ideas as me, so I’m confident in just sticking to the plan until it works. I’m not following trends or staying up to date; I’m trying to make a new wave.

I miss those days, lol 😭! I definitely agree with you on how everything is accessible now. It’s kind of caused people to flood the streetwear market with their own designs, which is kind of a blessing and a curse. It’s great that you’re not following trends but instead starting a new wave!

Now, since you’ve only recently revived your brand & had a successful drop, where do you see your brand in the future? What are some future plans for Kinesis?

This brand is the base for all my next steps. I want to go into the music world and start a Kinesis-owned label, sign artists, and sponsor sports events. Kinesis will be one big empire. I can’t plan too far ahead; things usually go better than planned but almost never as planned, so I just work hard and see what happens. The plan right now is to pay my bills and live the life I want to live. I don’t know how I’m going to do it; I just know I can. I want to be the most influential creative under 30, and I still have 7 years to prove myself.

I definitely see you achieving that; you have all the experience to do that, man.

It’s been really great interviewing you, and I really appreciate you taking your time to chat with me about your journey as a graphic designer and brand owner!!

I have one final question for you: if you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring brand owner who doesn’t know where to start, what would it be?

Your journey has already started. If you aren't making any progress, then you don't want it enough yet. The steps come naturally as long as you don't avoid them. People like to say not everybody can be a leader; we also need workers, but that's not true. Everybody can be a leader; it's just that we can't all be leaders and bosses at once. You have to learn from the smaller steps: discipline. The day you start your day job in a store to fund your brand, you've already started. The moment you think of a logo, you've already started. Your brand journey doesn't start after your first sale or big drop. I want to inspire the underdogs, those that think they weren't supposed to make it, and those that think they can't even start because they aren't a rich white kid in LA with connections. People always say you can do everything you want because it's true; you just think it's corny until you live it. Take every setback like a man; it's only more backstory when you do make it.

Couldn't just give them some random advice; this really came from the heart, lol. I appreciate you for the interview. I honestly haven't thought about half these things in years, so it was nostalgic to look back.

Also, English is my third language, so I usually translate it in my head first; if things were worded a little messy or confusing, that's why.

I’m glad you enjoyed our interview, bro! This has been one of the most rewarding interviews I’ve had since starting, you know! I’m honoured to be able to hear so much insight from you man.

Appreciate that, bro. Let me know when it’s online, or tag me as a collaborator, and I’ll share it around. 💯 This is the first interview I've done in 4 years, and I didn't even want to get too personal in my first one, so I think my followers will like it.

This interview is one of the five that I conducted as part of the 3000+ word guide on how to start a clothing brand! 

I would like to give a huge thanks to Shinna for giving me the opportunity to interview him. Please make sure to check out Kinesis & show your support by checking its catalogue!

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