Thinking Outside the Big Box Store: KESTAN
KESTAN sells clothing and jewelry online and in their flagship store at Irvine Spectrum.
Shopping for something personal and local? It doesn’t get more personal or local than KESTAN. Launched by brother and sister team Kevin and Stephanie Lin, the clothing and jewelry store has deep roots in our community. The Vine spoke with co-owner Kevin, who manages the business side of the store, about the store’s origins, the exciting designs his sister has created, and the best place to grab a coffee at Irvine Spectrum.
“We grew up in Irvine,” says Kevin. “We both went to Northwood High School. But for 10 years after high school, we went our own ways. Stephanie went off to college in New York to Parsons to study fashion design there. She also was in London at Central Saint Martins. She eventually ended up in Germany working for Esprit. She went there to design for them.”
KESTAN clothing and jewelry are designed by co-founder Stephanie Lin.
While Stephanie launched her design career, Kevin went in an entirely different direction. It was through a joint trip abroad that the idea for KESTAN was born.
“I was working in Asia for a few years and ended up in Spain through my masters degree program at MIT-ZLOG,” says Kevin. “And then we went on a sibling vacation together, and she was just complaining a lot about her work. She's really passionate. She was saying that she couldn't do a lot of her work because it's a really large corporation. She was like a cog in the wheel. So being the loving and caring brother that I am, I told her that if she wanted to, we can come back home together and start our own brand. And that's how we got started. We chose Irvine because it's where we grew up.”
One of the first choices they made in planning the store was creating its name. They went in a deeply personal direction.
“It's actually the first two letters of everyone's name in our family,” says Kevin. “So the ‘KE’ is for Kevin. The ‘ST’ is for my sister, Stephanie, and our father, Steven, is stuck there with her in the middle. And then our mom is Annie so she’s the ‘AN.’ We came up with that name on our siblings’ vacation. We were actually in a bar in Austria, scribbling on napkins, and that's how it came to be.”
When it came time to launch the flagship store of the KESTAN brand, they originally chose Costa Mesa but moved back to their roots last October.
“We wanted to be close to home and have this as our home base,” says Kevin. “We love it here. We've been here since there were orange trees.”
Opening the flagship store in Irvine Spectrum was especially sentimental for the Lins, who grew up coming to the mall.
“We would always hang out here and it's really incredible the transformation over the last few years,” says Kevin. “We were here when this place was only a movie theater and a Game Works and a food court. So it's just really surprising to see how its changed.”
While KESTAN has faced its challenges during COVID, it has also found a loyal audience due to the store’s unique offerings.
“We focus a lot on really great eco-fiber clothing,” says Kevin. “They're very soft materials. They're long lasting. Stephanie designs the jewelry here as well. She has a passion for really great design and creates things that you can wear every day and wear forever.”
One of the most unusual items at KESTAN is their necklace charms. Currently KESTAN sells a collection of astrological charms embellished with Swarovski crystals. Stephanie has also developed a line of birth month floral themed necklace medallions that are proving popular among KESTAN’s customers.
The KESTAN November charm is a Chrysanthemum: a symbol of happiness and optimism
“The art is actually hand drawn by my sister, Stephanie,” says Kevin. “The birth flowers have been surprisingly just edging out the constellation collection a little bit more because they're so unique. There's a specific flower for each birth month. So December happens to be holly. The holly charm has a hand drawn holly with a hand brushed finished. That one's been super popular. People really like wearing those.”
When not minding the store, Kevin and Stephanie often find themselves at another Spectrum hot spot.
“We drink Blk Dot coffee a lot,” says Kevin. “They do a really great Vietnamese coffee. It's really strong. We need that these days.”
The challenge of running a business these days has been helped in part by the city of Irvine.
“Everything was kind of suspended for about three months,” says Kevin. “But the city's actually been really great. We got a small grant from Irvine during the pandemic. So that's something that we're really grateful for.”
Visit KESTAN in-person at the Irvine Spectrum or online