July 15, 2025 • 23 mins
What do bold patterns, arena lights, and a mid-life “why not?” have in common? Yuki Khona. She ditched tech, found her love for rhinestones, and built Kultured Rider. Tune in to learn about the western show brand that’s as fierce as it is fabulous.
- Hosts: Jennifer Hebert, Morgan Nicole Zipperlen
- Contact: Sophia Jagella, WESA Marketing Specialist
- Guest: Yuki Khona
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kulturedrider/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Kultured-Rider/61561108045162/
- Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/kulturedrider
- TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@kulturedrider
- Website: https://kulturedrider.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Foreign.
You are listening to the HorseRadio Network, part of the Equine
Network family.
This is episode 153 of Wisdomby Wesa on the Horse Radio Network.
This is Jennifer Heber.
(00:21):
I'm Morgan Nicole.
And this is Sofia Yagela.
Welcome to Wisdom by Wasa Sophia.
We are now just one month awayfrom opening day.
Is there anything buyers canstill sign up for at this point?
Yes.
So first of all, they canstill sign up for buyer badges if
(00:42):
you still haven't.
And along with the preregistration, if you're quick, you'll
also get some food vouchersalong as long as our supplies last.
So that's always helpfulduring the busy trade show days.
And then the second thing thatpeople can still sign up for is the
benefit golf tournament whichreally is just a fun get together
(01:03):
at TOPGOLF in Dallas with abuffet and drinks and actually also
Montana silversmith bucklesfor our winning TOPGOLF teams.
And I think the best partabout all of this is that the proceeds
go to National Little BridgesRodeo association and specifically
to their scholarship funding.
(01:24):
So this really is a greatevent to sign up for.
How fun.
That's definitely something wedon't want to miss.
Where can they find the golfand the Westa registration?
So the buyer Registration isvia westsidetradeshow.com and the
player registration for thebenefit golf tournament is also on
(01:46):
our website.
You can just hover over Augustand then find the events tab and
just sign up there.
Phenomenal.
Thank you.
And it's now time to get toour guest.
And our guest today is YukiKona and she is the visionary founder
and designer behind CulturedRider, a luxury western show apparel
(02:08):
brand that combines boldcraft, heavy design and urban elegance.
As a WESA exhibitor, she'sbuilt a networked business by embracing
areas beyond her comfort zoneto elevate the show apparel into
a cultural statement.
Welcome to the show, Yuki.
Hi.
Nice to meet you.
(02:28):
I'm a fashion train wreck.
I'm raising my hand right now,so I'm so excited to chat with you.
I drove around your websitethis morning for a little bit to
look at the fashions and Ifound at least three different things
I need to buy just to go to.
Just to go to Westa later onnext month.
So excited that you're saying that.
Yeah, it's.
It's definitely been somethingout of my comfort zone.
Believe it or not, if youactually met me in real life, I am
(02:51):
in sweatpants and T shirt andI don't always wear what I design.
So, yeah, I. I design it forother people.
Let's just put it that way.
Well, what I found sointeresting, because I am not.
I don't have good fashionconfidence or fashion sense.
What I saw on your website,number one, you use models who are
(03:11):
real human beings.
Yay.
Thank you.
And they're beautiful.
They're.
They're beautiful.
But you don't look at them andsay, oh, that's out of Vogue magazine.
That's a real person that Ican relate to.
I'm guessing they're also equestrians.
Absolutely.
Actually, so one of my modelsis Kaylen Quinones.
I know I butchered her name,but she was Miss Rodeo USA 2024.
(03:36):
I actually met her at WESA.
I saw her walking around witha crown on, and I was like, yeah,
you need to come talk to me.
So we became friends, and nowshe, you know, models for me, and
she's awesome.
And Carly, who's the othermodel, is Ms. Salasar USA 2020.
(03:56):
I'm going to say two.
Don't quote me, but I mean,they're both brilliant equestrians,
brilliant women.
And I'm just so lucky I found them.
And it's really part.
I mean, I'm not gonna saypartially, I'm gonna say a hundred
percent, because I was atweta, so it's been.
It's been such a blessing.
So your.
(04:16):
The fashions on your website, they.
They range from casualbarbecue, picnic, right up to where
a tuxedo wedding.
And yet every single item isso approachable.
You look at that, and you lookat those visuals on there, and you
say to yourself, I could wear that.
I could wear that on my vacation.
(04:37):
I could wear that when I go tothe beach.
I could wear that when I go todinner with my friends.
What are some of the thingsthat inspire the fashions that you
design at Cultured Rider?
So interesting that you said that.
And I'm actually reallyhonored that you said that, that
it was accessible, becausethat's literally what I was trying
(04:57):
to do.
Right.
So let me kind of back up alittle bit.
I started designing thiscollection in May of 2024.
So we're a very, very brandnew company.
I have absolutely no designing skills.
I have absolutely no businessdoing what I'm doing.
Right.
Because this is not my profession.
But I wanted to do somethingthat was creative because I've always
(05:18):
been creative.
Just didn't know what to dowith it.
