Allen County
Founder Profile
Ashley
Green
Business
KaAn’s Designs
Founded
2014
$500 Grant Date
February 2021
Idea
Relatable family matching apparel and accessories that represent diverse, real-word families and create a nostalgic feel, bringing a bit of 90’s childhood into the new “hood” of parenthood.
Bringing the Childhood into Parenthood.
Teacher-Turned-Entrepreneur Ashley Green started her parenthood lifestyle brand KaAn’s Designs in the summer of 2014 to create baby and family apparel that speaks to the millennial parent. While staying home and caring for her second baby, Ashley noticed the growing number of home-based, mom-run businesses she encountered online. Interested in what she saw, Ashley pitched an idea to her husband Kenny: to put relatable words on t-shirts that represent diverse, real-world families.
With the help of a $200 loan from her Dad, KaAn’s Designs was born. Ashley and Kenny began printing t-shirts in their garage and sold one the first day they posted it on Instagram. Ashley quickly realized how amazing it felt to create prints that others could relate to.
Years teaching high school taught Ashley a lot about success. Finding creative ways to connect with students trained her to quickly pivot and try new ideas her customers could relate to. The internet has allowed customers to find and fall in love with her work. That connection, along with hope and hard work, continues to motivate her.
Today, every member of the Green family helps run KaAn’s Designs, which specializes in straightforward, fun, family matching apparel. Even the baby “Mic Drop” helps. They sell their work entirely online at www.kaansdesigns.com, Amazon, and Etsy. They hope to start selling in small boutiques across the country and even move into the wholesale retail market soon. Ultimately, they plan to purchase screen printing equipment, which would improve supply while also allowing them to help other small business produce their own dream creations as well.
After being featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things, KaAn’s designs may garner the attention they need for the growth they are hoping and working toward. For the moment, the Greens will use their $500 grant to purchase a hat heat-press machine to help them respond quickly and efficiently to customer demand, which is high in spring and summer months. Business is really heating up!
Business Updates
Oprah endorsing KaAn’s Designs is Positively Fort Wayne
It all started with the Original, the Remix and the Encore, t-shirts designs by Ashley Green, founder of KaAn’s Designs. “I like to think of us as a millennial parenthood brand,” she said.
“We have the Original which is for mom and dad or the oldest sibling, the Remix for the first child, then we have the Encore because you went back and did it again.” Green, a retired school teacher who wanted to find a way to be a “work from home” mom began her business in 2014. Three years later KaAn’s Designs was featured on Positively Fort Wayne. This year during the pandemic, the business received a superstar endorsement.
This Family’s Path To Startup Success Is Paved with Hard Work and Heart
For Ashley Green, the secret to success is simple: keep it in the family. Along with her husband, Kenny, the Fort Wayne, Indiana-based entrepreneur is the mighty engine behind KaAn’s Designs, a playful line of apparel and accessories that’s all about the fun side of family values.
Fort Wayne Company Among ‘Oprah’s Favorite Things’
A small business in Fort Wayne founded by a former English teacher is feeling the “Oprah Effect.” KaAn’s Designs, which makes t-shirts and other clothing for parents and their families, is featured in the annual Oprah’s Favorite Things list on Amazon, which this year is highlighting Black-owned businesses.
