Bedstuy born and raised, Kai first opened her concept store ‘Sincerely Tommy’ to support young, emerging female designers and revitalise her beloved neighbourhood. The store is now a go-to destination for visitors as well as a communal meeting space for locals, with a cafe space for people to hang out and exchange ideas. With her fashion background (she honed her skills at Chanel) and entrepreneurial attitude, Kai is a recognised tastemaker in New York.

When I was in high school, I started taking classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology. I was doing textile design and pattern making. I just started to fall in love with fashion design. I was like, ‘Oh I’m going to be a fashion designer’ or ‘Oh I’m going to be a buyer,’ so I did that. My first job was at this boutique in Fort Greene when I was 17—I just walked in because my mom was like, 'Time to get a job!' I had never worked, so I just went walking down Fulton Street, and there was this really cute boutique that had just opened. It was sort of like what my store is like now. I walked in and was like, ‘Hey this is my résumé. I really like this store, and I’d really like to work here.’ They had just opened like a week ago and weren’t even trying to hire anyone. I started off as an intern and left three years later doing all of the men’s buying, and I loved it.

My first real job once I left school was at Chanel as an operations manager overseeing back-of-the-house stuff. Then I was at Aritzia managing their first store in Soho. After that I was like, ‘I’m ready to do my own thing,’ but those experiences were so valuable. I learned what women want to buy, what they’ll spend money on. Women specifically will remain loyal to a brand if they really like what it represents. The money is an afterthought if they know they are investing in something.