So I said, let me startdesigning clothes.
Like, why not?
My.
My father is my manufacturer,so I have an advantage there.
And I started with theequestrian collection first and I
wanted to do something that,you know, wasn't out there.
Something that was notsimpler, but something that was easy
to wear for anyone, right?
(05:39):
You didn't feel like you hadto be a certain way or, you know,
just to bring that prettinessback or that, that femininity back
into the writing.
You know, the writingdiscipline is, it's kind of how cultured
writer was created.
And, and then, you know, itreally evolved into, okay, let's
(06:00):
add something for the Ferrellracers, let's add something for the
Rainers, let's add somethingfor trail.
And it kind of developed, butbelieve it or not, that collection
was put together in two weeks.
I know I'm crazy, but I havethe advantage of, you know, my dad
being my manufacturer and he'slike, okay, we can do this, we can
do this.
And that's kind of where Iinitially, in August, had shown August
(06:21):
of 2024, I showed cultured Writer.
And while I was there, I waskind of contemplating whether I did
the right thing or not.
I felt like I needed somethingmore accessible.
And that's where I addedLavender Sky.
So flew back out to India forliterally two weeks, created lavender
sky, and I showed lavender skyin January.
(06:42):
So those two collections arevery different, but it's for a, a
girl who rides, right?
Like, let's say you're out in,you know, in your barn and you're
cleaning up after your horses,you're wearing a shirt, you can actually
wear that shirt right out to town.
Or you can, you know, like thedate night, you can wear lavender
sky and feel pretty.
(07:03):
So I, you know, I just wantedto kind of put something that was
accessible to, to everyone.
So that was something Inoticed too, that I think is unique
to Cultured Rider.
I've never seen this in anyother fashion oriented brand that
you, you have curated linesthat you can drop.
(07:25):
Use the drop down menu.
You can if you're a hunterrider, if you're a Rainer, if you're
a barrel racer, you can clickon that and you have suggestions,
curated suggestions.
Again, great.
For those of us who are notreally confident in our fashion choices,
what are some of the designcues that allow you to do those different
(07:49):
curated lists?
Is it color, is it cut, is it fabric?
A little of each.
So it really depends.
Like when you're a barrelracer, you want something that's
easily movable and right,you're moving, you're racing your
horse, so you want somethingthat's Tight, but not too tight.
Stretchy, but not too stretchy.
You want something that'sbreathable because you're.
(08:11):
You're hot.
Right?
So I. I choose fabric based on that.
But barrel racers love to havecolor, and.
And they're.
They're not afraid to go, youknow, out of the box.
So you'll see some really coolfabrics out there.
Right?
But then you have disciplinesthat don't allow bling or they don't
allow fringe.
So we just have to be verycareful with how we, you know, how
(08:34):
we put the collection together.
But, you know, coming into the.
To this industry, I had a lotof learning to do, and both Carly
and Kaylin have been greatresources for me to kind of guide
me and say, hey, have youthought of doing this or have you,
you know, thought of doing that?
And, you know, they've helpedme build my collection together.
And just talking to customers,especially at Westa, right, Talking
(08:57):
to people who are riderthemselves, but they own a boutique,
and they want to see different.
Different options.
And for example, I had acustomer in January who loved one
of my Carly shirts, but shedidn't want the satin.
She wanted made in cotton.
Well, guess what?
That's what.
That's what we do.
We can take the same patternand just change the fabric so it's
(09:18):
more friendly.
Oh, my gosh.
I was thinking exactly thesame thing.
Yeah, it's pretty cool.
Well, like I said, I'mcheating a little bit, right?
Because I have my dad, who,you know, I can call him and be like,
hey, dad, can we do this?
And he's like, absolutely.
Or he'll turn around, be like,yeah, we can't do this because this
is, you know, reallydifficult, or, you know, the fabric's
(09:38):
not available or whatever it is.
So it's was supposed to startout as a hobby.
It's become a business.
And it's been pretty kind ofwild to see people wearing my.
My stuff and loving it andtagging us on their Instagram.
And I'm just in awe every dayof like, did I.
(09:59):
Did I really do that?
Did I really put this together?
I have no design background.
I have no apparel background.
I have nothing.
I'm in supply chain byprofession, so totally out of my
comfort zone.
But, yeah, I'm enjoying everyminute of it.
But obviously, you're adept,if not expert, at putting together
(10:24):
a really good team.
It sounds like you havemembers of your cultured writer team
that you have, that you have areally great relationship with, and
that allows you to keep things moving.
Smoothly, you don't have thoseinterruptions because of breakdowns
in communication, which are.
They can be the death of any business.
(10:45):
And it sounds like.
Sounds like you've got thatpart really well ironed out.
Oh, my gosh.
I can't tell you how lucky Ihave been.
When I first started this, Irealized I needed somebody to do
my social media.
I was.
I was actually at work oneday, and I was like, let.
Let me Google and find someoneto help me.
And I ended up meeting Romina,who is my social media manager, and
(11:08):
my gosh, am I lucky to have her.
