Kmellia: A Subtle Sense of Class
It’s not a secret that French women are known for their effortless sophistication, and through KMELLIA, creative entrepreneur and founder Camille Collison is bringing this ease and beauty (two of my cherished values) to busy Mamas and others everywhere, with her high quality knitted chouchous. Each chouchou is made of ethically farmed Australian Merino wool and is perfect for creating a classic chignon in seconds.
Whilst I could structurally edit Camille’s words, in the French style of simplicity, I will share her responses au naturel. After all, she has answered my questions so generously that no embellishment is needed.
How would you describe KMELLIA and its aesthetic? Your brand consistency is on point!
Here at KMELLIA we encourage women to be chic and confident in their own hair. I am French, so I stay true to myself and I add the coveted French touch to everything we do. Simple yet elegant and effortless hairstyles without compromising on the quality of the materials chosen and the craftmanship. Our chouchous (French for scrunchies) are made for the modern busy woman that, like me, has no time to do her hair. It's a simple way to rock your greasy hair on the go and actually turn a messy mum bun into a chic chignon! Bonus: it gives volume for thin/short hair and also holds thick, long hair in place all day!
What’s your business' origin story? Where did the passion for it come from? I would love to know the story of its name.
I've always known since a very young age I would have this amazing life and I would have my own business/brand. I waited and waited (decades) for the inspiration to strike, to find out what product idea it would be, or what it would be called etc... Looking back I understand why it took so long. I had to go through different seasons in my life and learn a few lessons before I could be ready to embark on this journey.
I've always loved working, I am a Capricorn after all! But once I became a mum, I was happy to be a stay-at-home mum and fully dedicated myself to this new role. I genuinely thought I would never work again. I loved motherhood so much I dove straight into a second pregnancy and ended up with two children under two. Nothing could have prepared me for the chaos that came with that. Paired with a husband doing shift work and Covid restrictions, I was so mentally challenged that when my son was only 3 months old, I decided it was time I started to do something for myself and this is how KMELLIA was born: my third baby. In the thick of postpartum anxiety with a newborn that didn't sleep and a tanty toddler.
At first I wasn't sure what product to design, but I loved knitting and was knitting a lot of baby jumpers. When I consulted my psychic and asked her what it was she could see me making, at my surprise she said: well, I think it's scrunchies! I went home and thought this couldn't be right because I'm not a scrunchie girl at all and I didn't want to make the fabric scrunchies everyone was already making everywhere. And so the knitted scrunchie concept was born! As for the name of the brand, I wrote my name CAMILLE and realized if I changed the letters around it would almost spell CAMELLIA like the flower. I couldn't register this name for my website domain so I swapped the "CA" for a "K", which in France phonetically sounds the same!
Which values are important to your business?
Customer is Queen!
Take massive accountability for your mistakes, question the process first before the people.
Be respectful to people around you, good manners are very chic and go a long way!
Help another person out that can't help you back, each and everyday.
Your marketing is gorgeous. Do you have tips for businesses just starting out?
When I started out, I was hiding myself and did not want to show my face. I didn't want people to think I was a small maker/business and that the product was fully handmade. I launched thinking I would contact a few macro influencers, send them free gifts and they would post about my product and I would get sales and be so successful! That is not what happened at all! I launched to crickets, not knowing anything about selling a product and no influencer got back to me (understandably, because looking back I definitely wouldn't work with myself back then either).
I had to learn how to sell my product the hard way and I had to come out of my shell, stop pretending to be someone I clearly wasn't and I had to start modelling my own product because no one else would do that for me! Quickly, I figured out people loved my French touch and so I kept building on that.
The lesson in this story is: don't try to be someone you are not. Be authenthic and just be you and your people will find you! That's my personal tip! A more business oriented response to this question would be: be novel so you stand out in the market. Is your product or your offer novel and stands out on its own? If it's not, it can be novel in other ways, through packaging or your marketing. There are a gazillion scrunchies out there but there aren't any knitted ones. No one is marketing scrunchies as a French chouchou. Scrunchies are supposed to be cheap but mine are expensive. They are supposed to be a messy hairstyle but I make mine look chic. Scrunchies fall out of hair easily but mine hold any hair type or length in place securely all day!
What’s one lesson you’ve learned about running your own business that would’ve been valuable for you to know when you began?
I genuinely believe that having a start-up is all about your personal growth journey. Every time I was "stuck" in my business, the lesson I had to learn was on a personal level. Being rich is not true wealth. In order to unlock a high level of abundance (however this looks like for you!), you must always change yourself first. The universe will deliver once you have proven you are ready to receive. The universe will send many lessons your way and how far you want to go in your personal journey is up to you. If I had to start over, I wouldn't do anything differently, for the painful lessons I've learnt were necessary and so empowering! If I could meet my younger self of two years ago I would just tell her: Trust the process, don't fight it!
Are you local to Mandurah, and if so, did you grow up here?
Yes, I am in Mandurah but I am French and grew up in France and China. I met my husband surfing on a holiday in Thailand almost 13 years ago and he brought me back here with him where he is from!
What’s your favourite local day out?
A perfect day for me is simple. Work (I love working on my business, it's so exciting and I am so passionate!), spend time outdoors with my children and watch them play with big smiles on their faces, surf with my husband and challenge myself at the gym!
KMELLIA has some new products coming out (including something that may surprise) but Camille has had some imposters, so is keeping these top secret, for now. I highly recommend signing up for the newsletter, which is always succinct and fun, and liking KMELLIA on Instagram. I am big fan of classic and polished film, and watching the reels is like getting a mini taste of these.
Do you know of other gorgeous Mandurah creative entrepreneurs or perhaps a community initiative? Share the love and email me, as I’d love to showcase them, too. (It could even be you.)
