Chit Chat Tuesday: Interview with Shosh Kazab, expert in kids fashion PR and founder of Kidswear Collective.

In this week’s edition of Chit Chat Tuesday we catch up with the Shoshana Kazab. Shosh is a seasoned expert in PR and marketing, boasting over 15 years of experience in the luxury kids’ fashion industry. As the co-founder and CEO of Kidswear Collective, she leads the award-winning luxury resale platform for baby and kids’ fashion. Shosh is also the visionary behind Fuse Communications, the leading PR agency for luxury baby and kids’ brands. 

Please introduce yourself.

Hi, I’m Shosh. I’ve been working in the kids industry for over 15 years. I set up a PR agency called Fuse Communications and have worked with some of the best kids fashion brands including Mischka Aoki, Patachou, Rachel Riley, Maison Ava and many more. A few years ago, I started another business called Kidswear Collective, a website selling pre-loved and past season designer baby & kids fashion. We sell online and also have concessions in department stores including Selfridges, Fenwick & Galleries Lafayette.

Tell us your story.

I was born in London to a Finnish mum and Iraqi dad. London is a melting pot of cultures and nationalities, which is one of the things that makes this city so special! I studied French & Law at university and spent a year living in Paris when I was 21, which was a wonderful adventure! I worked in the fitness industry before finding myself moving over to kids fashion. I met my husband Anthony when I was 22, and this year we are celebrating our 20^th wedding anniversary, in Las Vegas! My father & sister live in Miami and a few years ago we bought an apartment there, which is my second home and my happy place.

You have worked in the kids’ fashion industry for a long time. Why kids’ fashion?

Yes, it feels like a very long time now! So much has changed since I started out! Like most things in life, my move into kids’ fashion happened by chance. I had been working in the fitness industry for a few years and had set up my own marketing consultancy. My sister-in-law who is Danish introduced me to a friend of hers who was bringing a Danish kidswear brand to the UK called Mini A Ture and needed some PR support, and I thought ‘why not’! The rest is history! 

To what do you attribute your success?

I’m not sure I consider myself ‘successful’ but I work hard and try to do the best for my clients. I really enjoy bringing like-minded people together and I guess there’s a skill to that. Covid was particularly hard for someone like me who loves to be around people – amazing things happen when we come together! 

How do you see the kids fashion market in 5 years?

This is a difficult question as things are changing so quickly these days. There’s no doubt that the past few years have been tough for everyone. But with adversity comes opportunity and I believe the kids industry will continue to thrive. I think brands will continue to collaborate together as it makes so much sense. The retail landscape will continue to change and I’m sure pop-ups will be an important way for brands to connect directly with customers in a physical way.

The great thing about kids is that they will always need new clothes and one of my old clients, a children’s shoe brand, said that one of the most recession proof businesses to be in was children’s footwear, and I don’t think he was wrong! 

Tell us about Kidswear Collective.

This started out as a bit of a passion project and it’s been wonderful to see it grow. I am passionate about sustainability and trying to find solutions to the waste in the fashion industry. 

I have always loved buying ‘mixed wardrobes’ for myself, which is a mix of old and new. But I’ve always felt that pre-owned clothes should be presented in a way which is both aspirational and luxurious. So I used my skills and experience in the kids industry to try to create something exclusively in this space. The website is consignment platform, which means we physically inspect every item, authenticate, clean, photograph and store the items until they are sold. 

I love retail and was so excited when Selfridges approached us about opening a 3 month pop-up in their flagship Oxford Street store in 2020. Happily it was a success and we how have concessions in three Selfridges stores and an edit with them online. 

What is your prediction for SS25? 

We have seen a lot of quiet luxury and cottage core this season, so we might see something more bold coming out for SS25. Bigger prints and bolder colors. Sustainable innovations will certainly continue to develop as brands try to navigate the challenge of waste and consumer demand for more ethically produced collections. 

What is the most effective marketing tool today in your opinion? 

My background is in marketing so I will aways say that businesses need to carry out all elements of the marketing mix in order to have successful campaigns. I think it’s important for businesses to have affiliate programs set up and set aside a decent budget for Google in order to have visibility online. 

What do you think about physical events, networking vs online platforms?

I definitely prefer physical events and networking, nothing can beat a room of like-minded people coming together and brainstorming ideas. But we humans are highly adaptive and when Covid happened, it was amazing to see how we were able to pivot online when we needed to. We did a few virtual press days and even a virtual trade show, and whilst it wasn’t ideal, it still did the job. But we were all so relieved once we were able to organize ‘real life’ events once again! 

What advice can you give to young brands?

You can’t start a business without money. And it will always take more than you think. Many businesses run out of money before they’ve really had a chance to take off which is really sad. So try to work hard and save as much as you can before you launch. 

I also think it’s important to take advice on board and don’t be afraid to pivot if you feel you need to. A business can take many forms before you finally find what works best.  It’s really tough starting something new and you’ll go through periods of self doubt. But if you believe in what you’re doing, that there’s a demand for it and a gap in the market for what you’re doing, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t succeed!

What advice would you give to anyone who would like to pursue a career in kids’ fashion? 

Try to work in as many different areas as you can so you can discover what you enjoy most – you can work in-house for a brand, or for an agency. It’s a fun industry with supportive people who genuinely all try to help each other, which is quite refreshing.

Who is your fashion icon past or present?

Prince.

What inspires you?

Thinking about what can come next.

What are your favorite cultural magazines/publications? How about podcasts?

I don’t have as much time as I’d like to read magazines these days, so I love listening to podcasts which can fit into my life. My current favorite is Elizabeth Day’s ‘How to Fail’. I listen to Desert Island Discs when I can’t sleep. And I love Jessie Ware’s ‘Table Manners’ podcast. And from our industry, I always listen to ‘Kidswear Therapy’ by Katie Kendrick and Linda McLean.

What is your favorite place in the world?

Miami!

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