February 19, 2024 • 32 mins
Embark on an inspiring journey with the remarkable Kirstie Fleur, a Ghanaian-American beacon of creativity and advocacy. Our conversation explores her multi-disciplinary artistry that finds expression in all her life's pursuits, from her brave transition from the American Air Force to fashion's forefront, to her passionate embodiment of social entrepreneurship with her brand, Freedom Fleur.
Kirstie's story is one of resilience and transformation, illustrating the potency of fashion as a vehicle for change and the profound impact of her 'Soul Health' approach on advocating for justice and empowering women founders.
As we unravel the threads of Kirstie's multifaceted identity, we traverse the sacred terrain of 'soul health' and self-discovery. Kirstie opens up about the necessity of internal work, especially for women who often balance various roles and societal pressures. She illuminates the path to finding one's essence, emphasizing the importance of solitude in nurturing well-being and inspiring creativity. The dialogue offers a blueprint for listeners to pursue their desires and articulate their goals while harmoniously blending the many facets of their lives.
In the fluid dance of solitude and social impact, Kirstie's Freedom Fleur brand emerges as a symbol of luxury with a conscience—fashion that fosters freedom and fairness. We delve into the intricacies of ethical sourcing and the human connections that fortify her brand's foundation. And in a melodic twist, Kirstie's foray into music as a form of creative activism offers a resonant close to our episode. Her Spotify playlist, a curated collection of freedom and justice, awaits in the show notes, inviting you to experience the rhythms that drive her mission. Join us, and let Kirstie's narrative awaken your own aspirations for change.
Everything Kirstie - https://kirstiefleur.com
Kirstie's Socials - https://www.facebook.com/kirstie.f.horton (FB) and https://www.instagram.com/kirstiefleur/ (IG)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Hello and welcome to Shaden Layers.
I'm your host, kiko AnusKosanarichi.
Today, my guest is KirstieFleur, a Ghanaian-American
artist who has found herexpression through fashion,
music and education.
Today, we get into her journeyas a social entrepreneur.
Kirstie is the CEO and founderof a sustainable luxury clothing
(00:28):
brand, freedom Fleur, which hasassociated social clubs that
center women founders with avision.
Kirstie uses her trademark soulhealth approach to empower
these visionary women to sharetheir gifts with the world.
You will hear all about thatduring our conversation.
You will also hear aboutKirstie's career as an American
Air Force veteran and when shereturned to civilian life after
(00:51):
serving, she decided to fulfillher lifelong dream of becoming a
fashion designer.
A quick note to let you knowthat we do speak about sexual
abuse during this episode and ifthat might be a trigger, please
do not tune in.
Find another fun and excitingepisode on the Shaden Layers
timeline.
(01:11):
As you can hear, there are manylayers to this story and we
need to get into all of that.
So let's hear it from KirstieFleur herself.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
So I consider myself an interdisciplinary artist, so
I use different spheres of art Iguess you could say
interconnected together to weaveor to articulate my message,
and so for me, that message isalways freedom and justice.
I do this through music, myrecording artist, as well as
(01:44):
fashion designer and fashion.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I didn't know that part.
I only got the fashion partOkay.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, see, they left that for now.
Oh, wow, okay, All right, I usemusic to do that as well.
But yes, I do some creativeactivism, artistic activism.
So I do R&B, jazz, soul, do alittle bit of country.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Like a proper Southern now, of course, yeah,
yeah, okay.
So justice and freedom are thethemes that run through your
work.
What is it that drives theseinterests?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
You know the crazy thing for me is it feels like a
birthright type of thing,because I'm gun and American and
so you know Ghana's theme isfreedom and justice, but it
feels like it's a thing that'sinborn in me.
But also, just growing up, Iwent through this experience
where I was abused as a kid andso I just always kind of had
(02:40):
this kind of like this passionor this fight for freedom,
because my voice was dimmed orpushed down, and so, you know,
that became the way that Iarticulated.
Everything that I touched,everything that I put my hands
to, was all about okay,everybody needs freedom and
justice.
I need freedom and justice.
Who are the people who needthis as well?
And start finding a way toadvocate for not only myself but
(03:04):
for other women who are in thesame position that I was in.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
So you started advocacy work.
When did it come to you?
When did you fall into thiswork?
Speaker 2 (03:12):
I would say probably around 2015, is when I kind of
leaned into it.
I realized that was somethinghappening and I was on my own
journey already.
I was doing my thing, I wasdoing church worship, leading,
and I was like, you know, I'm onmy path, I'm doing what I'm
supposed to be doing, and then,something you know, over time,
just didn't feel right, justdidn't sit right.
It felt like something wascoming up for me and so that's
(03:35):
when I took the journey, becauseyou know, life can lead you on
this journey.
You just have to accept it.
So life was leading me, callingme on this journey, and I was
like, okay, I need to deal withthe thing that happened to me
when I was a little girl.
So it's like the little girlwas saying, knock, knock, you
know.
Well, that came into thepicture and I started dealing
with it and, you know, doingtherapy and counseling for that.
And as I started doing that, Istarted.
(03:57):
You know, that's when the workwhat I feel like it is the work
of my life started coming intoplay.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Yeah, yeah.
And what does that work of yourlife look like now?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, so fashion is a very interesting story for me.
I'm a self-taught artist anddesigner, so when I was younger
I got into a fashion designschool and my mom didn't want
anything to do with it.
She was like you really need toget a real job.
You need to get a job that'sgoing to pay some money.
(04:29):
So I did follow my fashiondesign dreams, but life just
kept leading me right back to it.
I still did design work anyway.
So, as I've been on thisjourney, you know, like I've
always said, okay, I want to dofashion design at some point.
But when I had that moment backin 2015 to 2017, where you know
all the things were comingtogether, I said, okay, you know
, maybe I can use the thing thatI'm passionate about, the art
(04:52):
that I love to do, you know, tohelp speak for women and, you
know, do things this way.
So that's when I decided to useart as a form of artistic
activism, as well as being ableto create a line of clothing and
say that, okay, women deservejustice and luxury and ease and
all these things as well.
(05:12):
And then you know how do Iweave it together, how do I use
the gifts that I have to makesomething meaningful.
So that is kind of what thatlooks like now.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Okay, and how does this ethos articulate itself in
the way you work and yourbusiness practices?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Absolutely so we call it luxury with a purpose, and
so we know that.
You know, with the fashionindustry and what's happening
behind the scenes in a lot ofspaces within sustainability
with fashion, there are peoplein the background that are
making the clothes that don'tget fair wages.
A lot of those people are women.
They don't get ethicaltreatment, fair pay, all the
(05:47):
things.
And so I was actually able tosee those things in person and I
couldn't keep going thedirection that I was going and I
was like selling t-shirts atfirst like, oh, here's a shirt,
you know, like I think it'sabout.
The conversation was like myfirst t-shirt I ever sold, Right
With a logo on the front of it.
And then, you know, as Ilearned more about the industry,
I was like I can't say that Iam empowering women and for
(06:10):
women in this way and then knowwhat's happening in the
background and not do the work.
So it's been a long journey ofmaking sure that we partner with
the right manufacturers, thatthe women who are working in
these meals are being paid wellor being treated well, can feed
their families, and then, youknow, we love when we can
partner with somebody with ameal where they are already
(06:33):
sustainable where they'realready educational initiatives
in place.
