Guided by her vegan lifestyle and fueled by an urge to start on a new journey, Patrice Monique found her calling in the natural cosmetics industry. It was in 2018 that she founded Kitaka of London, launching a series of high performance lip glosses that instantly enchanted curious customers & green beauty bloggers alike. Ethically sourced natural & organic ingredients in recyclable packaging, bold & beautiful shades that give conventional glosses a run for their money – her Natural Gloss is well on its way towards achieving “cult fave” status, and it most certainly has our Amazingy stamp of approval ♡

So of course, as is Amazingy tradition, we had the pleasure of interviewing Patrice for our “Behind the Brand” column, inviting Amazingy Mag readers to learn more about Kitaka’s growing legacy…

Kitaka of London has come a long way in a short time, in no small part thanks to your ingenuity ☆ What led you to start your own brand? And was it difficult to accomplish?

I needed to start something new and of my own. I was a freelancer before so I have always been used to working for myself, but this time I wanted to create something that was truly mine – something I could put a name to, a brand which I could build from the ground up. I think with every career change there are obstacles, and I certainly had my fair share between working with tight budgets and liaising with difficult manufacturers. Still, being passionate about my new venture kept me motivated to overcome any challenges.

How would you describe the essence of Kitaka? What are its core values?

The essence of Kitaka lay within our brand ethos ‘Enhance, Empower, Ethical’ – meaning we encourage women to enhance their natural beauty, bringing about a sense of empowerment whilst using beauty products with an ethical foundation.

What were the most important product features you wanted to achieve with the formulation of your own natural lip gloss?

The moment I decided I wanted to launch with a debut collection of glosses, the first thing I thought of was the lip gloss collection I had growing up as a teenager – and I quickly realised I wanted Kitaka’s to be nothing similar, ha-ha!

Lip gloss formulas from the late 90s and early 2000s were fun, sparkly, and smelled of strawberry bubblegum – but I also remember how sticky they were and sometimes quite drying, causing me to reapply during my maths class every few minutes. I wanted to create a lip gloss collection that had grown up with me: a formula that would be moisturising with nourishing ingredients, super-pigmented and most importantly, non-sticky.

And (even though we know it must be a hard choice!) which shade of your lip glosses is your favorite? 🙂

This is tough… I use them all for different occasions, depending on my mood – but I guess the shade I wear the most is Morganite. Morganite is probably the most versatile shade among the collection – it’s a very beautiful dusky pink which suits so many different skin tones. I’ve seen many customers wear this shade in their own way; some will wear Morganite to simply add a flush of colour to their lips to pair with a fresh-faced look, others will go full glam and take advantage of the buildable colour each gloss offers.

From your perspective, what would you say is still missing from the natural & organic beauty sector?

Inclusivity, in particular the representation of black women. We’re getting there with mainstream makeup – however in this niche market of natural and organic beauty, it’s rare to come across a brand who caters for this group in its entirety, let alone has us in mind at all. The beauty industry as a whole has come a long way in terms of creating awareness on animal testing, vegan formulas, body positivity and self-love, yet today you could scroll through the Instagram feeds of many natural and organic brands and not see any women of colour represented, let alone black women. This is what I believe is missing and is something which has to change.

And to get the inside scoop: are there any new products in the making? 😉

There are most definitely new products in the making, and I’m so excited to launch something new. At the moment, I’m still researching and in discussions with my team to create another super product, so stay tuned.

In what ways does sustainability play a role in Kitaka’s overall process?

I’m always very mindful when it comes to Kitaka’s involvement in sustainability. Overall, as a brand we try to do our part to the best of our ability in lessening the negative impact beauty has on the environment. Our Natural Gloss Lip Glosses are free from palm oil, our outer boxes and lip gloss vials are both recyclable along with any marketing materials we may send to customers such as flyers, business cards, etc.

What has been one of the most rewarding moments in your experiences as its founder & CEO?

The most rewarding moment as a founder is seeing my vision of Kitaka come to life. I dreamed about having my own business years before it became real, so it’s an incredible feeling to see something I created and loved so much also be loved by others, too. Another rewarding moment was seeing Kitaka featured on Vogue, to be recognised by such a reputable magazine was amazing, especially as it was one of my major goals – and to have it achieved sooner than I thought was a bonus.

What would you say is the next step for Kitaka?

Launching new products is next on the list – the Natural Gloss Lip Gloss has done so well, I think it’s about the right time to start working on something new.

Any final words for our readers?

I’m so excited to have Kitaka become a part of the Amazingy family – it’s an honour to be included amongst so many other great brands, and I hope Amazingy’s customers love Kitaka as much as I do.

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