And, you know, she reallyhelped me understand Instagram, which
is, oh, my gosh, more involvedthan I realize.
You know, my children are moreaware of, you know, how to do certain
things.
And so she's been a blessing.
But, you know, like I said atWesta, when I saw Kailyn walk by
(11:29):
with her crown, I was like,who are you?
Why are you wearing a crown?
Please come talk to me.
And funny story.
So the most expensive piece Ihave on my website is called the
K. Lynn.
And this is because when I mether at Westa, she.
She tried on that outfit, shetried on the jacket.
And I turned around, looked ather dead in the face, and I said,
(11:49):
this is yours.
And she's like, what?
I'm like, this is yours.
This was meant to be yours.
It fits you like a glove.
And I turn around, look at myhusband, and he's looking at me like,
sure.
Oh, stretchy.
Yeah, I understand.
But that's your most expensive piece.
I was like, I understand.
But to me, relationships areso much part of what we do, right?
(12:11):
And that's really why we cometo west side is to build.
Built these relationships andhave these relationships.
And I was like, who better to.
To tie up with than somebodywho is the, you know, poster child,
or however you want to call it.
The.
I can't come up with the word.
But she embodies everything Ibelieve in, right?
(12:33):
Women being, you know, strongwomen helping each other, being beautiful,
being strong.
And I mean, she.
She has an mba, she'seducated, she's gorgeous, but she's
just like the package.
And I was like, this jackethas to be yours.
And that's how I named the.
The jacket.
The K. Lynn.
Oh, my gosh, that's so interesting.
And another thing that, again,I think this is unusual, if not unique
(12:57):
for the industry.
At Cultured Rider, you have acustom ordering process.
Walk.
What is that?
And walk us through it.
Why did you start it?
As far as the Horse apparelindustry is concerned.
It's not really a unique offering.
A lot of the higher enddesigners do cut them, but I, you
(13:22):
know, I mean, honestly, I havethe ability to do it because of the,
you know, access that I havewith the, the, the factory.
Right.
I'm able to say, okay, I likethis design, but the customer doesn't
want yellow bling.
They want purple bling.
Like, it's something that's soeasy for me to do.
So it was part of, you know,it was part of the original plan
(13:45):
of having that, that customization.
I, I've never been introducedto the rodeo queen industry, which
is where Kaelyn comes from.
And that's kind of wherewe're, we're targeting going forward
is, you know, making veryunique pieces for girls who are trying
out for either Ms. Rodeo USAor Ms. Rodeo America or their local
(14:07):
pageant.
So having that, having thatability, I think really puts, you
know, cultured writer at an advantage.
And the other thing is becauseI, because of the accessibility to
fabric and design and, youknow, bling and things like that.
And I don't think bling is theofficial term, but rhinestone.
(14:28):
Yeah, but everybody calls it.
I think you're right.
Everybody.
I know, but I can buildsomething that's within everyone's
budget, right?
Or I can, I can have acustomer say, hey, I'm willing to
spend a thousand.
And I, I can have a girl whosays, listen, my budget's 200, so
I can really play around with,with that and offer them something
so unique that they don't haveto break their bank.
(14:49):
And part of the reason thatactually happened was I was at a
horse retailer, clothingretailer, and one of the clerks I
was talking to, she wastalking to me about her favorite
outfit that she arrived in,and she had spent $800 on that shirt.
And I said, wow, that's amazing.
She goes, yeah, that was themoney that my grandpa left me.
(15:10):
And I was like, I'm sorry.
You used all the money thatyou had from your grandpa to buy
a shirt?
And she's like, yeah, becausethey're so expensive.
And that's what it hit me.
Like, I don't.
I want these girls to lookbeautiful and not have to spend something
that their, their grandparentleft for them.
You know, like, it kind of hitme and I'm like, that's why I want
to make some of the stuffthat, you know, I put out there accessible
(15:33):
to everybody.
And I'm willing to work with,with customers.
And, you know, my firstquestion is, what is Your budget,
What do you want to do?
Yeah, exactly.
And that's a key aspect of allof this, is being able to be accessible
both in the fashions and thestyles, but also in the price point.
(15:53):
Yeah, I think that's really,really important.
Yeah, yeah.
So you have wholesale programand private label options.
Is that another thing that youhad in mind from the get go or is
that something that hasevolved a little bit since you're
business began?
It definitely involved.
Involved.
I'm sorry.
Yeah.
Because like I said, this wasinitially created as a hobby and
(16:17):
it, it's, it's blown up intosomething that I didn't expect.
And you know, one of thethings that I always tell myself
is just keep an open mind.
Bring, you know, whatever,whatever comes your way, you know,
accept it and take it.
And that's the wholesale partreally happens because, you know,
it was something that I coulddo and I have access to and private
(16:39):
labeling is something that my,the factory in India already does.
I mean, they've been inbusiness for over 40 years.
They manufacture formanufactured garments for customers
all over the world, so why not?
So I've actually had reallycool opportunities that have come
out of Westa that have, hasnothing to do with horse related,
(17:00):
but we are doing shirts for acustomer, you know, and it's, it's,
it's been kind of really coolthat that's what it translated to
because, you know, when, whenmy customer approached me and said,
hey, can you do men's shirts?
