Activewear: it’s the Meryl Streep of the clothing world.
It’s highly versatile.What are your plans for the future of Nicky Kay?
It’s comfortable. It’s flattering. You can do the splits in it.
You can wear it to brunch. To the supermarket. You can dress up an Adidas tracksuit with heels and boom you’ve got yourself a fire Sat’dee night ensemble.
Heck, you can ever wear it to the gym.
Yes, activewear has been having A Moment™ for many years now. These days, the range of choices go far beyond Nike Roshes and Lululemon Wunder Unders.
One of the most exciting up-and-coming activewear brands in Australia is Nicky Kay.
The activewear start-up launched their first collection in late 2015, and they’ve steadily become one to watch.
Nicky Kay’s success is no mystery. Their current pieces features on-trend matching numbers in maroon, nude and khaki – it’s like a Yeezy showcase, only you can actually work out in these pieces, and at a fraction of the cost. Their leggings start at $70AUD.
Their latest milestone? Being worn by none other than the queen of chic workout wear, Khloé Kardashian.
PEDESTRIAN.TV spoke to the brand’s 25-year-old founder, Nicolette Kordos, to get the low down on how she turned her passion into a full-time job and how her matching tracksuit ended up on one of the most famous bums in the world.
PTV: When did you start Nicky Kay? What inspired you?
NK: I officially launched Nicky Kay at the end of 2015.
Fitness was always my escape when I was studying. It helped me immensely in managing my stress, and leading a healthy lifestyle made me feel a lot better about myself.
Coupled with this was my love for fashion. I really struggled to find activewear that I loved and that was affordable, and after speaking to my girlfriends, it appeared that they felt exactly the same way. I was never one for traditional sports outfits with motivational slogans printed all over them. I wanted something fashion-forward and after doing some research I was committed to creating a brand of my own, and producing something that was good quality, affordable and that I would really want to wear, and other women would as well.
What did you give up to start NK?
Since I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a lawyer.
I was accepted into Monash University to study a Bachelor of Arts/Laws and I was quite happy with where I was headed. I set up Nicky Kay during my last year of studying law which was extremely challenging.
I knew that once I got a job as a lawyer there would be no time for anything else, and I couldn’t let me dream of starting Nicky Kay go. I gave myself one year to prove that Nicky Kay could really be something big before I made the decision to not pursue a job as a solicitor.
Fast track to just over a year later and I am set to graduate from Arts/Law at the end of May but have happily made the decision to make Nicky Kay my full-time job. The growth so far has been amazing and there is no way I could give that up right now, I still have so much planned for this brand and I am thoroughly excited to see this through.
It is definitely odd seeing my girlfriends in their corporate suits working at law firms right now, because that is where I was headed as well. At the end of the day, I had to stay true to myself and to pursuing my dreams and so far its paying off.
I would never see my time spent studying as a waste. Some of the world’s top companies are run by people with a background in law and I find that really inspiring.
Talk us through how Khloe Kardashian came to wear your designs. Could you ever imagine this happening? How did you react?
I have always been a huge admirer of Khloe’s. Aside from the fact that she has an entire closet dedicated to her activewear, she has been very open and candid about her weight loss journey and continues to promote body positivity.
I reached out to Khloe on social media and shared my story with her, pretty convinced that it wasn’t going to be read, but knew that I had to give it a shot. Safe to say I was speechless when she messaged me back!
Khloe congratulated me on being brave and taking a leap of faith to pursue something I was passionate about, also mentioning that she was a lover of glam fitness-wear. I couldn’t believe someone of Khloe’s status would take the time out of her day to send love and encouragement, she really is such a genuinely kind person and I will forever appreciate her kind words.
Within days Khloe wore Nicky Kay Activewear in a lengthy Snapchat Fitness workout with her sister Kourtney Kardashian, and days after that she was snapped by paparazzi wearing Nicky Kay again. Khloe opted for our burgundy cropped sweatshirt and sweatpants to match. To have a Kardashian wear your designs is a huge deal. So many women from around the world have ordered the exact outfit that Khloe wore.
For Nicky Kay to have this kind of recognition so early on is extremely exciting!
What are your plans for the future of Nicky Kay?
I am currently working on a new collection that is set to be released in the coming months. This new range is a stand-out and I am so confident that women worldwide are really going to love these new colours and designs. I have promised myself to keep stepping it up, making sure that each collection is a reflection of what is trending at the time.
In 5 years time, I plan to have Nicky Kay holding a larger International presence. I get so proud reading big international news articles referencing Nicky Kay as being Australia based.
I also plan to be hosting events for our customers and really focusing on celebrating women.
What advice would you give to young people who want to turn their passion into a thriving start-up?
Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, even if it means a change in career path. I don’t think degrees should limit our choice of career but instead that we should take opportunities as they arise.
My advice is to not think that any dream is too far out of your reach. I truly believe that anyone that commits to a goal entirely and works hard will succeed.
