Kayti Ocarr

Founder & Creative Director of Mate the Label

Kayti is the Founder and Creative Director of MATE the Label, a Los Angeles based sustainable women's clothing brand. She started the company by selling vintage t-shirts with no intention of creating her line; however, it was a natural progression. They now offer a full range of vintage-inspired pieces, elevated essentials, and sleepware.

№1 — What drives you and brings you joy on the day to day?

I am very much driven by our mission to clean up the fashion industry - this industry is highly toxic and bad for human health and the environment. This topic is rarely discussed in the sustainability space and I am motivated to bring awareness to this issue and offer the cleanest clothing possible to our customers. At MATE, we strictly use Organic, natural, and non-toxic materials that are better for the planet and people. I recently became a mom and our mission is even more important to me now. My greatest joy is seeing my son's smile and sneaking in giggles with him throughout my day.

№2 — What has helped you persevere through tough times?

I am sure other founders can relate, but running a business is tough. Very tough. I lean on my friends, family, and other founders for support and perspective. Daily meditation has also been a game changer when I am feeling extra stressed.

№3 — Sustainability: how do you use your brand platform to promote sustainability?

Being clean and sustainable is at the forefront of what we do and is embedded into our brand DNA. We use different channels to help educate our community on a range of different issues including microplastics, waste, carbon emissions, etc. We strongly believe in science as it's becoming more and more important to have quantitative and qualitative data to help guide our practices.

№5 — What advice do you have for female business owners looking to make a difference in the world?

Find a cause that you are extremely passionate about and when things get tough (and they will) remember you are a part of something much larger than yourself. I strongly reco' creating a community of other business owners that are doing similar things to you as being a founder can be very isolating and lonely. And remember that good things take time, success doesn't happen overnight. Building a solid business is a marathon, not a sprint.