But if there's one that doesn'thave that in place, you know,
we have a program we call the FFsocial club, where we it's
local and global and it'semerging.
So we have this space wherewomen can upscale and like learn
entrepreneurship.
And then there's this space forwellness, because we know that
(06:53):
we need that as women as well.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Okay, let's get to the suppliers part, where you
know you make sure that they'reengaging in ethical practices.
Do you find them locally abroadand do you know how do you
balance that supply chain spreadwith your sustainability goals?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Right, so I'm not always able to go to the
factories that are in othercountries, but the ones that are
local, that I went.
We personally go there andcheck those factories out.
We see what theircertifications are, those type
of things that they have inplace.
We just ask the hard questions.
In some places that we went tothey have not answered those
questions because you knowthey're doing something they
(07:35):
shouldn't be doing.
So we know we should bepartnering there, but I also
there's networks that I'm a partof that are in the UK and other
places where they arespecifically creating platforms
for manufacturers and suppliers.
So I have the plug, thisplatform that I only use to go
to to connect with if it'sbuttons, if it's embellishments,
(07:58):
if it zippers, whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
So yeah, yeah, and I've heard you speak about
luxury as sustainability.
Can you, can you elaborate onthat and what it looks like for
you in real life?
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Yes.
So I had this thought processaround luxury with
sustainability.
When I thought honestly, Ithought about my grandmother.
You know, she was growing up.
We didn't have much, she waspoor, but she always was dressed
beautifully, and I feel likethe mindset was more of the
shift and it was like look atthese expensive clothes that I
(08:36):
have on, look at the garbs thatI'm wearing, look at, you know,
this station or position thatI'm at in life.
I didn't know that we didn'thave the things that we were
supposed to have, because hermindset and her lifestyle was
just one of luxury anyway, andso it was such a beautiful thing
to me that I thought everywoman should be able to have
this.
But how do we do this?
Because we need to partner thisin a way that these are
(08:56):
clothing that are made well, thegarments are, the fabrics are
coming from Italy and France, sothey're not cheap garments and
they're not you know they'rebeing made, you know, very
quality and well.
So how do we provide a spacewhere women can have either
access to this or have access tothe like, I said, the
educational initiatives aroundit?
So we decided what we would dois take a portion of the
(09:18):
proceeds from each garment andthen we put it into a fund and
then women are able to receivegrants off of the product that
we're selling.
So for us it makes luxury feel,I don't know.
It makes it feel right, youknow, to be able to say, okay,
here's this garment, that thisis the price of this garment.
But we're also helping womenmove their businesses forward
because we feel like women aremultipliers.
(09:39):
When we get the resources inour hands, when we're given
opportunities, we go and wechange our families lives.
We change our lives and thecommunities around us.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
So yeah, so this leads me to talking social
enterprise.
So are you a social enterprise?
Do you consider yourself asocial entrepreneur?
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Yes, this is.
I was a nonprofit at first.
So, first started years ago, wewere a nonprofit and we were
doing advocacy work for womenwho were, you know, going
through rape trials, and we didthis whole shame to freedom, you
know, kind of Saturday meetingsor whatever that we would do
with women who had those similarissues that I had walked
through.
But while we were doing that Irealized, okay, I'm doing this
(10:21):
work is not sustainable for me,I'm giving my everything to it,
I'm wiped out here, you know.
And so I took a break, took apause from it, and then, while I
was in the middle of doing that, I was like we need to consider
ourselves or we need to pivotand become a social enterprise,
which I know you can do that thenonprofit way.
But I said, you know, for mewhat is going to feel right for
me is let's do this for profit,let's make sure that every
(10:44):
garment, everything that wecreate, you know, has a meaning
behind what we're doing.
And so that is essentially whatI consider a social enterprise
is that we are focused on theperson behind it is our main
focus.
Like, the garment is great, thedesign is nice, but really, at
the end of the day, it's thepoint.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
We are talking fashion with apurpose today, on shades and
layers, and my guest is KirstieFleur, founder of the luxury,
sustainable fashion brandfreedom Fleur.
Her dedication to freedom foreveryone, and especially women,
is the driving force behind allthat she does.
Up next, she discusses her FFsocial clubs, balancing the
(11:26):
multiple facets of herprofessional and personal life
and the ins and outs of runninga sustainable fashion brand.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Yeah, so the FF social club is for black and
brown women who need a spaceReally.
It's for aspiring entrepreneurswhat I call them.
And those who are alreadyfounders and CEOs, and I put
this club together, the main twospaces.
I put this club togetherbecause for myself, as a founder
(11:53):
and CEO, what I was finding ishaving these higher level issues
and things that I needed totalk through, but I didn't have
the women who were at that levelcould sit at the table with me
and have these conversations.
I might talk with an investorand be like what should I have
done better in this pitch, orhow can I present my business in
a way that is ready forinvestment and different things
like that, but I wasn't findingthat.
(12:14):
I was have the black and brownwomen to communicate about it.
I could talk to severaldifferent women about it, but
there was a different space thatI was navigating as a black
woman.
So I was I need that piece.
So I opened that portion of itup.
And then the aspiring is the.
I'm constantly met with thewoman that's like well, how do
you do this and how do you starta business?
What about this?
(12:35):
But our thing is I don't wantto teach a woman how to just
start a business like hey, hereis where you go and you go to
the Secretary of State's office.
There's somebody else can helpyou do that.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Yeah, and you can read about it, I mean absolutely
, absolutely, yeah.
But what I, what my goal isbehind the FF Social Club is
that we create more socialenterprises so that these
companies or these women who areaspiring, when they come in, we
are sure to make sure that,like, what is your passion,
what's your drive, and let'sattach a social piece to it so
(13:06):
there can be something thatgrows and that flourishes
forever.
I feel like if you do your soulwork, you go deep within and
you figure out what it is yourmeaning to life, then this is
something that can carry you forthe rest of your life, that you
can leave a legacy behind.
Instead of just creating anotherbusiness, because, yeah, we
need businesses out there, butwe need businesses that are
sustainable, that women careabout, that they're connected to
(13:29):
move society forward.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
So what's the soul work?
I've heard it.
What did you call it?
Soul health, that's it I thinkyou mentioned soul health in one
of your other interviews.
Can you expand on that concept?
Yes, so soul health.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
It's an approach that I created.
I didn't set out to create too.
I always say that, that Ididn't set out to create it.
It kind of set out to create me.
Maybe I don't know, but as Iwas on this journey of finding
myself navigating through lifeand trying to put meaning to
what the different things werethat I was doing, I realized
that the work, more thananything, was internal.
(14:05):
I needed to go and have theconversation with the little
girl, see what it is inside ofthere that I was lacking and
missing, learning how to groundmyself and be present in the
moment.
So just this wellness componentof knowing what your soul is
saying.
What is the soul saying?
And for me, I had been in somany spaces where I was
suppressed as a black woman,even in the music industry and
(14:27):
different things like that thathold to sing and be a certain
way, and so that is who Ithought I was, until I went
inside and started doing thesoul work and I'm like, wow,
this woman has something to sayand I've been suppressing this
or this has been beingsuppressed.
