meet agata, founder of kalosophie
Kalosophie is a full-service branding, sales management and PR firm specializing in vibrant, blissful + luxe beauty. We met Agata during a product training when Lady Suite launched in her online shop. We immediately knew Agata was a girls-girl and we became fast friends! We can’t get enough of her passion for clean beauty and LOVE that she's a champion of better feminine wellness + undoing tired taboo. Get to know lady boss, Agata Bienias, with us!
-
let’s start with a lady brag. tell us the 3 things you love to brag about the most!
-
1. My Kids! I am always bragging about my kids. I just think they’re the most amazing little people - they surprise and inspire me every day. I know I was never that insightful and aware of the world around me at 9 and 12. And their athletic abilities just blow me away. I was scared of sports as a child and awkward, so the things they can do are just so awe inspiring to me. -
2. My love of Skincare and Body Care - I have always been obsessed with skincare and beauty products and treatments. I have a fairly large assortment of products that I love sharing with everyone around me. It’s one of the reasons I love this business so much - it’s always been a big part of my life, and I love to give that enjoyment to others. Fragrance in particular is what attracts me to different types of products - I love a beautifully refined fragrance! -
3. My love of Fashion - I am infatuated by beautiful fabrics, textures, and patterns. I love fusing styles and playing with my wardrobe and I am a collector of all things gorgeous and inspirational to me. Plus, I’m sort of a style chameleon - I like to mix it up a lot. I grew up thrift shopping with my mom because when we emigrated to Canada as refugees we didn’t have much money. We always loved looking for that needle in a haystack and we still do. Thrift and consignment shopping is my ABSOLUTE favourite thing to do. I get so much satisfaction and joy from finding that perfect piece. And the added bonus - it’s super sustainable! I’d say that about 80% of my wardrobe is sustainably sourced in this manner.
-
tell us about the mission behind kalosophie:
The mission behind Kalosophie is to share innovative, conscious and socially responsible beauty, skincare and wellbeing products from around the world that inspire us with the intention of making life more beautiful. To help build and bring more awareness to these incredible indie brands and their founders and make them accessible for all Canadians and to do so as organically as possible (no pun intended). Many emerging brands don’t have the funding or the experience necessary to get their brand’s presence on the market in the way they’d like. Kalosophie has always tailored its approach and pricing to fit the brands individual needs in a way that doesn’t mean losing their brand identity along the way, or spending a fortune to do so. We believe that we are all one and building a better world means collaboration with intention. We’re able to keep our pricing low as we keep our overhead costs minimal and we have built solid relationships with an amazing network of editors, influencers, and retail partners that believe in us and our brands and who support us unconditionally.
-
how did you decide on the brand name kalosophie?
Actually I can’t take credit for that at all! My former business partner and BFF Alicia Love Read started Kalosophie before we joined forces in 2017. Kalos is an ancient Greek word for beauty, but it actually means the specific quality of “the good” - inner alignment - as reflected on the outside. It actually has to do with a level of consciousness, and that application to daily life - so in other words, align within, and the world outside will align. Beauty in the ancient world was actually about a level of consciousness, and living that as a daily practice. Sophie is derived from the Greek word meaning wisdom. The name Sophia is based on the definition and Sophia is known as the modern goddess - kind and beautiful, on the inside and out. So Kalosophie really means the wisdom of inner alignment - which is beauty - as reflected on the outside. Alicia named the agency this because that is her personal philosophy and practice, and so the foundation of Kalosophie is that link between the world around us and spiritual beauty - the beauty within - which is how we can choose to make life beautiful.
-
tell us about your background and how it has informed your current business.
Throughout my younger years my passions definitely veered toward the creative. I loved painting, design, photography… I could spend hours in a darkroom trying to perfect a photo. And, while I veered towards politics, literature, history, and economics in education in my later years at UBC, I never did lose my love for design and need for creativity. I think both have informed my business in different ways. I love to craft language and communications and I love the creative aspect of building the ecomm - it doesn’t feel like work to me at all. I think that, while I may have been born with the artistic vision to see my ideas come to life, my education gave me the skills to support my visions and the language to help craft them. The many years I spent working in fine dining in Vancouver also helped me with refining my sales and interpersonal skills as well as with business management. Plus, it gave me a VERY good understanding of what it means to be in the customer service field!
-
as a strong, successful female with an incredible entrepreneurial spirit what lessons and realizations stand out to you most?
I would say the realization that stands out to me most is to do things before you are ready. If you wait until you’re ready you may never be. I read a study somewhere, it was a long time ago so I apologize for not remembering the source, that one of the reasons that men have traditionally been more successful in business than women (in terms of job positions and salary) is because they take bigger, and more, risks than women. They don’t tend to consider the consequences of their actions in their business fields and will often fudge their skills even if they’re underqualified for a position. And guess what - often they get the job and figure out how to do what needs to be done after the fact. Whereas women tend to be more honest about their skills and knowledge and wouldn’t typically apply for jobs they don’t feel qualified for. It’s like wanting to win the lottery but not buying the ticket. We need to start taking more risks as women and stop being afraid. A very smart lady (my BFF and Kalosophie Founder Alicia Love Read) taught me many years ago to manifest the things that I want in my life by believing that they are possible and will happen - and it works for me. Figure out what it is you want, imagine it happening, then work towards it. The most important thing is to really believe that it can happen even if it seems far-fetched - I think that makes all the difference. The key for me is that not everything has to be perfect. Sometimes you have to wing it and make something happen on the fly and you don’t have time to make everything flow the exact way you envisioned it (she taught me that too - she taught me a lot actually). And that’s ok - it doesn’t have to be perfect - it just has to get done. You can go back and fix it later. Everything can wait - just focus on what needs to be done now. This was hard for me at first because I’m a perfectionist and letting go of the little things has always been difficult for me but being aware of this and telling myself to just go for nonetheless has helped.
