With a clear passion for creating pieces that allow women to tap into their most divine selves, Australian-brand Hendrix and Caesar creates stunning, luxurious and vibrant kaftans to be worn for all kinds of occasions.
Created in small runs and in limited edition vibrant colours, like deep reds and rich pinks, brand founder Kashifa Deantonis has fostered a truly unique and timeless offering.
Below, the entrepreneur shares a few insights into creating the brand, as well as the lessons she’s learnt along the way.
“It was something I wanted to do from a young age but I was steered into other directions, so I didn’t actually own that desire till much later. I spent most of my 20s feeling miserable in jobs that weren’t fulfilling and I felt disconnected to life and my purpose. My soul was calling for more and this started my journey towards finding my way back to a dream, that I had put aside for more logical things.
"This self inquiry led me down a long road of healing my creative blocks and facing the limiting beliefs that were holding me back. What kept me going was an intuitive knowing that this was something I had to do (whether it worked or not) for my own creative expression and evolution.”
“It has to be being approached by HBB to have Hendrix and Caesar on the platform. Being a small start-up brand with a humble following, it was so re-affirming for me that people in the industry were really resonating with my brand, vision and unique approach (after all those years I spent not believing in myself!) - definitely a pinch-me moment.”
“1. Experiencing challenges (or perceived failures) does not equal evidence that you should give up. It’s about how you meet those moments. The biggest shift for me was when I started to believe in my business strongly enough that it was no longer a matter of IF, but HOW. I stopped interpreting challenges as evidence that I wasn’t meant to create this business and started shifting my focus towards finding solutions. Strengthening resolve and resilience has been big for me. I would have saved myself a lot of anguish if I knew this earlier.
“2. Trust your own timing. The expectations of how and when things should be happen vs. the actual unfolding of your journey, might look a little different - and that’s totally okay. Things took way longer than expected (mostly due to me holding myself back or being in resistance) but I put so much pressure on myself, as I felt like I was falling behind or running out of time. It really wasn’t helpful and I could have been enjoying the adventure instead.
“3. You don’t have to get it perfect. You just have to do it. I let perfectionism keep me stuck in long holding patterns, loops of procrastination and indecision which led to no movement. I was so afraid to get it wrong that I took no action at all. A mentor helped me re-frame this and now I see how wrong I can do it ;) - nobody really cares anyway. It’s more important to keep showing up and to keep things moving, re-correcting along the way.”
“Starting a business takes courage. It asks for us to step into our power, be seen, take risks and have faith… and we should so be supporting each other in this, as we bring our gifts to the world. The more we courageously follow our hearts desires - the more we give others permission to do so. It’s a ripple effect that flows out to our children, families, friends and everyone around us.”