And so my position with thesoul health approach is that
women would go inside and theywould do the work, because there
(14:48):
are so many things that can,though.
They're beautiful thingsmarriage and family and all the
things in life, you know butthey get in the way and they can
bog down what it is we reallyare truly, what is our true
essence.
And some women say I'm just amother.
That's all I'm supposed to beas a mother.
Maybe so, but for some otherwoman they may have their soul
maybe saying something else.
(15:09):
There's something else, someother meaning that I need to be
attaching to life and that Ineed to be doing, and so that is
what the soul health approachis.
I help women go on that journeyto figure out what it is that
they're meant to create.
They call it to bring forward,get them where they need to do
that.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Yeah, I mean, like all of us, you are multifaceted.
You know, as I listen to youspeak, there are many elements
about you that are comingthrough and we know that balance
is elusive.
So how do you see those thingskind of merging together for you
so that you don't have thisfragmented, anxiety inducing
(15:44):
experience or life journey?
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Oh my gosh, that is a brilliant question and so
beautiful, because what I findis that we, as women, we are
multifaceted.
You know, people, humans, we'reall multifaceted and we do feel
like here's this one thing thatwe need to do, and then we just
do this for the rest of ourlives.
This is the way that it goes,but I do find that there is an
interplay.
It may not be a balance, butthere is a way that you can
(16:09):
weave your passions, your life,your disciplines together that
create something unique for you.
Like you know, I think there'sa writer out there that calls it
like being your brand.
You are the brand, or somethinglike that.
Really it is.
It is what your true message is.
You know, I can't not be anartist, I'm an artist.
When I walk into rooms withinvestors, they tell me I should
(16:31):
be one or the other.
They're like you're going toeither be an artist or you can
be a business, an entrepreneur.
I'm like my degrees are inentrepreneurship and business.
I'm going to be both.
I've been art my whole life, soI'm going to be both.
But I do find that there areseasons where one plays, I guess
, heavier than the other, likethere may be a season where I'm
touring more, or there may be aseason where I'm leaning into
(16:52):
one area more than the other,like as now, I am a mother to a
three month old.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Yeah, congrats.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
Thank you, that was a newer experience but, you know,
this morning I was on a calland the baby was here with me,
you know, for the call, and soyou just navigate the seasons
and the pieces of you in youknow, in the moments when you're
there, in them.
But there's definitely a way,and I feel like you have to take
the time to sit with yourselfand say what is it that I want?
(17:20):
What do I want my life to looklike?
You know, do I want toconstantly be saying one day, oh
, one day, I want to, you know,do pottery?
Or one day I want to do this,or do I want to step out and do
those things and integrate theminto my life?
I think that's the thing.
It may not be a balance, but itis a pieces of this brought
together to create you as awhole person and think that's a
(17:40):
beautiful experience?
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Yeah, absolutely.
And you know, in a world fullof distraction, where do you and
how do you carve out that spaceto be quiet and see how all
these pieces fit together?
Oh, that's so lovely.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
One of the things that is really important for me
is my practice of solitude andsilence, and so it's a spiritual
practice for me.
But I pull myself back and sit,maybe in the beginning of the
day or whenever I can find apocket in the day.
But it is my intentionality tosit in silence and solitude so
that the day does not run me orcontrol me, and so that is a
(18:15):
very important practice for me,because I feel like now I can
hear myself thinking you know, Ican hear maybe I need to pivot
in this direction, but I'm notactually entering into the
moment looking for ideas oranything, I'm just I'm bringing
me into that moment and I'msitting with that moment.
What does that moment want tosay?
It's the same thing I do withwhen it's time to write a song.
(18:35):
I sit and I say what song wantsto be written right now?
I just don't want a meaninglessthing.
So I want you to be spoken.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Yeah, yeah.
And you know I can also see thedeliberate effort that goes
into making your garments somuch color Craftsmanship.
I mean, you can see the quality.
So who's wearing these clothes?
Who is the freedom floor woman?
Speaker 2 (19:03):
The freedom floor woman.
She is entrepreneurial, she'sin the city centers, she cares
about women's rights, she caresabout what's happening in the
world today.
She's not disconnected fromwhat's happening in the world.
She makes it her business toknow what is happening while
also being really in tune toherself as a person.
(19:24):
You know who am I, what do Ineed, when do I need to pull
back?
And knowing that she does notneed to die on the on the stoop
of each one of you know thesemoments or movements or things
that are happening in the worldtoday.
But she's confident, she's sureof herself.
She understands that she needsluxury.
She wants luxury, she wantsease and she wants it on her own
terms.
And so it's a women in business.
(19:45):
These are women who are artists, they're creatives.
Yeah, they're living life ontheir own terms, wonderful.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
And how did you strike?
You know how did you come to apoint where you found the right
quality fabrics.
You know the rightmanufacturing process and the
sweet price point where it'sstill accessible but it's
luxurious.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
That has been.
That has been a work becauseagain, you partner with
different manufacturers ordifferent meals and they have
different what are called MLQs,like their amount, that they can
do, their minimum orderquantity, and so for a smaller
brand, you know, we don't wantto like have hundreds of
thousands of garments sitting atthe studio and we can't sell
(20:31):
them, or we're having to figureout what can we because it's not
sustainable.
So what can we do with all ofthese products?
So we look for factories andmeals that have the lowest MLQ
possible so they were notkeeping a whole bunch of stuff
on back order that way.
So it has really been.
It's been a journey Like wejust start out and we reach out
and see whose goals and whosevalues align with ours and then,
(20:53):
once we start the process, weeither find out that this was
just words on a piece of paper,maybe a little bit of
brainwashing, you know or yeah,yes, so common.
Right, very common.
We don't make a big deal aboutit, we just okay, this is not
the right fit and then we justkeep going, because we know that
.
You know, this is importantwork to us.
We feel like we're in themiddle of something that's
(21:14):
movemental and that's important.
So, yeah, we just keep going.
Anytime there's a hiccup, wekeep going.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
Yeah, so who is we?
Is their business partner?
Is their team?
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Yes, as a team we have a small team.
It's a sweet team.
My husband is my operations guy.
He's growth and development.
It just felt right to pull himin.
He's built several multimilliondollar companies.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
I need you on my team .
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Yes, and then you know, I can bark a little bit of
orders around to him too, andhe didn't get, you know,
offended by it.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
So it works.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
And then there's my project manager.
She's decided my brain that Idon't have, so she dates the
calendar, you know, making surethat everything's lined up and
in place.
And our creative directorthat's like all the graphics,
the font, the branding, whatthat piece is, social media
director, and then editors, andthen everybody else that's on
(22:14):
board.
The team is freelance right now.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
You're right, perfect .
Sounds like a very happysituation.
Do you operate out of specificoffices or at home?
Speaker 2 (22:24):
We do so the ones that those who are freelance.
We come together, we have likea once or twice a week meeting.
We don't need it, we don't haveit, but once a week meeting at
our office downtown in Nashvilleand so, yeah, we just get
together like that.
Some of us joined via Zoom.
Sure it works.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Fun times.
Kirstie Fleur is the founderand CEO of Freedom Fleur, a
sustainable fashion brand forwomen, and she is my guest on
today's episode of Shades andLayers.