-
what is your personal wellness philosophy and how does it align with your business philosophy?
Taking time for myself has to be a priority - and this is sooo hard for me but I strive towards this always. I believe that you have to invest in yourself and your wellbeing, as well as personal growth, in order to be happy and successful in all aspects of life. I can’t be a good mother, wife, daughter, or business owner, if I don’t take time for myself. The saying that self-care isn’t selfish is bang on because how can you be good to others if you’re not being good to yourself? We live in a society based on success as a measure of self-worth where everything is so rushed and seems like a competition. Meanwhile, we’re exhausted as women and trying to juggle so many things with the pressure to be perfect at everything - It’s just overwhelming sometimes. If we don’t carve out time for ourselves (and this is different for everyone) how can we sustain this without cracking and blowing up? My business is all about beauty, for this journey of life, your body, your living space, your inner peace. It’s about love and light and compassion. It’s about less judgement and more grace - for yourself and everyone around you. It’s about raising each other up as women, and collaboration, and support for all our sisters everywhere. Because we are all in this together.
-
in 5 words or less what do you think the world needs more of right now?
-
Love, compassion, understanding, action, less judgement (I know that’s 6 but “less” doesn’t count right?).
-
we know you are loving the recent focus on intimate care and the way this empowers women. tell us more about this.
I believe that it’s so important for women to take ownership of their bodies because it’s a big part of learning about your self-identity. Who are you as a woman? What are your sexual preferences? Likes and dislikes? If you don’t know this about yourself how can you enter a relationship and advocate for yourself in the way that you should? And to take that a step further - how can you be satisfied with your life in general? Will you ever be happy if you can’t, because you’re too embarrassed to talk about it? When I was a child these were not conversations that were happening, but I do wish that they had been - they are sooo important! They’re about self confidence and self respect which leads to self worth and not letting your body become an object that’s there for someone else’s pleasure. This is such an important conversation to start having at a young age. I started it with my children when they were just a few years old. Talking about and defining body parts and their functions to begin with. It’s so important for boys too. Honestly, I just got so tired of the word “winky” followed by giggles haha.
-
what products are your daily must-haves?
For the face and neck: Bioeffect EGF Serum, COOLA Sport Face SPF 50, Intraceuticals Rejuvenate Cleansing Gel, Hydration Gel, and Moisture Binding Cream,
For the Body: Lady Suite Botanical Oil - duh! Kalmar Peace Balm of Serenity, Kalmar Deep Cocoon Shower Cream, Kalmar Calm Soothing Body Cream, Kari Gran Essential Balm (for my hands), Satya Balm (for everything), MIFA Eucalyptus Coco Body Wash,
Makeup: Kari Gran Lip Whip (Cinnamon Tinted), Henne Organics Lip Tint in Intreigue, Antonym Cosmetics Baked Foundation in Light, Highlighting Blush in Lily and the Lola Lash Mascara - it’s the best!
Fragrance: Anything form Kalmar and Ulili. I love all the fragrances and whichever one I crave in the just depends on my mood.
Hair: Bronze Age oversized silk, satin, and organza scrunchies are the bomb! I can’t get enough of them, seriously.
Yes, it’s a lot but I actually kept it to the minimum here - I really do use all these products daily. Fragrance is a big part of my life and spiritual wellbeing and for many of these items, it’s not just the formulations that I love, but the fragrances and how they make me feel throughout my day.
You can actually see all my personal favourites if you go to the link HERE.
-
any closing words of wisdom for women finding their footing in business? or women just trying to stay “well” on-the-daily?
I would say that the key to both of these is balance.
Another very smart lady, my mother, has been trying to teach me to let the little things go for some time now. You know the saying “we can have it all” - well it’s garbage because we can’t. Having kids and a career is a juggling act and one is always at the expense of the other. This fantasy of the mother with the perfect high-profile job, and the perfect home, and the perfect kids, the perfect husband or wife, who looks amazing, and is happy and feels blessed all the time, is not reality for the majority of women. I learned years ago that something has to give. You cannot maintain all of these things at 100%. It’s about balance and knowing that some things are not going to get done, or will get done when there’s time, and refining which ones are the priority items.
My mother always says “don’t worry about the dishes… they will get done when they get done… nothing will happen if you don’t do them today or even tomorrow. They’re not going anywhere right? So relax - think about your health, lie down and read a book, be with your kids...” This has been my motto since the first year that I went back to work.
Find time for you - balance is key and this applies to everyone, whether you have kids or whether you work or whatever. If you don’t feel good you’re not going to be 100% for anything else including your work or your family. This isn’t easy for me and I find myself getting off track often, and have to pull myself back and remind myself to take certain steps to come back to this place.
I’ll bet you can probably guess that my house is usually a mess, and you’re right, but guess what?
My bathroom and bedroom are not, because what helps me maintain this balance and the level of wellbeing that I aspire for is self-care.
And what this looks like for me is creating a soothing uncluttered space where I can feel relaxed and happy. Obviously this looks different for everyone and even for me it changes often, but what doesn’t change is that it’s clean, uncluttered, and filled only with refined objects I love that look, smell, and feel wonderful to me. Scent is a big one as fragrance can shift your mood so easily - I have always been obsessed with fragrance and it’s a big defining factor for me when choosing my body care as well. I just have to be so very careful because I have extremely sensitive and reactive skin.