And I'm like, yeah, absolutely.
It's, you know, we have theability or capability of doing that.
So that's, that's, that'spretty cool.
That's interesting that.
(17:21):
And I can see a few years downthe line that the cultured rider
expanding into more of themenswear perhaps.
Well, we did, we did do a softlaunch in January actually.
We did a men's line, but wehad a lot of feedback of what men
actually like.
They, they're a little bitdifferent than, than women.
(17:43):
Right.
When it comes to their shirts.
They want certain buttons,they want certain fit, they want
certain fabrics.
So we're kind of going back tothe drawing board and I'm hoping
to have something out for next January.
There we go.
I'm going to put out apersonal request to cultured rider
in the menswear line.
When it, when it, when itdebuts in 2026, I'm putting words
(18:06):
in your mouth.
Please create shirts for menwho are not extra large size and
over six feet tall.
The.
It's Crazy.
It's crazy how you cannot findtall men's clothing unless the tall
man is built like a linebacker.
(18:28):
I don't know.
We need to chat.
I'll be.
I'll be.
I'll be there in August.
We'll chat.
We'll.
We'll talk about.
So one more thing.
Do you have a favorite piecein your lineup?
A personal favorite, and why?
Well, it's kind of mynamesake, the Yuki.
(18:51):
It was.
It was a jacket that Iliterally had the design in my head,
so it wasn't really put onpaper or anything.
And I sat with my tailor anddrove him crazy.
Don't.
Don't get me wrong.
But I was like, okay, put this here.
Put this here.
I want you to do this.
And it just kind of evolvedinto this beautiful jacket.
(19:12):
It's one of my favorite pieces.
And I.
That's kind of.
That's really the first designthat I. I put together, and I. I
love that piece.
It really does kind of, youknow, allow me to.
To keep going in a sense, whenI look at that piece.
So, yeah, I guess that theYuki is the one that.
(19:33):
That I love the most.
I love the cut on that.
I'm a very, very conservative dresser.
Probably related to my lack ofconfidence when it comes to fashion,
but I just am in love with thecut on that jacket.
If we could make that in,like, some lovely earth tones, I'd
be your best friend.
Well, let's, you know, reachout to me, and we'll make a custom
(19:56):
piece for you.
But I can see why you're.
Why you love that.
Now, am I getting it rightthat there are little zippers on
the cuffs?
There are zippers on the cuff, yeah.
Oh, how cool.
Now, was the zipper on thecuff purely a design choice, or was
that something also related tothe equestrianism and the usefulness
(20:20):
of the garment?
I honestly put the zipper onthere just in case, you know, like,
when you have somethingthat's, like, too tight and you don't
want it to be too tight, youjust want it to, like, be.
So I just wanted to give itthat little, like, flexibility.
But also, when you're done,you can unzip and just.
I mean, you can't roll thisone, but you can unzip the zipper
(20:42):
and just kind of cool down alittle bit.
And that's the interestingthat, you know, I don't ride horses.
I have no experience in ridinghorses, but I.
That's kind of where myadvantage is as I come in looking
at it from a very different perspective.
Right for example, the barrelracers love the zipper because after
(21:03):
they race they want to be ableto take off their shirt because they're
hot.
Well, guess what?
The zipper in the front andthe zipper on the side allows you,
or even the Velcro allows youto take it off immediately.
Pretty, you know, it's, it's apretty quick, you know, quick, you
know, you can take it off.
Sorry.
Yeah, but these are differentthings that the industry hasn't seen.
But I have, I have some ideas, right.
(21:26):
And I just, I just have tokind of implement it and see and
some, and a lot of the, a lotof the, the disciplines are different.
Like for example, I have ateam up in Canada that bought some
of my shirts but they neededbuttons on top of the placket because
it has to be a button up butthey want a zipper feature underneath.
So that's the cool thing aboutworking with us is however you want
(21:48):
to design your, your shirt, wecan, we can accommodate that.
Perfect.
Now one final question, Ipromise, then we'll let you get on
with your day.
For someone who's doing thecustom order, which I think is something
that is just going to shinefor you guys, what kind of, and it's
tough because it could changefrom, from season to season.
What kind of a turnaround timewould one might expect?
(22:10):
So if it's something as simpleas a shirt and you just want the
measurements that could bemaybe a two week turnaround.
It really isn't, you know, areally long.
And the only thing is fabricavailability is super important and
just you know, being able toturn that around.
But for example, if you wantedlike either the K. Lynn or the Yuki,
like the more elaborate jacket.
(22:31):
Oh, let me put it in perspective.
The Kalin took 400 man hoursto put together.
So yeah, by like a month and ahalf or something because it's all
hand done so it could take alittle bit but you know, it, it really
just depends on what you're,what you're looking for.
There we go.
Thank you very much forspending some time with us today,
Yuki.
This has been fascinating.
(22:53):
I really appreciate this.
This has been awesome.