Up next, we talk about theinfluential people in her life,
her upcoming memoir and otheraspirations for life going
(23:03):
forward.
Yeah, so I want to get intoyour story a little bit more,
your personal story.
You mentioned your grandma, whowas influential, of course, in
this idea of luxury and, ofcourse, you do recognize that we
don't get through life alone.
So who are some of those otherpeople who made this huge
(23:28):
impression on you?
Or you know the events thatmade a huge impression of you
that you know.
You look back and you think,yeah, it makes sense that I
ended up here, Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
My grandmother would definitely be one of those
person people.
She was a super kind soul, sosweet, but she always seemed to
have like this, like thiscompassion or this hurt for
anything that was broken oranybody that was going through
anything.
And so I love that about herbecause her heart was so tender
and so sweet.
But then she was also like thejokester of jokesters.
(23:59):
She cracked so many jokes.
It was just a really, reallygood mixture that she had.
I love it.
She was one of my favoritepeople, but she was also the
seamstress and designer in ourfamily.
So she made all of her kidsclothes growing up.
All of my aunts and my unclesshe made all their clothes
growing up.
Back then it wasn't for reasonsof I'm doing this because I'm
(24:23):
going to be a fashion designer,but it was out of need, out of
necessity, and so it was justbeautiful to watch her do that.
All her clothes were alwaysbeautiful.
She made her clothes andeverything was always steamed
and pressed to the nines.
She was pretty amazing.
And then there is my mother whoat the time when I was younger
(24:44):
it wasn't popular to be a womanthat was a preacher who was
standing in a pulpit, and my momwas a preacher, motivational
speaker, in a time, like I said,when it was not popular to do
so.
I remember sitting on the frontrow at these really old churches
and she'd just be sometimes upthere with her eyes closed,
speaking, or she'd look at me tokind of get some encouragement
(25:07):
because I'm like her person.
I could tell as young as I was,but it wasn't until I got older
that I realized, wow, she wasdoing this afraid.
You do it scared.
So, without knowing it, thesetwo people, I think they really
taught me to just like go for it.
I've never lived in a worldwhere I haven't seen a woman be
in leadership or leading, soyeah, lovely Speaking of
(25:28):
leadership.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
I know you are a veteran, you were in the Navy
and in the.
Air Force.
Okay, oh, so you fly planes.
Oh my goodness, oh my gosh, ohyeah, fantastic.
So you know how did you end upthere and how has that
influenced your trajectory.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
Yeah.
So nobody ever asked me how Iended up in the Air Force.
That's a good question.
Well, I was in college, and inthe middle of college I was like
, okay, I need help paying forschool, but also the Air Force's
mission was something that Iloved.
Even when I was in high schoolI was like at some point I want
to join the Air Force, I'm goingto get my bachelor's degree,
I'm going to go in as an officer, all the things.
(26:08):
But while I was in college Idecided I'm going to go ahead
and go in now.
I needed the assistance.
I need the school benefits andthe assistance and the mission
aligns the freedom, the justice,all those components and pieces
, and I feel like I got morethan I bargained for when I went
to the Air Force In a lot ofways.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
That's great.
I hope it's in a good way.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Yes, but I was taught leadership in a way that I
didn't realize that I would betaught.
I didn't realize that I wasgoing into it, that I would be
being prepared as a leader likeI was, and I didn't really know
how to study before I went intothe military, but I mean the Air
Force.
The way that you have to studyall these tests and everything
coming up.
(26:47):
It was just a level of, like,discipline and leadership that I
really needed to learn and getquickly, and so it just felt
like it was the right time in mylife to do that, and so I've
used everything I've learnedfrom that season in my life over
and over again.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
What attracted you to the Air Force?
It was Top Gun, wasn't it?
Speaker 2 (27:04):
No, I'm joking, oh, you know it, I'm just joking it
was the suits.
I wanted to be cool.
I'm a very as.
I could say craftsman typeperson, like hands on.
So at one point I even workedfor American Airlines and I did
every component of working atAmerican Airlines, from throwing
(27:27):
the bags to check you know, allthe ticket agent things or
whatever.
But Air Force attracted mebecause it was one of those
things where I'd be able to usemy technical skill sets.
I worked on computers so I wasable to fix computers, work
computers, take them apart.
I did the actual computer, thecustomer service piece of it, so
(27:47):
just every piece of it.
But then I also was going intoit knowing that in a couple of
years I'd be able to kind oftransition to different aspects
of the career field, and so Iliked that I could kind of
switch it up a bit and I didn'tfeel like I was stuck, so that
was a piece of it Lovely.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
So now we get into the rapid fire, yeah.
First question is if you had towrite a memoir today, what
would it be called and why?
Speaker 2 (28:12):
I'm in the middle of writing a memoir, so this is yes
, and I've been playing aroundwith the name for quite a while,
but I think it'll be somethinglike finding your voice,
something about beacons andfinding your voice in the middle
of the noise.
Yeah, and the reason why wouldbe, you know, me going on this
journey and realizing that Ineeded to go internal.
Like I've said a few times onhere, I need to go inside and
(28:34):
find my voice, get reacquaintedwith who the little girl was
inside, to find out what I'mreally meant to do.
What's the journey, what's thepath that I'm taking?
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Right.
And if you had to turn thestory into a film, who would you
pick for the lead actress?
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Oprah Yay, I love Oprah.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Yeah, she's fantastic .
Actually, nobody has chosenOprah before, so Really yeah.
And if you had to invite afamous black woman, living or
dead, apart from Oprah, todinner, who would it be and why
I?
Speaker 2 (29:11):
think that it would be Maya Angelou.
Just for the activist that shewas and the constant seeker, you
know, it seemed like her entirelife she was a constant seeker
and learner and open and alsofeels like she was on a journey
and had found something on herjourney that she had been
(29:31):
convinced of and convicted by.
And I feel like I'm on thatsimilar path or that similar
journey.
So people like that, who are,you know, connected to their
souls, mission and vision and,you know, kind of in that state
or whatever, I am drawn to and Iwould.
I just feel like I would lovesitting at her feet and
listening to everything that shewould have to say, guiding
(29:52):
along the journey.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Yeah, yeah, she was quite a force.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Yeah, amazing.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Is there anything else that you would like to
mention that people need to knowabout you?
What else is there?
I mean, there's so many things.
And I'm glad you havediscovered some of them.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Yeah, just some of them for now.
There's more to come.
I think the biggest thing is tocontinue you Journey, and that
is the place where I'm at.
You know, I feel like everybodyis an expert.
You know everybody wants to bean expert or is an expert, and
there is sometimes nothing wrongwith that.
But there is also this placewhere we need to be okay with
the journey.
You know, our whole will bemade up of becoming and
(30:33):
journeying, and being andgrowing, and I think that's how
people get caught up in thisalternative, alternative mindset
.
Where they're like I don't feellike I deserve to be here is
because they're not grounded inwhere their feet are currently.
So if I could encourage anybodyto stay grounded in the reality
where they are right now, whilestill being forward thinking,
(30:54):
and look into the future, havinghope for the future, that would
be probably those would be mydying words, fantastic.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
So if people want to work with you or find out what
you do and get a taste of yourwork, where can they find you?
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Yes, so if you want to work with me, I do some
business consulting onkirstiefloorcom.
