This week, we interviewed Edyta Kochanowska-Holc, the CEO of BeMystique. With over 20 years of experience in fashion, she is a creative leader who also worked with most renowned designers and fashion houses.
In 2015, she founded her own brand – BeMystique. Edyta Kochanowska-Holc, togeter with her team, creates spectacular handmade resortwear. Based out of Dubai, the company has become a serious international player, with global sales and a presence in 31 countries.
Her clothes designs are truly unique, with beautiful styles and vivid colours. A must-have for all age groups on their beach getaways. Check out the brand on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Learn more about Edyta Kochanowska-Holc through our interview below.
What was the path you took to start this company, and why?
I am originally from Poland, where I spent my childhood and university years. After university, I met my husband and moved to the UAE, where he was working as a lawyer. Inspired by the constant sunshine and beach lifestyle, I pursued my life-long passion for fashion and started designing dresses. I realized that cover-ups for the beach were really lacking in the market. I searched far and wide and couldn’t find anything that I really liked, in terms of quality, fabric, cut, and colors. Hence, I decided that this was a niche worth pursuing.
I established the company and formally started the brand in 2015. My first design was a woman’s kimono, which came in a wide selection of prints. I love vibrant colors and wanted to give women a product that was not only great for the beach but also a real statement of their character. We now expanded our range by several different models, including various kimono shapes, pants, crop tops, blazers, etc., and a vast array of new prints. All of our products are made from our special fabric, are available in our extensive selection of prints, and can be mixed and matched as you like. We have also recently launched a men’s line consisting of men’s kimonos and will soon be enriched by a selection of unique men’s blazers.
We are now physically present in some of the most high-end stores in over 31 countries and sell globally via our eCommerce platform.
What do you feel is the biggest strength of yourself/company right now?
We produce our own products here in the UAE.
This is important for the following reasons: (1) Quality control – allows us to have full control over the entire production process and ensure the highest quality. (2) Sustainability / Efficiency – we produce to order, which means that we can quickly produce what is actually needed, avoiding creating stock that ultimately goes to waste. (3) Ethical practices – we do not outsource our production. Therefore, we can ensure that all of our employees are treated fairly and with dignity. (4) Supply chain – the reduced impact of the supply chain issues affecting the world right now.
What is success for you?
My greatest success was building up the courage to start designing clothing for others and actually starting my business. Now, success for me is seeing a growing number of people in our BeMystique family and seeing how our business is able to support an increasing number of families. I would very much like to see that grow from families to communities. I am also very excited about where we are today as a business in terms of our expanding product lines and geographic footprint, but it also feels like it’s just the beginning, and there is so much more to be done.
What are your responsibilities as an entrepreneur briefly? What is your understanding of good leadership? Please share with us what your leadership style is.
As the CEO and creative head, I have quite a varied spectrum of responsibilities. I split my time between the creative side, which includes designing new models, collections, and prints and overseeing the graphic design section, and the managerial side, which is ensuring that we are growing as a business, setting/achieving the right targets, and looking at new opportunities, both internal improvement and external opportunities.
I believe that good leadership is the ability to bring out the best in people and feel empowered to be creative and part of the business. This creates a fun and collaborative working environment in which people tend to work harder and produce better results.
I think that it really helps to be an entrepreneur and start from zero as you have to learn and experience each part of the business. That gives you a big advantage as you grow because you understand each element of your business and can communicate on the same wavelength with each corner of the organization, be it accounts, IT, production, sales, or PR. It also allows you to hire better people as you really know what you are looking for.
Tell us about your company culture and vision.
Our team is the cornerstone of our organization. We are very fortunate to have such a wonderful and diverse group of exceptional professionals working with us. We firmly believe in building as many competencies in-house as possible, which means that everyone really knows our ethos and can drive the business in unison. For example, we pride ourselves on having our own production team, which, apart from the design and business benefits, also means that we can take care of all our people and ensure that they are treated fairly and ethically. Even as we grow, we try to maintain a family feel in the workplace.
Tell us about a project that forced you to be innovative and creative.
The Jumeirah Group chose us to design a special collection of women’s kimonos and men’s gowns for the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, which are provided in every room. This was a fascinating project as we had to design specific pieces that captured the hotel’s essence, considering the architecture, color pallets, surrounding area, and the general feel of the property. We once again collaborated with our beloved artists in Lake Como, Italy, to paint a work of art that then became the fabric design for the collection. Being selected by the world’s most prestigious hotel for this collaboration is a true honor and a real testament to the work our entire team has done over the years.
In view of the future, what are you looking forward to as a person and an entrepreneur? What is something you are excited about?
We are very excited about the growing relationship with the Jumeirah Group and working with other hotels in their group and the Burj Al Arab. It is a real joy to be designing specific pieces that capture the essence of each distinct hotel.
We are also very excited about the growth path that we are on. We want to continue to innovate and grow our fan base, both geographically and demographically. Given the versatility of our products, there is something for every age group and style.
We are also looking forward to expanding our men’s collection. At the moment, our men’s products are quite a niche, and we are working on a wider selection to provide more options for our male clients. Stay tuned.
What makes you excited about Mondays?
When you have your own company and love what you do and do what you love, it doesn’t really matter if it’s a Monday or a Friday. Every day is exciting. However, I love Mondays because I just spent the weekend with the kids and have a whole week ahead of creativity with my team.
Give us one word that describes you the best.
Dreamer (in the sense of dreaming big and living my dream).