Links from today's shows arein the Episode show notes and@wisdombywessa.com
subscribe to Wisdom by WESA onApple, Music, Spotify or any podcast
player.
And don't miss out on all thenews from manufacturers and retailers
(23:15):
in the equine industry.
The Wisdom by West's show willbe published on the 15th and 30th
of every month.
Foreign.
You are listening to the HorseRadio Network, part of the Equine
Network family.
This is episode 153 of Wisdomby Wesa on the Horse Radio Network.
This is Jennifer Heber.
(00:21):
I'm Morgan Nicole.
And this is Sofia Yagela.
Welcome to Wisdom by Wasa Sophia.
We are now just one month awayfrom opening day.
Is there anything buyers canstill sign up for at this point?
Yes.
So first of all, they canstill sign up for buyer badges if
(00:42):
you still haven't.
And along with the preregistration, if you're quick, you'll
also get some food vouchersalong as long as our supplies last.
So that's always helpfulduring the busy trade show days.
And then the second thing thatpeople can still sign up for is the
benefit golf tournament whichreally is just a fun get together
(01:03):
at TOPGOLF in Dallas with abuffet and drinks and actually also
Montana silversmith bucklesfor our winning TOPGOLF teams.
And I think the best partabout all of this is that the proceeds
go to National Little BridgesRodeo association and specifically
to their scholarship funding.
(01:24):
So this really is a greatevent to sign up for.
How fun.
That's definitely something wedon't want to miss.
Where can they find the golfand the Westa registration?
So the buyer Registration isvia westsidetradeshow.com and the
player registration for thebenefit golf tournament is also on
(01:46):
our website.
You can just hover over Augustand then find the events tab and
just sign up there.
Phenomenal.
Thank you.
And it's now time to get toour guest.
And our guest today is YukiKona and she is the visionary founder
and designer behind CulturedRider, a luxury western show apparel
(02:08):
brand that combines boldcraft, heavy design and urban elegance.
As a WESA exhibitor, she'sbuilt a networked business by embracing
areas beyond her comfort zoneto elevate the show apparel into
a cultural statement.
Welcome to the show, Yuki.
Hi.
Nice to meet you.
(02:28):
I'm a fashion train wreck.
I'm raising my hand right now,so I'm so excited to chat with you.
I drove around your websitethis morning for a little bit to
look at the fashions and Ifound at least three different things
I need to buy just to go to.
Just to go to Westa later onnext month.
So excited that you're saying that.
Yeah, it's.
It's definitely been somethingout of my comfort zone.
Believe it or not, if youactually met me in real life, I am
(02:51):
in sweatpants and T shirt andI don't always wear what I design.
So, yeah, I. I design it forother people.
Let's just put it that way.
Well, what I found sointeresting, because I am not.
I don't have good fashionconfidence or fashion sense.
What I saw on your website,number one, you use models who are
(03:11):
real human beings.
Yay.
Thank you.
And they're beautiful.
They're.
They're beautiful.
But you don't look at them andsay, oh, that's out of Vogue magazine.
That's a real person that Ican relate to.
I'm guessing they're also equestrians.
Absolutely.
Actually, so one of my modelsis Kaylen Quinones.
I know I butchered her name,but she was Miss Rodeo USA 2024.
(03:36):
I actually met her at WESA.
I saw her walking around witha crown on, and I was like, yeah,
you need to come talk to me.
So we became friends, and nowshe, you know, models for me, and
she's awesome.
And Carly, who's the othermodel, is Ms. Salasar USA 2020.
(03:56):
I'm going to say two.
Don't quote me, but I mean,they're both brilliant equestrians,
brilliant women.
And I'm just so lucky I found them.
And it's really part.
I mean, I'm not gonna saypartially, I'm gonna say a hundred
percent, because I was atweta, so it's been.
It's been such a blessing.
So your.
(04:16):
The fashions on your website, they.
They range from casualbarbecue, picnic, right up to where
a tuxedo wedding.
And yet every single item isso approachable.
You look at that, and you lookat those visuals on there, and you
say to yourself, I could wear that.
I could wear that on my vacation.
(04:37):
I could wear that when I go tothe beach.
I could wear that when I go todinner with my friends.
What are some of the thingsthat inspire the fashions that you
design at Cultured Rider?
So interesting that you said that.
And I'm actually reallyhonored that you said that, that
it was accessible, becausethat's literally what I was trying
(04:57):
to do.
Right.
So let me kind of back up alittle bit.
I started designing thiscollection in May of 2024.
So we're a very, very brandnew company.
I have absolutely no designing skills.
I have absolutely no businessdoing what I'm doing.
Right.
Because this is not my profession.
But I wanted to do somethingthat was creative because I've always
(05:18):
been creative.
Just didn't know what to dowith it.
So I said, let me startdesigning clothes.
Like, why not?
My.
My father is my manufacturer,so I have an advantage there.
And I started with theequestrian collection first and I
wanted to do something that,you know, wasn't out there.
Something that was notsimpler, but something that was easy
to wear for anyone, right?