So that's kirstiefloorcom.
If you want to shop some of ourpieces, you can go to
wwwfreedomfloorcom, and you canalso find me on Instagram at
kirstiefloor as well, as freedomfloor is where the fashion
(31:32):
design is at on Instagram.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Perfect.
Do you have a playlist onSpotify or anywhere that I could
also include in the show?
Speaker 2 (31:41):
notes.
Yes, yes, so type the same namein on Spotify, You'll find my
music.
One of my favorite songs thatI've written is reform, so
you'll like them.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Okay, great, and that is all from me this time around
.
Thank you for listening andsupporting, as always.
If you want to learn more aboutkirstie's work, do visit the
show notes and, while you'rethere, please be sure to rate
and review the podcast so thatothers can find it.
Five stars would be amazing.
Thank you, I am Kutlu AnusKhosana Reishi.
(32:13):
Until next time, please do takegood care.
Hello and welcome to Shaden Layers.
I'm your host, kiko AnusKosanarichi.
Today, my guest is KirstieFleur, a Ghanaian-American
artist who has found herexpression through fashion,
music and education.
Today, we get into her journeyas a social entrepreneur.
Kirstie is the CEO and founderof a sustainable luxury clothing
(00:28):
brand, freedom Fleur, which hasassociated social clubs that
center women founders with avision.
Kirstie uses her trademark soulhealth approach to empower
these visionary women to sharetheir gifts with the world.
You will hear all about thatduring our conversation.
You will also hear aboutKirstie's career as an American
Air Force veteran and when shereturned to civilian life after
(00:51):
serving, she decided to fulfillher lifelong dream of becoming a
fashion designer.
A quick note to let you knowthat we do speak about sexual
abuse during this episode and ifthat might be a trigger, please
do not tune in.
Find another fun and excitingepisode on the Shaden Layers
timeline.
(01:11):
As you can hear, there are manylayers to this story and we
need to get into all of that.
So let's hear it from KirstieFleur herself.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
So I consider myself an interdisciplinary artist, so
I use different spheres of art Iguess you could say
interconnected together to weaveor to articulate my message,
and so for me, that message isalways freedom and justice.
I do this through music, myrecording artist, as well as
(01:44):
fashion designer and fashion.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I didn't know that part.
I only got the fashion partOkay.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, see, they left that for now.
Oh, wow, okay, All right, I usemusic to do that as well.
But yes, I do some creativeactivism, artistic activism.
So I do R&B, jazz, soul, do alittle bit of country.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Like a proper Southern now, of course, yeah,
yeah, okay.
So justice and freedom are thethemes that run through your
work.
What is it that drives theseinterests?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
You know the crazy thing for me is it feels like a
birthright type of thing,because I'm gun and American and
so you know Ghana's theme isfreedom and justice, but it
feels like it's a thing that'sinborn in me.
But also, just growing up, Iwent through this experience
where I was abused as a kid andso I just always kind of had
(02:40):
this kind of like this passionor this fight for freedom,
because my voice was dimmed orpushed down, and so, you know,
that became the way that Iarticulated.
Everything that I touched,everything that I put my hands
to, was all about okay,everybody needs freedom and
justice.
I need freedom and justice.
Who are the people who needthis as well?
And start finding a way toadvocate for not only myself but
(03:04):
for other women who are in thesame position that I was in.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
So you started advocacy work.
When did it come to you?
When did you fall into thiswork?
Speaker 2 (03:12):
I would say probably around 2015, is when I kind of
leaned into it.
I realized that was somethinghappening and I was on my own
journey already.
I was doing my thing, I wasdoing church worship, leading,
and I was like, you know, I'm onmy path, I'm doing what I'm
supposed to be doing, and then,something you know, over time,
just didn't feel right, justdidn't sit right.
It felt like something wascoming up for me and so that's
(03:35):
when I took the journey, becauseyou know, life can lead you on
this journey.
You just have to accept it.
So life was leading me, callingme on this journey, and I was
like, okay, I need to deal withthe thing that happened to me
when I was a little girl.
So it's like the little girlwas saying, knock, knock, you
know.
Well, that came into thepicture and I started dealing
with it and, you know, doingtherapy and counseling for that.
And as I started doing that, Istarted.
(03:57):
You know, that's when the workwhat I feel like it is the work
of my life started coming intoplay.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Yeah, yeah.
And what does that work of yourlife look like now?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, so fashion is a very interesting story for me.
I'm a self-taught artist anddesigner, so when I was younger
I got into a fashion designschool and my mom didn't want
anything to do with it.
She was like you really need toget a real job.
You need to get a job that'sgoing to pay some money.
(04:29):
So I did follow my fashiondesign dreams, but life just
kept leading me right back to it.
I still did design work anyway.
So, as I've been on thisjourney, you know, like I've
always said, okay, I want to dofashion design at some point.
But when I had that moment backin 2015 to 2017, where you know
all the things were comingtogether, I said, okay, you know
, maybe I can use the thing thatI'm passionate about, the art
(04:52):
that I love to do, you know, tohelp speak for women and, you
know, do things this way.
So that's when I decided to useart as a form of artistic
activism, as well as being ableto create a line of clothing and
say that, okay, women deservejustice and luxury and ease and
all these things as well.
(05:12):
And then you know how do Iweave it together, how do I use
the gifts that I have to makesomething meaningful.
So that is kind of what thatlooks like now.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Okay, and how does this ethos articulate itself in
the way you work and yourbusiness practices?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Absolutely so we call it luxury with a purpose, and
so we know that.
You know, with the fashionindustry and what's happening
behind the scenes in a lot ofspaces within sustainability
with fashion, there are peoplein the background that are
making the clothes that don'tget fair wages.
A lot of those people are women.
They don't get ethicaltreatment, fair pay, all the
(05:47):
things.
And so I was actually able tosee those things in person and I
couldn't keep going thedirection that I was going and I
was like selling t-shirts atfirst like, oh, here's a shirt,
you know, like I think it'sabout.
The conversation was like myfirst t-shirt I ever sold, Right
With a logo on the front of it.
And then, you know, as Ilearned more about the industry,
I was like I can't say that Iam empowering women and for
(06:10):
women in this way and then knowwhat's happening in the
background and not do the work.
So it's been a long journey ofmaking sure that we partner with
the right manufacturers, thatthe women who are working in
these meals are being paid wellor being treated well, can feed
their families, and then, youknow, we love when we can
partner with somebody with ameal where they are already
(06:33):
sustainable where they'realready educational initiatives
in place.
But if there's one that doesn'thave that in place, you know,
we have a program we call the FFsocial club, where we it's
local and global and it'semerging.
So we have this space wherewomen can upscale and like learn
entrepreneurship.
And then there's this space forwellness, because we know that
(06:53):
we need that as women as well.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Okay, let's get to the suppliers part, where you
know you make sure that they'reengaging in ethical practices.
Do you find them locally abroadand do you know how do you
balance that supply chain spreadwith your sustainability goals?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Right, so I'm not always able to go to the
factories that are in othercountries, but the ones that are
local, that I went.
We personally go there andcheck those factories out.
We see what theircertifications are, those type
of things that they have inplace.
We just ask the hard questions.
In some places that we went tothey have not answered those
questions because you knowthey're doing something they
(07:35):
shouldn't be doing.
