On saying yes. A conversation with Kerryn Moscicki.
Founded by Kerryn and Leo Moscicki, Radical Yes has been combining authenticity, practicality, and creativity since 2013. This Melbourne-based independent footwear and accessories brand creates products for modern women who like to move and be moved.
Kerryn and Leo are simply wonderful humans, a constant source of inspiration and true entrepreneurs — creative, brave, and fiercely intelligent. With the balance of Kerryn’s energetic spirit and Leo’s gentle confidence, Radical Yes is a brand that embodies its purpose and never rests on its laurels.
Hello friends, so here we are. Radical! Yes! I have always loved your name. You define radical as approaching business from a new perspective. Slower production, working with less urgency, doing business in a more considered way. How do you maintain that purpose-driven, slow-fashion approach in such a fast-paced, consumer world?
In a lot of ways we are quite lucky in the footwear category, in that change does not need to happen as fast as apparel. I think what we have learnt over the years is our customers are devoted to certain footwear styles as ‘mainstays’ of their wardrobes and do love to buy the same thing with little tweaks – we call them ‘soft changes’ which means we don’t have to play as much in the fickle trend space.
This has also helped in our relationship with our makers who are confident working with us in what we call ‘little and often’ batches because a vast majority of our business is built on repeat styles. Our manufacturers love that because it creates efficiencies for their businesses as well.
So very different from fast fashion.
Yes, we also intentionally keep our ranges very small and concise – it is not unusual for us to only offer one colour in a style which kind of goes against the grain of ‘how things are done’ in the real fashion world.
We try to be very careful, not over-producing anything. Being direct to consumers, we have the luxury of not being exposed to the waves that can be caused to the business through a wholesale model. Of course, it means we have grown way slower than other brands or business owners might have grown it, but it means we have retained control of our manufacturing process which is very important to our overall goals.
For the past decade, I have watched in awe as you built such an inspired, original and successful business—a brand known for its dedication to creativity, positivity and quality. I love how you refer to the brand as ‘eternally optimistic footwear and accessories’. How do you both maintain that energetic spirit through the challenges of small business?
I make an active effort to choose positivity daily. I intentionally surround myself with positive people (like your wonderful Seesaw crew!), and Leo and I both make a point of consuming positive influences when it comes to our digital lives. I stay away from the news (my Dad is horrified, but it’s the only solution) and stay laser-focused on creating high-quality flat shoes and epic bags for creative women.
Oh, I agree, I am so focused on positive media at the moment, curated Podcasts, books and controllable, inspirational content.
Yes, I also find it helpful to remember daily what a privilege it is to even have the opportunity to run a business, and when I do have down days try to remind myself what ‘real problems’ are – things like domestic violence, homelessness, leaving your home country because it’s a war zone.
“Small business is just a game of constant riddles and trying to imagine new possibilities to get you out of the pickles you will inevitably find yourself in. I also think having a spiritual practice has been hugely helpful for me with this – ‘a yogi always gets back up’ is one of my favourite mantras when things get tough.”
— Kerryn
Radical Yes started in 2013, what changes have you seen during that time? What trends or changes will impact your industry over the next decade?
I think one of the larger impacts on our business has been the casualisation of the way women dress, especially in professional environments. This has helped people understand what we do with the ‘I only wear flats’ approach.
And technology?
Obviously the digital community building via social platforms and the way we can communicate with customers has come a long way since we began. We intentionally stayed away from certain social media platforms because they didn’t feel authentic to who we are as a brand, so we are now spending a lot of time thinking about more intimate ways to work with our community.
I love that. You truly understand your market.
We do. I think one of the biggest changes that we plan to continue is investing in personalisation by having dedicated, real customer service people. We have spent many years obsessing over this practice we call ‘clientelling’ which is maintaining 1-1 communication with our true VIPs when new styles arrive, for sales or simply texting designs we are playing with.
What’s one thing about owning a business that you didn’t expect?
How you never have a day off again. Even when you are having a day off, you can never have that feeling of ‘I’m not at work’.
Seesaw collaborated closely with Radical Yes to craft an extensive brand toolkit that complemented their existing brandmark and eclectic range of shoes and accessories. This allowed the brand to be seamlessly extended across all marketing platforms.
One of the things that impresses me about you both is that you and Leo are a true team, in business and life. Being a family business, how do you strike that work/life balance? What stays in the Fitting Salon, and what gets invited to family dinner?
We are quite hopeless with the boundaries, but we do try to not talk about the business at the dinner table. We are religious in family meal times being sacred and together, so it is probably the one time we don’t talk about work.
Speaking of family, you have such strong family values. How do these values cross over into Radical Yes?
I think our business values, we call them the 4 Cs – creativity, communication, consideration and community – originated from how we run our family life. Just like in the office, we work consciously to maintain a very respectful household. Our children are natural collaborators and very helpful at home. They support us as business owners because they know how important the business is to supporting their dreams.
How do you both stay so inspired, relevant and creative?
I think we are so blessed because even after 17 years of marriage we still love the same things aesthetically, visually and creatively. We talk about art and music and borrow books from the library every month for inspiration. Living in the middle of the city also helps and I think having each other to bounce with keeps us both inspired. Max, our 16-year-old might say we aren’t as relevant as we maybe once were, but having a teenager around is such a blessing in knowing what’s current in the world. I don’t know that I would say I am that current anymore though. I just like what I like.
Movement, yoga and spirituality were the foundations of Radical Yes, how do you create balance and prioritise your well-being/health?
Firstly, I take the expectation of balance completely out of my head. When you have two kids, a team of 10 people and a business to run, there can be no balance. It’s a lot. And a lot of things have to be ‘put down’ for now while we tumble through this part of life, especially while the kids are at school.
Thank you Kerryn, here’s to another 11 years of tumbling through the highs and lows of small business with less balance and more authenticity, creativity and care.
—
You can follow Radical Yes via their Instagram and explore their shoes and accessories on their website.