(05:39):
You didn't feel like you hadto be a certain way or, you know,
just to bring that prettinessback or that, that femininity back
into the writing.
You know, the writingdiscipline is, it's kind of how cultured
writer was created.
And, and then, you know, itreally evolved into, okay, let's
(06:00):
add something for the Ferrellracers, let's add something for the
Rainers, let's add somethingfor trail.
And it kind of developed, butbelieve it or not, that collection
was put together in two weeks.
I know I'm crazy, but I havethe advantage of, you know, my dad
being my manufacturer and he'slike, okay, we can do this, we can
do this.
And that's kind of where Iinitially, in August, had shown August
(06:21):
of 2024, I showed cultured Writer.
And while I was there, I waskind of contemplating whether I did
the right thing or not.
I felt like I needed somethingmore accessible.
And that's where I addedLavender Sky.
So flew back out to India forliterally two weeks, created lavender
sky, and I showed lavender skyin January.
(06:42):
So those two collections arevery different, but it's for a, a
girl who rides, right?
Like, let's say you're out in,you know, in your barn and you're
cleaning up after your horses,you're wearing a shirt, you can actually
wear that shirt right out to town.
Or you can, you know, like thedate night, you can wear lavender
sky and feel pretty.
(07:03):
So I, you know, I just wantedto kind of put something that was
accessible to, to everyone.
So that was something Inoticed too, that I think is unique
to Cultured Rider.
I've never seen this in anyother fashion oriented brand that
you, you have curated linesthat you can drop.
(07:25):
Use the drop down menu.
You can if you're a hunterrider, if you're a Rainer, if you're
a barrel racer, you can clickon that and you have suggestions,
curated suggestions.
Again, great.
For those of us who are notreally confident in our fashion choices,
what are some of the designcues that allow you to do those different
(07:49):
curated lists?
Is it color, is it cut, is it fabric?
A little of each.
So it really depends.
Like when you're a barrelracer, you want something that's
easily movable and right,you're moving, you're racing your
horse, so you want somethingthat's Tight, but not too tight.
Stretchy, but not too stretchy.
You want something that'sbreathable because you're.
(08:11):
You're hot.
Right?
So I. I choose fabric based on that.
But barrel racers love to havecolor, and.
And they're.
They're not afraid to go, youknow, out of the box.
So you'll see some really coolfabrics out there.
Right?
But then you have disciplinesthat don't allow bling or they don't
allow fringe.
So we just have to be verycareful with how we, you know, how
(08:34):
we put the collection together.
But, you know, coming into the.
To this industry, I had a lotof learning to do, and both Carly
and Kaylin have been greatresources for me to kind of guide
me and say, hey, have youthought of doing this or have you,
you know, thought of doing that?
And, you know, they've helpedme build my collection together.
And just talking to customers,especially at Westa, right, Talking
(08:57):
to people who are riderthemselves, but they own a boutique,
and they want to see different.
Different options.
And for example, I had acustomer in January who loved one
of my Carly shirts, but shedidn't want the satin.
She wanted made in cotton.
Well, guess what?
That's what.
That's what we do.
We can take the same patternand just change the fabric so it's
(09:18):
more friendly.
Oh, my gosh.
I was thinking exactly thesame thing.
Yeah, it's pretty cool.
Well, like I said, I'mcheating a little bit, right?
Because I have my dad, who,you know, I can call him and be like,
hey, dad, can we do this?
And he's like, absolutely.
Or he'll turn around, be like,yeah, we can't do this because this
is, you know, reallydifficult, or, you know, the fabric's
(09:38):
not available or whatever it is.
So it's was supposed to startout as a hobby.
It's become a business.
And it's been pretty kind ofwild to see people wearing my.
My stuff and loving it andtagging us on their Instagram.
And I'm just in awe every dayof like, did I.
(09:59):
Did I really do that?
Did I really put this together?
I have no design background.
I have no apparel background.
I have nothing.
I'm in supply chain byprofession, so totally out of my
comfort zone.
But, yeah, I'm enjoying everyminute of it.
But obviously, you're adept,if not expert, at putting together
(10:24):
a really good team.
It sounds like you havemembers of your cultured writer team
that you have, that you have areally great relationship with, and
that allows you to keep things moving.
Smoothly, you don't have thoseinterruptions because of breakdowns
in communication, which are.
They can be the death of any business.
(10:45):
And it sounds like.
Sounds like you've got thatpart really well ironed out.
Oh, my gosh.
I can't tell you how lucky Ihave been.
When I first started this, Irealized I needed somebody to do
my social media.
I was.
I was actually at work oneday, and I was like, let.
Let me Google and find someoneto help me.
And I ended up meeting Romina,who is my social media manager, and
(11:08):
my gosh, am I lucky to have her.
And, you know, she reallyhelped me understand Instagram, which
is, oh, my gosh, more involvedthan I realize.
You know, my children are moreaware of, you know, how to do certain
things.
And so she's been a blessing.
But, you know, like I said atWesta, when I saw Kailyn walk by
(11:29):
with her crown, I was like,who are you?
Why are you wearing a crown?