So we know we should bepartnering there, but I also
there's networks that I'm a partof that are in the UK and other
places where they arespecifically creating platforms
for manufacturers and suppliers.
So I have the plug, thisplatform that I only use to go
to to connect with if it'sbuttons, if it's embellishments,
(07:58):
if it zippers, whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
So yeah, yeah, and I've heard you speak about
luxury as sustainability.
Can you, can you elaborate onthat and what it looks like for
you in real life?
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Yes.
So I had this thought processaround luxury with
sustainability.
When I thought honestly, Ithought about my grandmother.
You know, she was growing up.
We didn't have much, she waspoor, but she always was dressed
beautifully, and I feel likethe mindset was more of the
shift and it was like look atthese expensive clothes that I
(08:36):
have on, look at the garbs thatI'm wearing, look at, you know,
this station or position thatI'm at in life.
I didn't know that we didn'thave the things that we were
supposed to have, because hermindset and her lifestyle was
just one of luxury anyway, andso it was such a beautiful thing
to me that I thought everywoman should be able to have
this.
But how do we do this?
Because we need to partner thisin a way that these are
(08:56):
clothing that are made well, thegarments are, the fabrics are
coming from Italy and France, sothey're not cheap garments and
they're not you know they'rebeing made, you know, very
quality and well.
So how do we provide a spacewhere women can have either
access to this or have access tothe like, I said, the
educational initiatives aroundit?
So we decided what we would dois take a portion of the
(09:18):
proceeds from each garment andthen we put it into a fund and
then women are able to receivegrants off of the product that
we're selling.
So for us it makes luxury feel,I don't know.
It makes it feel right, youknow, to be able to say, okay,
here's this garment, that thisis the price of this garment.
But we're also helping womenmove their businesses forward
because we feel like women aremultipliers.
(09:39):
When we get the resources inour hands, when we're given
opportunities, we go and wechange our families lives.
We change our lives and thecommunities around us.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
So yeah, so this leads me to talking social
enterprise.
So are you a social enterprise?
Do you consider yourself asocial entrepreneur?
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Yes, this is.
I was a nonprofit at first.
So, first started years ago, wewere a nonprofit and we were
doing advocacy work for womenwho were, you know, going
through rape trials, and we didthis whole shame to freedom, you
know, kind of Saturday meetingsor whatever that we would do
with women who had those similarissues that I had walked
through.
But while we were doing that Irealized, okay, I'm doing this
(10:21):
work is not sustainable for me,I'm giving my everything to it,
I'm wiped out here, you know.
And so I took a break, took apause from it, and then, while I
was in the middle of doing that, I was like we need to consider
ourselves or we need to pivotand become a social enterprise,
which I know you can do that thenonprofit way.
But I said, you know, for mewhat is going to feel right for
me is let's do this for profit,let's make sure that every
(10:44):
garment, everything that wecreate, you know, has a meaning
behind what we're doing.
And so that is essentially whatI consider a social enterprise
is that we are focused on theperson behind it is our main
focus.
Like, the garment is great, thedesign is nice, but really, at
the end of the day, it's thepoint.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
We are talking fashion with apurpose today, on shades and
layers, and my guest is KirstieFleur, founder of the luxury,
sustainable fashion brandfreedom Fleur.
Her dedication to freedom foreveryone, and especially women,
is the driving force behind allthat she does.
Up next, she discusses her FFsocial clubs, balancing the
(11:26):
multiple facets of herprofessional and personal life
and the ins and outs of runninga sustainable fashion brand.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Yeah, so the FF social club is for black and
brown women who need a spaceReally.
It's for aspiring entrepreneurswhat I call them.
And those who are alreadyfounders and CEOs, and I put
this club together, the main twospaces.
I put this club togetherbecause for myself, as a founder
(11:53):
and CEO, what I was finding ishaving these higher level issues
and things that I needed totalk through, but I didn't have
the women who were at that levelcould sit at the table with me
and have these conversations.
I might talk with an investorand be like what should I have
done better in this pitch, orhow can I present my business in
a way that is ready forinvestment and different things
like that, but I wasn't findingthat.
(12:14):
I was have the black and brownwomen to communicate about it.
I could talk to severaldifferent women about it, but
there was a different space thatI was navigating as a black
woman.
So I was I need that piece.
So I opened that portion of itup.
And then the aspiring is the.
I'm constantly met with thewoman that's like well, how do
you do this and how do you starta business?
What about this?
(12:35):
But our thing is I don't wantto teach a woman how to just
start a business like hey, hereis where you go and you go to
the Secretary of State's office.
There's somebody else can helpyou do that.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Yeah, and you can read about it, I mean absolutely
, absolutely, yeah.
But what I, what my goal isbehind the FF Social Club is
that we create more socialenterprises so that these
companies or these women who areaspiring, when they come in, we
are sure to make sure that,like, what is your passion,
what's your drive, and let'sattach a social piece to it so
(13:06):
there can be something thatgrows and that flourishes
forever.
I feel like if you do your soulwork, you go deep within and
you figure out what it is yourmeaning to life, then this is
something that can carry you forthe rest of your life, that you
can leave a legacy behind.
Instead of just creating anotherbusiness, because, yeah, we
need businesses out there, butwe need businesses that are
sustainable, that women careabout, that they're connected to
(13:29):
move society forward.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
So what's the soul work?
I've heard it.
What did you call it?
Soul health, that's it I thinkyou mentioned soul health in one
of your other interviews.
Can you expand on that concept?
Yes, so soul health.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
It's an approach that I created.
I didn't set out to create too.
I always say that, that Ididn't set out to create it.
It kind of set out to create me.
Maybe I don't know, but as Iwas on this journey of finding
myself navigating through lifeand trying to put meaning to
what the different things werethat I was doing, I realized
that the work, more thananything, was internal.
(14:05):
I needed to go and have theconversation with the little
girl, see what it is inside ofthere that I was lacking and
missing, learning how to groundmyself and be present in the
moment.
So just this wellness componentof knowing what your soul is
saying.
What is the soul saying?
And for me, I had been in somany spaces where I was
suppressed as a black woman,even in the music industry and
(14:27):
different things like that thathold to sing and be a certain
way, and so that is who Ithought I was, until I went
inside and started doing thesoul work and I'm like, wow,
this woman has something to sayand I've been suppressing this
or this has been beingsuppressed.
And so my position with thesoul health approach is that
women would go inside and theywould do the work, because there
(14:48):
are so many things that can,though.
They're beautiful thingsmarriage and family and all the
things in life, you know butthey get in the way and they can
bog down what it is we reallyare truly, what is our true
essence.
And some women say I'm just amother.
That's all I'm supposed to beas a mother.
Maybe so, but for some otherwoman they may have their soul
maybe saying something else.
(15:09):
There's something else, someother meaning that I need to be
attaching to life and that Ineed to be doing, and so that is
what the soul health approachis.
I help women go on that journeyto figure out what it is that
they're meant to create.
They call it to bring forward,get them where they need to do
that.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Yeah, I mean, like all of us, you are multifaceted.
You know, as I listen to youspeak, there are many elements
about you that are comingthrough and we know that balance
is elusive.
So how do you see those thingskind of merging together for you
so that you don't have thisfragmented, anxiety inducing
(15:44):
experience or life journey?
