Tala by Kyla is making it possible to confidently wear your stories around your necks, your wrists, and your fingers
Most of us want to make a positive difference. This is probably one of the greatest motivations in this world: to not just live, but to live a purposeful life. We look at our surroundings, see difficult situations, and hopefully ease one of them if not all. In Kyla Cañete’s case, she merely aimed to empower the youth through jewelry. Little did she know that she would build a renowned brand in e-commerce—Tala by Kyla—that will help her bring about confidence in others, one sparkle at a time.
With a mother who is in the business of bags and accessories, Kyla has developed a liking for accessories that added a bit of flair to her look. “I’ve always liked selling chokers, hair clips, and cute trinkets in high school,” Kyla shared. “I’ve always looked up to my mom, so in a way, it also became my dream.” It was in the summer of 2018 that she finally set her passion project in motion, bringing her dreams to life and making a way for everyone to wear their own stories.
A one-woman team
Initially, Kyla managed all the ins-and-outs of Tala by Kyla, from taking photos of the products, as well as marketing and advertising them, to packing orders and making sure they arrive correctly to the customers’ addresses. Not to mention, she also comes up with the jewelries’ designs. Either she draws from her own interests, or she listens to the interests of other Gen Zs like herself.
Like any other startup, Tala by Kyla had its fair share of processing small quantities of orders. Kyla admits that when the business just was starting, she would only have one to two per day. “It started with just me selling the accessories to my friends and acquaintances,” she said.
But that didn’t stop her, did it? “We’ve tried joining bazaars and right now we’re exploring possibilities of being in mall stands. We’re hoping that someday, we can also open up a physical store of our own,” Kyla explained. Collaborating with other brands, she is slowly carving Tala By Kyla’s name in the jewellery business.
A turn for the better
To her great joy, Tala by Kyla started to receive an influx of orders as Kyla released themed jewelry collections. She would incorporate anime, pop culture, TV shows, K-pop and P-pop bands, and songs into her designs. “Each collection is made with inspiration and is produced to help our customers tell their own stories. Hence, our tagline: Wear Your Story.”
It soon came to a point where handling everything all on her own became too overwhelming for her. “I was handling the store on my own and I had no idea how to manage all of that,” she confessed. That was when she knew she needed to pivot her business into a new direction and that she could use all the help she could get. She joined forces with Lazada. “[At first], Lazada felt like an oasis for me. Ang dali lang pala!”
A stepping stone to success
Lazada was what enabled Kyla to successfully transform her passion project into one of the most sought after brands in the e-commerce space. “Lazada helps us a lot, especially when they have big sales,” she said. “Lazada has seller support and campaigns we can join to widen our visibility and reach. They also have promotional tools that support our marketing strategies.”
“We’ve gone from social media marketing to actually reaching more potential customers through Lazada. They make things possible for us.”
Kyla Cañete on Lazada’s huge impact on reaching her business goals
To add to that, Kyla also mentioned that Lazada has so far been a great business partner, especially for someone who has yet to figure her way around the e-commerce world. “It’s convenient because when they tell you that you’re partners, they mean it,” she shared. “The managers are really helpful, especially when we feel stuck or clueless about certain things.”
Ultimately, market research has become a piece of cake for Kyla. “It’s perfect because you can easily see [in Lazada] what people want, while also riding the wave of trends. Parang in kami palagi,” she stated. As such, this has helped her come up with designs that resonate more with the stories of her patrons. Gradually, Tala by Kyla was able to let people confidently wear their hearts not only on their sleeves, but also on their necks and their fingers.
Make things possible with Lazada: Catch Tala by Kyla on this year’s Lazada 6.6 Mid-Year Mega Sale on June 6-8. For a complete list of collections, visit Tala by Kyla’s Instagram or website. Don’t forget to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Tiktok.
