Rising Stars: Meet Kazumi Vites

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kazumi Vites.

Hi Kazumi, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My passion for creating great products, coupled with over 25 years working as a pattern maker and technical designer for small brands to large corporations, is what defines my career in the fashion industry. In 2021, I started my own clothing line called WOOL PROJECT (www.woolproject.com), which is the culmination of my professional and creative journey.

WOOL PROJECT, the new sustainable luxury fashion brand, casual yer, sophisticated knit essentials. We commit to a small batch production locally manufactured in Los Angeles.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are always obstacles and challenges when it comes to breaking into the right market and sustaining relevancy. Finding the right people, creating strong teams, inspiring synergy proves to be crucial in developing a productive enterprise. When a talented group of dedicated individuals conspires to focus on a common goal with constant attention to detail, a successful business can flourish. One of the most valuable lessons I have learned over the years is knowing when to move forward or back away from particular relationships that are either hindering or nurturing a vision. When that careful balance is struck between business, friendship and mutual respect, that team will overcome those inevitable obstacles that always arise in this fast-paced and ever-changing world of fashion, and I love it!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I create products that can be cherished by others or assist other artists in realizing their greatest possible creative visions. My specific specialty is pattern making and custom fitting beautiful fashions from initial conceptualization to finished fabrication in the real world. My work has been featured at the Met Gala and at Fashion week in New York and France alongside the world’s top designers. My creations have been celebrated by major magazines and fashion critics alike. I achieve a profound sense of satisfaction when my client’s needs are completely fulfilled beyond even their own expectations. I often receive feedback that I have somehow ‘read their mind’ and intuitively created exactly what the piece called for. This really moves me when I hear comments like that which boosts my confidence and continues to let me know that I’m still on the right path. Inspiration is supremely key in this business, so whenever my clients and customers share their sincere joy with me and the results of my labor of love is acknowledged, this tends to make life more fulfilling, more beautiful and more prosperous. This is what I truly enjoy about living artistically.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I suspect a shift towards sustainability, eco-consciousness and fair labor practices will be taking place in the coming years. Born out of a necessity to cut costs and reduce material waste, the fashion industry will adopt a new business model organized around implementing the use of renewable materials that are sourced from places around the world that actually employ higher ethical labor standards and maintain commitments to reduce overproduction… The fashion industry will make a transition from fast and disposable to timeless and sustainable. If it wants to survive in a growing climate of concern for mother nature and her inhabitants. That’s why my brand, WOOL PROJECT focuses on perennial fashions that never goes out of style and only source the finest renewable and natural fibers from Fair Trade farmers and ethical, low-waste suppliers. The vision for the future and my place among a changing environment for clothing companies and designers is one of cooperation with companies, agencies, and like-minded souls who wish to see a more connected community of shared values in the struggle to promote a future in which people, animals and ecosystems are bolstered and not abused.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://woolproject.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woolprojectofficial/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Woolprojectofficial/