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Oh my gosh, that is a brilliant question and so
beautiful, because what I findis that we, as women, we are
multifaceted.
You know, people, humans, we'reall multifaceted and we do feel
like here's this one thing thatwe need to do, and then we just
do this for the rest of ourlives.
This is the way that it goes,but I do find that there is an
interplay.
It may not be a balance, butthere is a way that you can
(16:09):
weave your passions, your life,your disciplines together that
create something unique for you.
Like you know, I think there'sa writer out there that calls it
like being your brand.
You are the brand, or somethinglike that.
Really it is.
It is what your true message is.
You know, I can't not be anartist, I'm an artist.
When I walk into rooms withinvestors, they tell me I should
(16:31):
be one or the other.
They're like you're going toeither be an artist or you can
be a business, an entrepreneur.
I'm like my degrees are inentrepreneurship and business.
I'm going to be both.
I've been art my whole life, soI'm going to be both.
But I do find that there areseasons where one plays, I guess
, heavier than the other, likethere may be a season where I'm
touring more, or there may be aseason where I'm leaning into
(16:52):
one area more than the other,like as now, I am a mother to a
three month old.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Yeah, congrats.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
Thank you, that was a newer experience but, you know,
this morning I was on a calland the baby was here with me,
you know, for the call, and soyou just navigate the seasons
and the pieces of you in youknow, in the moments when you're
there, in them.
But there's definitely a way,and I feel like you have to take
the time to sit with yourselfand say what is it that I want?
(17:20):
What do I want my life to looklike?
You know, do I want toconstantly be saying one day, oh
, one day, I want to, you know,do pottery?
Or one day I want to do this,or do I want to step out and do
those things and integrate theminto my life?
I think that's the thing.
It may not be a balance, but itis a pieces of this brought
together to create you as awhole person and think that's a
(17:40):
beautiful experience?
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Yeah, absolutely.
And you know, in a world fullof distraction, where do you and
how do you carve out that spaceto be quiet and see how all
these pieces fit together?
Oh, that's so lovely.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
One of the things that is really important for me
is my practice of solitude andsilence, and so it's a spiritual
practice for me.
But I pull myself back and sit,maybe in the beginning of the
day or whenever I can find apocket in the day.
But it is my intentionality tosit in silence and solitude so
that the day does not run me orcontrol me, and so that is a
(18:15):
very important practice for me,because I feel like now I can
hear myself thinking you know, Ican hear maybe I need to pivot
in this direction, but I'm notactually entering into the
moment looking for ideas oranything, I'm just I'm bringing
me into that moment and I'msitting with that moment.
What does that moment want tosay?
It's the same thing I do withwhen it's time to write a song.
(18:35):
I sit and I say what song wantsto be written right now?
I just don't want a meaninglessthing.
So I want you to be spoken.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Yeah, yeah.
And you know I can also see thedeliberate effort that goes
into making your garments somuch color Craftsmanship.
I mean, you can see the quality.
So who's wearing these clothes?
Who is the freedom floor woman?
Speaker 2 (19:03):
The freedom floor woman.
She is entrepreneurial, she'sin the city centers, she cares
about women's rights, she caresabout what's happening in the
world today.
She's not disconnected fromwhat's happening in the world.
She makes it her business toknow what is happening while
also being really in tune toherself as a person.
(19:24):
You know who am I, what do Ineed, when do I need to pull
back?
And knowing that she does notneed to die on the on the stoop
of each one of you know thesemoments or movements or things
that are happening in the worldtoday.
But she's confident, she's sureof herself.
She understands that she needsluxury.
She wants luxury, she wantsease and she wants it on her own
terms.
And so it's a women in business.
(19:45):
These are women who are artists, they're creatives.
Yeah, they're living life ontheir own terms, wonderful.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
And how did you strike?
You know how did you come to apoint where you found the right
quality fabrics.
You know the rightmanufacturing process and the
sweet price point where it'sstill accessible but it's
luxurious.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
That has been.
That has been a work becauseagain, you partner with
different manufacturers ordifferent meals and they have
different what are called MLQs,like their amount, that they can
do, their minimum orderquantity, and so for a smaller
brand, you know, we don't wantto like have hundreds of
thousands of garments sitting atthe studio and we can't sell
(20:31):
them, or we're having to figureout what can we because it's not
sustainable.
So what can we do with all ofthese products?
So we look for factories andmeals that have the lowest MLQ
possible so they were notkeeping a whole bunch of stuff
on back order that way.
So it has really been.
It's been a journey Like wejust start out and we reach out
and see whose goals and whosevalues align with ours and then,
(20:53):
once we start the process, weeither find out that this was
just words on a piece of paper,maybe a little bit of
brainwashing, you know or yeah,yes, so common.
Right, very common.
We don't make a big deal aboutit, we just okay, this is not
the right fit and then we justkeep going, because we know that
.
You know, this is importantwork to us.
We feel like we're in themiddle of something that's
(21:14):
movemental and that's important.
So, yeah, we just keep going.
Anytime there's a hiccup, wekeep going.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
Yeah, so who is we?
Is their business partner?
Is their team?
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Yes, as a team we have a small team.
It's a sweet team.
My husband is my operations guy.
He's growth and development.
It just felt right to pull himin.
He's built several multimilliondollar companies.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
I need you on my team .
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Yes, and then you know, I can bark a little bit of
orders around to him too, andhe didn't get, you know,
offended by it.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
So it works.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
And then there's my project manager.
She's decided my brain that Idon't have, so she dates the
calendar, you know, making surethat everything's lined up and
in place.
And our creative directorthat's like all the graphics,
the font, the branding, whatthat piece is, social media
director, and then editors, andthen everybody else that's on
(22:14):
board.
The team is freelance right now.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
You're right, perfect .
Sounds like a very happysituation.
Do you operate out of specificoffices or at home?
Speaker 2 (22:24):
We do so the ones that those who are freelance.
We come together, we have likea once or twice a week meeting.
We don't need it, we don't haveit, but once a week meeting at
our office downtown in Nashvilleand so, yeah, we just get
together like that.
Some of us joined via Zoom.
Sure it works.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Fun times.
Kirstie Fleur is the founderand CEO of Freedom Fleur, a
sustainable fashion brand forwomen, and she is my guest on
today's episode of Shades andLayers.
Up next, we talk about theinfluential people in her life,
her upcoming memoir and otheraspirations for life going
(23:03):
forward.
Yeah, so I want to get intoyour story a little bit more,
your personal story.
You mentioned your grandma, whowas influential, of course, in
this idea of luxury and, ofcourse, you do recognize that we
don't get through life alone.
So who are some of those otherpeople who made this huge
(23:28):
impression on you?
Or you know the events thatmade a huge impression of you
that you know.
You look back and you think,yeah, it makes sense that I
ended up here, Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
My grandmother would definitely be one of those
person people.
She was a super kind soul, sosweet, but she always seemed to
have like this, like thiscompassion or this hurt for
anything that was broken oranybody that was going through
anything.
And so I love that about herbecause her heart was so tender
and so sweet.
But then she was also like thejokester of jokesters.
(23:59):
She cracked so many jokes.
It was just a really, reallygood mixture that she had.
I love it.
