At the height of NYFW, Janine Just Inc. presents TechStyle NYC, a day-to-night leisure of experiences at the nexus of fashion & technology, drawing influential media, bloggers, & celebrities into one fashion-forward event. Set above the bustle of fashion week, the lounge offers a welcome reprieve to VIPs to discover, the new, next and now among the emerging brands curated into the showcase. The event had a wonderful turnout and attendees enjoyed the chance to celebrate NYC’s fashion week in techsy style!
But just who are the brands that attended the event? What’s their take on the event industry? And what did they think of TechStyleNYC? We took the opportunity to interview a few of the attendees and over the next few days will be featuring their interviews, read on for a peek inside the experience:
We talked to Sara Shake and Jonna Piira, Co-founders of Kali
First of all, please tell our readers about you – what is the company all about?
Kali is an organic tampon subscription box that donates $1 from every box sold to Girl Up, a campaign that is a part of the United Nation’s Foundation. We are leading what we call the “Tampon Revolution” to educate women about the benefits of choosing organic when it comes to their feminine hygiene products. We shipped our first boxes in December of 2015 and are gaining new Kali Girls everyday.
What were the 3 keys to getting the company off the ground – where did you invest your time?
We subscribe to the Traction model, so 50% of our time was spent on discovering the most effective traction channels and 50% of our time was spent on product development. Once we were live, we made adjustments quickly to adapt to what our customers were asking for, which is why almost immediately we implemented customized ordering frequency and started working on additional products (in this case organic cotton pads and liners, due out this Summer).
Just having participated in TechStyle NYC, what role do live events play in your branding and marketing initiatives?
Events give us the chance to connect with our target audience and tell the story of our brand in person. Events have also given us an amazing platform to change the conversation around women’s menstruation and make it a topic that is no longer spoken about in whispers. We also love explaining the concept to men, and have been extremely impressed at how many men are supportive of the products and movement towards organic.
What was a successful social media campaign you hosted that showed great engagement and traction?
We have had the opportunity to work with some amazing influencers along the way and have seen many subscriptions come from reviews posted on social media from women like The Goofy Mermaid, NiHao New York, Foxy Boss Life, and The Strong Movement. Initially, we used Thunderclap to launch the Kali website and had a great response.
Finally, what is your favorite app?
We recently did a wrap up of our favorite wellness apps on our blog, right now we are really loving TalkSpace, ZocDoc, and period-tracker, Clue. For travel, you can’t beat the AirBnb app, and of course we live by our JetBlue app.