Meet the founder: Denise Ho from Kitdo

We sat down with Denise Ho, the founder of Kitdo, a brand new environmentally friendly accessory, that can help you restyle your garments in more than 10 ways! Check out our full interview below, as well as an exclusive access into Denise's Retykle closet!

What was your professional journey which led to Kitdo? How did the idea for Kitdo come to be?

I have been a fashion stylist for the past 18 years! Honestly, it didn’t feel like that long mostly because I really enjoy what I do. Through working on editorials/commercials and with celebs, I do feel that I have developed a very unique set of skills which is restyling clothing differently in order to make them work. For example, if  I need a total purple look, even though I don’t have a purple top, I would improvise and turn a skirt or a scarf into a top. Through this process, I learned how to create different possibilities of clothes through restyling. 

There are a few reasons why I created Kitdo, our clothing being under-worn is the primary one. We are currently wearing only 10-20% of our wardrobe with some pieces of clothing only being worn 7 times before discarded which results as part of a massive waste issue.  Furthermore, I feel the market is missing a unique stylist product that has a function to reshape or resize your clothes, a replacement for the tools inside the stylist’s kit. 

With so much waste still being generated every year,  I wonder what our world will be like if everyone restyles more. I also see this as a business opportunity as Kitdo is a very unique product and already won 2 international design awards.

As a professional stylist, how does this exposure to trend and abundance of fashion inform your own style and choices? 

I get that question a lot but I actually don’t think stylists get first dips on trends these days. With social media, everyone gets to see the same fashion shows and news at the same time. Don’t get me wrong as I love seeing new collections every season and still go gaga over them. With trends, it feels more like a conveyer belt these days - if you missed it, it will come back in a season or two so I don’t follow them religiously. I believe your style comes from a place that is a little deeper than just wearing the clothes, your confidence, comfort, and attitude could change everything about “your own trend”.

What are some of your favourite styling hacks?

My recent favorite is restyling with multiple scarves and turning them into tops, dresses, and even a bag. Honestly, any hack that breaks away from the norm and creates more wear for your clothes is a good one. Even with my styling work, I find myself building stories on creative, never- seen- before wears and ideas. 

What do you think is the key to a sustainable wardrobe? 

I think knowing your style is very important because then it is easier for you to figure out the wearability before you purchase a piece of clothing. I find starting a Pinterest Board very helpful and creating a mood board of what you like which helps to identify your style. And of course, being open to restyling is important, because once you get into the habit of restyling your clothes, you won’t abandon them as much because there is always the question of what if. 

What role can Kitdo play in the larger conversation around sustainable fashion? What is your long term vision for Kitdo?

Restyling is a fairly new concept and I feel most people get a little intimidated by it, thinking it’s difficult to do. I believe Kitdo is a great gateway tool to ease consumers into the lifestyle of restyling.  There is no right or wrong way to use it and it’s really up to the user on how creative they want to go, that sense of freedom is the power of dressing if you ask me. 

The long-term vision has always been and always will be speaking to our consumers' on the importance and joy of restyling, we are planning to create the world’s first-ever restyling accessory label and community. 

You have also been a kidswear designer in the past. What are the lessons you learned from owning and operating a kidswear brand?

That was my first time running a fashion label so I learned A LOT  from being on the ground, wearing many hats from designing, marketing, production, and operation. I guess the biggest lesson for me personally would be the importance of turning your purposeful idea into a sustainable business. Ask yourself why are you doing this and how are you contributing to the world. I believe everyone has their own calling and for me, I find my previous experiences and mistakes have shaped me to build Kitdo. 

How do you incorporate sustainability practices in your daily life? How do you teach your son about the environment/sustainability?

Just like any other parents, we want to leave a better world for our children. I think it is important to educate our kids about sustainability, especially in a city like HK.  Within our household, we try to do our best to recycle plastic/cans/ glasses/ papers. I try to be careful when it comes to our son’s consumption of clothes and toys and both my husband and I like the idea of not having so much stuff. Most of my son’s clothes are hand-me-downs and if he needs something special to wear, I go to Retykle. For his toys, we will only buy them when he got rid of old ones or we swap them between friends. I am constantly explaining to my son the downside of overconsumption and how we can do better, he is 5 and  I think he is starting to understand.

What would be your advice to anyone who wants to make better fashion choices?

 There are many ways to make better choices but my ultimate mantra would be – shop in your closet more. It is one of the most sustainable options out there as you are not buying or making anything new.  As mentioned, our clothes are desperately needing more wears so try to educate yourself on how to Restyle, Rewear or Relove the clothes you already have. Social media is the most accessible library for creative ideas so go ahead and start collecting content.

Shop from Denise's Retykle closet here and visit Kitdo's website here