She was one of my favoritepeople, but she was also the
seamstress and designer in ourfamily.
So she made all of her kidsclothes growing up.
All of my aunts and my unclesshe made all their clothes
growing up.
Back then it wasn't for reasonsof I'm doing this because I'm
(24:23):
going to be a fashion designer,but it was out of need, out of
necessity, and so it was justbeautiful to watch her do that.
All her clothes were alwaysbeautiful.
She made her clothes andeverything was always steamed
and pressed to the nines.
She was pretty amazing.
And then there is my mother whoat the time when I was younger
(24:44):
it wasn't popular to be a womanthat was a preacher who was
standing in a pulpit, and my momwas a preacher, motivational
speaker, in a time, like I said,when it was not popular to do
so.
I remember sitting on the frontrow at these really old churches
and she'd just be sometimes upthere with her eyes closed,
speaking, or she'd look at me tokind of get some encouragement
(25:07):
because I'm like her person.
I could tell as young as I was,but it wasn't until I got older
that I realized, wow, she wasdoing this afraid.
You do it scared.
So, without knowing it, thesetwo people, I think they really
taught me to just like go for it.
I've never lived in a worldwhere I haven't seen a woman be
in leadership or leading, soyeah, lovely Speaking of
(25:28):
leadership.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
I know you are a veteran, you were in the Navy
and in the.
Air Force.
Okay, oh, so you fly planes.
Oh my goodness, oh my gosh, ohyeah, fantastic.
So you know how did you end upthere and how has that
influenced your trajectory.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
Yeah.
So nobody ever asked me how Iended up in the Air Force.
That's a good question.
Well, I was in college, and inthe middle of college I was like
, okay, I need help paying forschool, but also the Air Force's
mission was something that Iloved.
Even when I was in high schoolI was like at some point I want
to join the Air Force, I'm goingto get my bachelor's degree,
I'm going to go in as an officer, all the things.
(26:08):
But while I was in college Idecided I'm going to go ahead
and go in now.
I needed the assistance.
I need the school benefits andthe assistance and the mission
aligns the freedom, the justice,all those components and pieces
, and I feel like I got morethan I bargained for when I went
to the Air Force In a lot ofways.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
That's great.
I hope it's in a good way.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Yes, but I was taught leadership in a way that I
didn't realize that I would betaught.
I didn't realize that I wasgoing into it, that I would be
being prepared as a leader likeI was, and I didn't really know
how to study before I went intothe military, but I mean the Air
Force.
The way that you have to studyall these tests and everything
coming up.
(26:47):
It was just a level of, like,discipline and leadership that I
really needed to learn and getquickly, and so it just felt
like it was the right time in mylife to do that, and so I've
used everything I've learnedfrom that season in my life over
and over again.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
What attracted you to the Air Force?
It was Top Gun, wasn't it?
Speaker 2 (27:04):
No, I'm joking, oh, you know it, I'm just joking it
was the suits.
I wanted to be cool.
I'm a very as.
I could say craftsman typeperson, like hands on.
So at one point I even workedfor American Airlines and I did
every component of working atAmerican Airlines, from throwing
(27:27):
the bags to check you know, allthe ticket agent things or
whatever.
But Air Force attracted mebecause it was one of those
things where I'd be able to usemy technical skill sets.
I worked on computers so I wasable to fix computers, work
computers, take them apart.
I did the actual computer, thecustomer service piece of it, so
(27:47):
just every piece of it.
But then I also was going intoit knowing that in a couple of
years I'd be able to kind oftransition to different aspects
of the career field, and so Iliked that I could kind of
switch it up a bit and I didn'tfeel like I was stuck, so that
was a piece of it Lovely.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
So now we get into the rapid fire, yeah.
First question is if you had towrite a memoir today, what
would it be called and why?
Speaker 2 (28:12):
I'm in the middle of writing a memoir, so this is yes
, and I've been playing aroundwith the name for quite a while,
but I think it'll be somethinglike finding your voice,
something about beacons andfinding your voice in the middle
of the noise.
Yeah, and the reason why wouldbe, you know, me going on this
journey and realizing that Ineeded to go internal.
Like I've said a few times onhere, I need to go inside and
(28:34):
find my voice, get reacquaintedwith who the little girl was
inside, to find out what I'mreally meant to do.
What's the journey, what's thepath that I'm taking?
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Right.
And if you had to turn thestory into a film, who would you
pick for the lead actress?
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Oprah Yay, I love Oprah.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Yeah, she's fantastic .
Actually, nobody has chosenOprah before, so Really yeah.
And if you had to invite afamous black woman, living or
dead, apart from Oprah, todinner, who would it be and why
I?
Speaker 2 (29:11):
think that it would be Maya Angelou.
Just for the activist that shewas and the constant seeker, you
know, it seemed like her entirelife she was a constant seeker
and learner and open and alsofeels like she was on a journey
and had found something on herjourney that she had been
(29:31):
convinced of and convicted by.
And I feel like I'm on thatsimilar path or that similar
journey.
So people like that, who are,you know, connected to their
souls, mission and vision and,you know, kind of in that state
or whatever, I am drawn to and Iwould.
I just feel like I would lovesitting at her feet and
listening to everything that shewould have to say, guiding
(29:52):
along the journey.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Yeah, yeah, she was quite a force.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Yeah, amazing.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Is there anything else that you would like to
mention that people need to knowabout you?
What else is there?
I mean, there's so many things.
And I'm glad you havediscovered some of them.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Yeah, just some of them for now.
There's more to come.
I think the biggest thing is tocontinue you Journey, and that
is the place where I'm at.
You know, I feel like everybodyis an expert.
You know everybody wants to bean expert or is an expert, and
there is sometimes nothing wrongwith that.
But there is also this placewhere we need to be okay with
the journey.
You know, our whole will bemade up of becoming and
(30:33):
journeying, and being andgrowing, and I think that's how
people get caught up in thisalternative, alternative mindset
.
Where they're like I don't feellike I deserve to be here is
because they're not grounded inwhere their feet are currently.
So if I could encourage anybodyto stay grounded in the reality
where they are right now, whilestill being forward thinking,
(30:54):
and look into the future, havinghope for the future, that would
be probably those would be mydying words, fantastic.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
So if people want to work with you or find out what
you do and get a taste of yourwork, where can they find you?
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Yes, so if you want to work with me, I do some
business consulting onkirstiefloorcom.
So that's kirstiefloorcom.
If you want to shop some of ourpieces, you can go to
wwwfreedomfloorcom, and you canalso find me on Instagram at
kirstiefloor as well, as freedomfloor is where the fashion
(31:32):
design is at on Instagram.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Perfect.
Do you have a playlist onSpotify or anywhere that I could
also include in the show?
Speaker 2 (31:41):
notes.
Yes, yes, so type the same namein on Spotify, You'll find my
music.
One of my favorite songs thatI've written is reform, so
you'll like them.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Okay, great, and that is all from me this time around
.
Thank you for listening andsupporting, as always.
If you want to learn more aboutkirstie's work, do visit the
show notes and, while you'rethere, please be sure to rate
and review the podcast so thatothers can find it.
Five stars would be amazing.
Thank you, I am Kutlu AnusKhosana Reishi.
(32:13):
Until next time, please do takegood care.
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