Please come talk to me.
And funny story.
So the most expensive piece Ihave on my website is called the
K. Lynn.
And this is because when I mether at Westa, she.
She tried on that outfit, shetried on the jacket.
And I turned around, looked ather dead in the face, and I said,
(11:49):
this is yours.
And she's like, what?
I'm like, this is yours.
This was meant to be yours.
It fits you like a glove.
And I turn around, look at myhusband, and he's looking at me like,
sure.
Oh, stretchy.
Yeah, I understand.
But that's your most expensive piece.
I was like, I understand.
But to me, relationships areso much part of what we do, right?
(12:11):
And that's really why we cometo west side is to build.
Built these relationships andhave these relationships.
And I was like, who better to.
To tie up with than somebodywho is the, you know, poster child,
or however you want to call it.
The.
I can't come up with the word.
But she embodies everything Ibelieve in, right?
(12:33):
Women being, you know, strongwomen helping each other, being beautiful,
being strong.
And I mean, she.
She has an mba, she'seducated, she's gorgeous, but she's
just like the package.
And I was like, this jackethas to be yours.
And that's how I named the.
The jacket.
The K. Lynn.
Oh, my gosh, that's so interesting.
And another thing that, again,I think this is unusual, if not unique
(12:57):
for the industry.
At Cultured Rider, you have acustom ordering process.
Walk.
What is that?
And walk us through it.
Why did you start it?
As far as the Horse apparelindustry is concerned.
It's not really a unique offering.
A lot of the higher enddesigners do cut them, but I, you
(13:22):
know, I mean, honestly, I havethe ability to do it because of the,
you know, access that I havewith the, the, the factory.
Right.
I'm able to say, okay, I likethis design, but the customer doesn't
want yellow bling.
They want purple bling.
Like, it's something that's soeasy for me to do.
So it was part of, you know,it was part of the original plan
(13:45):
of having that, that customization.
I, I've never been introducedto the rodeo queen industry, which
is where Kaelyn comes from.
And that's kind of wherewe're, we're targeting going forward
is, you know, making veryunique pieces for girls who are trying
out for either Ms. Rodeo USAor Ms. Rodeo America or their local
(14:07):
pageant.
So having that, having thatability, I think really puts, you
know, cultured writer at an advantage.
And the other thing is becauseI, because of the accessibility to
fabric and design and, youknow, bling and things like that.
And I don't think bling is theofficial term, but rhinestone.
(14:28):
Yeah, but everybody calls it.
I think you're right.
Everybody.
I know, but I can buildsomething that's within everyone's
budget, right?
Or I can, I can have acustomer say, hey, I'm willing to
spend a thousand.
And I, I can have a girl whosays, listen, my budget's 200, so
I can really play around with,with that and offer them something
so unique that they don't haveto break their bank.
(14:49):
And part of the reason thatactually happened was I was at a
horse retailer, clothingretailer, and one of the clerks I
was talking to, she wastalking to me about her favorite
outfit that she arrived in,and she had spent $800 on that shirt.
And I said, wow, that's amazing.
She goes, yeah, that was themoney that my grandpa left me.
(15:10):
And I was like, I'm sorry.
You used all the money thatyou had from your grandpa to buy
a shirt?
And she's like, yeah, becausethey're so expensive.
And that's what it hit me.
Like, I don't.
I want these girls to lookbeautiful and not have to spend something
that their, their grandparentleft for them.
You know, like, it kind of hitme and I'm like, that's why I want
to make some of the stuffthat, you know, I put out there accessible
(15:33):
to everybody.
And I'm willing to work with,with customers.
And, you know, my firstquestion is, what is Your budget,
What do you want to do?
Yeah, exactly.
And that's a key aspect of allof this, is being able to be accessible
both in the fashions and thestyles, but also in the price point.
(15:53):
Yeah, I think that's really,really important.
Yeah, yeah.
So you have wholesale programand private label options.
Is that another thing that youhad in mind from the get go or is
that something that hasevolved a little bit since you're
business began?
It definitely involved.
Involved.
I'm sorry.
Yeah.
Because like I said, this wasinitially created as a hobby and
(16:17):
it, it's, it's blown up intosomething that I didn't expect.
And you know, one of thethings that I always tell myself
is just keep an open mind.
Bring, you know, whatever,whatever comes your way, you know,
accept it and take it.
And that's the wholesale partreally happens because, you know,
it was something that I coulddo and I have access to and private
(16:39):
labeling is something that my,the factory in India already does.
I mean, they've been inbusiness for over 40 years.
They manufacture formanufactured garments for customers
all over the world, so why not?
So I've actually had reallycool opportunities that have come
out of Westa that have, hasnothing to do with horse related,
(17:00):
but we are doing shirts for acustomer, you know, and it's, it's,
it's been kind of really coolthat that's what it translated to
because, you know, when, whenmy customer approached me and said,
hey, can you do men's shirts?
And I'm like, yeah, absolutely.
It's, you know, we have theability or capability of doing that.
So that's, that's, that'spretty cool.
That's interesting that.
