Small Business Profile: Silk Diaries

When Kylee Barnard was young, she had a baby blanket with a silk trim. Young Kylee would often rub her face against the thin silk trim, soothing herself to sleep when she became anxious. The soft silk calmed her.

Kylee, fresh out of college, was searching for ways to deal with her constant anxiety. She remembered how silk used to calm her when she was upset. Desperate for relief, she went shopping to find a silk scarf or blouse or anything that would recreate the calming effect of her old baby blanket.

But she kept finding silk blend products, not pure silk. It wasn’t the same.

“So I ordered a few silk blanks on Amazon, as well as dye, and made my own scarves to empower myself,” Kylee said.

Kylee’s Amazon purchase eventually evolved to become Silk Diaries, an online shop for all-natural, pure silk products.

She began creating her own scarves and wearing them to work. Wearing the scarves to her office was symbolic for Kylee because her workplace was a major source of anxiety. Under a constant barrage of stress, she often found herself on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Silk served as a coping mechanism for her.

“When people at work began complimenting my silks, I went out on a whim and soft-launched the business through Etsy,” Kylee said in an interview with Movers and Makers. “This made me realize that I wasn’t dyeing silk for myself, as much as I was doing it to connect with other intelligent women in a versatile way. I saw a decent amount of orders in the first month and decided I was going to go for it, so I opened a real store with the mission to empower women in the workplace by wearing something intentional, ethical and sustainable.”

When she first ordered the silk and dye on Amazon, Kylee thought it would be cool to open a small Etsy store or make silk scarves as holiday gifts.

“But I never expected the growth and success within the brand that I have seen thus far,” Kylee said.

Picture this: Kylee forages for natural botanical materials — like fruits, veggies, flowers, trees, pits, and spices — to create her dyes. She lays out a silk sheet and stuffs it with a few earthy ingredients. From there, she gives the silk some TLC for several days. Then she puts the finished product on the World Wide Web to be sold. And she sells a lot.

From scarves to pillowcases to bralettes, her products sell fast.

“I get most of my website traffic from Instagram,” Kylee said. “I established a little business model and knew that authenticity was really important to me when I began promoting my work. So, I started doing collaborations with women photographers and models on the platform. We usually work out some sort of deal for silk in exchange for photography. I have LOVED this part of the process! It's helped me meet some pretty incredible women.”

Kylee uses Silk Diaries as a platform to advocate for female empowerment in the workplace.

“I never really expected myself to be as transparent about my story as I have been, and it's turned out to be liberating.”

After Kylee graduated from Savannah College for Arts and Design and landing a full-time gig, she found herself dealing with Imposter Syndrome, or the persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud. She had a great job and was producing fantastic work—but Imposter Syndrome makes is difficult to acknowledge one’s own skills and accomplishments. Women are more prone to Imposter Syndrome—and many other workplace issues—than their male counterparts.

With a passion for female empowerment, Kylee made it her mission to bright light to such issues.

“Unfortunately, women can often experience more trouble in the workplace than men,” said Kylee. “This made me realize that I wasn't dyeing silk for myself, as much as I was doing it to connect with other intelligent women in a versatile way. I founded Silk Diaries to form camaraderie across the world.”

Kylee’s scarves go a long way. They help start a dialogue about the issues women face in the workplace. They provide avenues for Kylee to partner with female creatives. And they add a bit of luxury and style to office cubicles across the country.

And Kylee, with silk in hand, is just getting started. Silk Diaries only launched in May of 2017 and the young company has a lot to anticipate. Stay tuned.

Picture this: Kylee forages for natural botanical materials — like fruits, veggies, flowers, trees, pits, and spices — to create her dyes. She lays out a silk sheet and stuffs it with a few earthy ingredients. From there, she gives the silk some TLC for several days. Then she puts the finished product on the World Wide Web to be sold. And she sells a lot.

From scarves to pillowcases to bralettes, her products sell fast.

“I get most of my website traffic from Instagram,” Kylee said. “I established a little business model and knew that authenticity was really important to me when I began promoting my work. So, I started doing collaborations with women photographers and models on the platform. We usually work out some sort of deal for silk in exchange for photography. I have LOVED this part of the process! It's helped me meet some pretty incredible women.”

Kylee uses Silk Diaries as a platform to advocate for female empowerment in the workplace.

“I never really expected myself to be as transparent about my story as I have been, and it's turned out to be liberating.”

After Kylee graduated from Savannah College for Arts and Design and landing a full-time gig, she found herself dealing with Imposter Syndrome, or the persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud. She had a great job and was producing fantastic work—but Imposter Syndrome makes is difficult to acknowledge one’s own skills and accomplishments. Women are more prone to Imposter Syndrome—and many other workplace issues—than their male counterparts.

With a passion for female empowerment, Kylee made it her mission to bright light to such issues.

“Unfortunately, women can often experience more trouble in the workplace than men,” said Kylee. “This made me realize that I wasn't dyeing silk for myself, as much as I was doing it to connect with other intelligent women in a versatile way. I founded Silk Diaries to form camaraderie across the world.”

Kylee’s scarves go a long way. They help start a dialogue about the issues women face in the workplace. They provide avenues for Kylee to partner with female creatives. And they add a bit of luxury and style to office cubicles across the country.

And Kylee, with silk in hand, is just getting started. Silk Diaries only launched in May of 2017 and the young company has a lot to anticipate. Stay tuned.