Kei Swimwear
ABOUT KEI SWIMWEAR
“Kei” means joyful in Hawaiian and in Japanese language, and that’s definitely the positive feeling that we want to transmit through our concept and garments. Our brand has three varied and fun lines: Swimwear (KEikinis). Surfwear (swimwear for surfing or other water sports). Activewear (sportswear for training in the gym, outdoors or in your favorite space).
In addition, in KEi our goal and inspiration of every day is to lead a lifestyle movement where information and tools to raise our quality of life prevail, and everything that accompanies us to live joyful and motivated in the way to reach our goals and dreams.
All our garments are beautifully designed by professionals, matching functionality and beauty; they are also handmade only by empowered hard-workers women with high quality fabrics, taking care of every detail in order to offer a “one-of-a-kind” product that ‘talks’ about your style by itself. We are also Earth-conscious and care about it, taking actions that collaborate with the creation of a better environment for everybody, anywhere and for a lifetime.
“The Energy Never Dies” (S/S 2017) was the name chosen for our forth collection where we want to express creativity, beauty, functionality and all the endless forms of energy that moves us forward to create and to evolve day by day.
ABOUT THE DESIGNER
The designer of KEI Swimwear is the beautiful Alejandra Altuve, truly an entrepreneur with a creative mind, mermaid soul and wild spirit. Therefore she´s a perfect fit for our boutique, but she´s not only the owner of her own swimwear brand. Here, Alejandra, tells us about her projects and her journey.
SO, WHO IS ALEJANDRA ALTUVE?
I am a very passionate woman who loves to create through every single way, not only in fashion but also in much scenes of my life as possible. I love to develop that inner sense of creation that we all carry with us. For me creativity is a way of life and you can apply it in everything that we do, even from the simplest things to the most complex ones.
YOUR DAILY ROUTINE...
My daily routine consist of taking care of me and the people that’s part of my life so I start up the day listening to good music and cooking a very nice and consistent breakfast, so I can fuel my body for lots of activities that I am committed to everyday. After “brekky” I usually go to surf (If I am in my beach-house) and then I work with my team and the people that it’s part of KEI, drawing, cutting, sewing, testing, etc. for new collections.
While if I am in the city, I just go to visit clients for my brands, or sponsors for upcoming events and projects where I am involved. I also get in touch with my girlfriends to go for a workout together in “El Avila” (mountain trekking), some yoga or anything that boosts my soul and strengthen my body.
WHAT GIVES YOU STRENGTH AND MOTIVATES YOU?
I definitely love to see when things become reality, from goals to dreams, and from a brainstorm to an achieved ‘mission’ I just love to conquer and to complete what it was once on my mind, because it’s such a powerful feeling to know that everything that we can imagine we can make it happen, you only need a plan with strategies, consistency, discipline and hard work, the rest are details that we all can handle in order to reach what we desire in life.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT BODYBOARDING THAT YOU LOVE THE MOST?
I love every single thing about being an “ocean-soul”, from the smallest facts to the biggest ones. I think that it’s kind of a blessing and a special skill or talent that we all develop with the years in the Ocean. The freedom and independency that the sport gives us, the capacity to adapt to changes and situations. To feel and transmit that “glow” and sort of wisdom that comes within us after a surf-trip. The culture, the people, the flavors, the colors, the sounds, the way of thinking and all the infinity possibilities that we discover around us while we still are discovering and getting to know ourselves best.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU FOR A NEW COLLECTION?
Travels are my main source of inspiration and all the things that we are able to live and get to know through a journey. When we travel we search, we discover and we find by serendipity so many people, experiences and answers that we usually carry deep inside of us. Then I feel able to understand them and to transmit them through the expression of my garments and collections.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
I am proud of my family and my roots and how that made me the person that I am nowadays. I feel grateful and proud of the he values that I grew up with, and for the strength that the women of my family taught me to be. I am also very proud of every goal that I’ve achieved with hard work in my life, and besides that I just love the fact of having a positive and life-changing impact in other’s people journey, trough my social projects and work.
ASIDE FROM ALL THE WORK WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN AND HOW DO YOU MANAGE A WORK - LIFE BALANCE?
I like to take a break away of everything, and that’s very easy to me because I have surfing in my life. I go for a session so I feel that I can be away of everything, it can sound like a cliché but it’s true. When I am in the water it’s just the ocean and me. I like to go swimming and free diving in “Los Roques” (a very paradisiac island in Venezuela) and enjoy the entire wilderness under the sea that definitely takes me back to a very peaceful state of mind.
I also love to paint while I listen to some good music, that’s like an express-relax-therapy for me while at home.
Sometimes, I like to go party and dance with my girlfriends to hang out and share in other environments with different energies and vibes. It just depends on the mood and what I’m searching for at that moment.
WHAT NEW PROJECTS DO YOU HAVE IN THE PIPELINE?
My main and most important one right now it’s to raise my own family with “old-school” habits and values in a hyper-saturated world of modern manners. I want to have a sensitive kid who appreciates life from a different perspective and “vortex”.
After that role I want to continue learning and studying fashion design and amplifying my skills for my business and career in order to success and to leave a statement of inspiration for upcoming generations.
FINALLY, ALEJANDRA... ANY ADVICE FOR GIRLS WANTING TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS?
Yes! I would love to share anything that I can with all those dreamers outside that want to empower themselves through the creation of their freedom, while managing their own business and I guess that the main one it’s to think ‘outside the box’ and to act ‘inside their heart’ because that match it’s powerful when it comes to creativity. It is also very important to have a real plan that moves you forward to your goals.