(17:21):
And I can see a few years downthe line that the cultured rider
expanding into more of themenswear perhaps.
Well, we did, we did do a softlaunch in January actually.
We did a men's line, but wehad a lot of feedback of what men
actually like.
They, they're a little bitdifferent than, than women.
(17:43):
Right.
When it comes to their shirts.
They want certain buttons,they want certain fit, they want
certain fabrics.
So we're kind of going back tothe drawing board and I'm hoping
to have something out for next January.
There we go.
I'm going to put out apersonal request to cultured rider
in the menswear line.
When it, when it, when itdebuts in 2026, I'm putting words
(18:06):
in your mouth.
Please create shirts for menwho are not extra large size and
over six feet tall.
The.
It's Crazy.
It's crazy how you cannot findtall men's clothing unless the tall
man is built like a linebacker.
(18:28):
I don't know.
We need to chat.
I'll be.
I'll be.
I'll be there in August.
We'll chat.
We'll.
We'll talk about.
So one more thing.
Do you have a favorite piecein your lineup?
A personal favorite, and why?
Well, it's kind of mynamesake, the Yuki.
(18:51):
It was.
It was a jacket that Iliterally had the design in my head,
so it wasn't really put onpaper or anything.
And I sat with my tailor anddrove him crazy.
Don't.
Don't get me wrong.
But I was like, okay, put this here.
Put this here.
I want you to do this.
And it just kind of evolvedinto this beautiful jacket.
(19:12):
It's one of my favorite pieces.
And I.
That's kind of.
That's really the first designthat I. I put together, and I. I
love that piece.
It really does kind of, youknow, allow me to.
To keep going in a sense, whenI look at that piece.
So, yeah, I guess that theYuki is the one that.
(19:33):
That I love the most.
I love the cut on that.
I'm a very, very conservative dresser.
Probably related to my lack ofconfidence when it comes to fashion,
but I just am in love with thecut on that jacket.
If we could make that in,like, some lovely earth tones, I'd
be your best friend.
Well, let's, you know, reachout to me, and we'll make a custom
(19:56):
piece for you.
But I can see why you're.
Why you love that.
Now, am I getting it rightthat there are little zippers on
the cuffs?
There are zippers on the cuff, yeah.
Oh, how cool.
Now, was the zipper on thecuff purely a design choice, or was
that something also related tothe equestrianism and the usefulness
(20:20):
of the garment?
I honestly put the zipper onthere just in case, you know, like,
when you have somethingthat's, like, too tight and you don't
want it to be too tight, youjust want it to, like, be.
So I just wanted to give itthat little, like, flexibility.
But also, when you're done,you can unzip and just.
I mean, you can't roll thisone, but you can unzip the zipper
(20:42):
and just kind of cool down alittle bit.
And that's the interestingthat, you know, I don't ride horses.
I have no experience in ridinghorses, but I.
That's kind of where myadvantage is as I come in looking
at it from a very different perspective.
Right for example, the barrelracers love the zipper because after
(21:03):
they race they want to be ableto take off their shirt because they're
hot.
Well, guess what?
The zipper in the front andthe zipper on the side allows you,
or even the Velcro allows youto take it off immediately.
Pretty, you know, it's, it's apretty quick, you know, quick, you
know, you can take it off.
Sorry.
Yeah, but these are differentthings that the industry hasn't seen.
But I have, I have some ideas, right.
(21:26):
And I just, I just have tokind of implement it and see and
some, and a lot of the, a lotof the, the disciplines are different.
Like for example, I have ateam up in Canada that bought some
of my shirts but they neededbuttons on top of the placket because
it has to be a button up butthey want a zipper feature underneath.
So that's the cool thing aboutworking with us is however you want
(21:48):
to design your, your shirt, wecan, we can accommodate that.
Perfect.
Now one final question, Ipromise, then we'll let you get on
with your day.
For someone who's doing thecustom order, which I think is something
that is just going to shinefor you guys, what kind of, and it's
tough because it could changefrom, from season to season.
What kind of a turnaround timewould one might expect?
(22:10):
So if it's something as simpleas a shirt and you just want the
measurements that could bemaybe a two week turnaround.
It really isn't, you know, areally long.
And the only thing is fabricavailability is super important and
just you know, being able toturn that around.
But for example, if you wantedlike either the K. Lynn or the Yuki,
like the more elaborate jacket.
(22:31):
Oh, let me put it in perspective.
The Kalin took 400 man hoursto put together.
So yeah, by like a month and ahalf or something because it's all
hand done so it could take alittle bit but you know, it, it really
just depends on what you're,what you're looking for.
There we go.
Thank you very much forspending some time with us today,
Yuki.
This has been fascinating.
(22:53):
I really appreciate this.
This has been awesome.
Links from today's shows arein the Episode show notes and@wisdombywessa.com
subscribe to Wisdom by WESA onApple, Music, Spotify or any podcast
player.
And don't miss out on all thenews from manufacturers and retailers
(23:15):
in the equine industry.
The Wisdom by West's show willbe published on the 15th and 30th
of every month.
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