Meet Joanis Duran | Founder & Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joanis Duran and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joanis, how does your business help the community?
Kalani + Wolf is decolinizing sustainable fashion with our Queerness, embracing our Black and Latinx roots. Instead of shopping at big retail chain stores, buy directly from BIPOC & Queer owned businesses whose keeping 100% of the profit, re-investing back in their communities while advocating for equality. When I receive an order online, my team and I are thrilled with excitement because they decided to invest their dollars in our business that was handcreated for them by a Queer Afro-Latina designer.

Consumers are the driving force to change, and our biggest allies who value our labor that isn’t full of instant gratification. Majority of government funds are spread to big corporations whose main interest is their bottom line and funding elected officials who are stripping away our rights. If you don’t believe me, just visit OpenSecrets.com and research any huge corp and see who funded what. Small businesses are left to lead by creating community-led organizations to alleviate our people and our environment. When consumers shop small their money is stretched to support real people versus corporate greed.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
After years of working in the fashion industry, I found myself code-switching where I lost my values, and creativity and accepted humiliation and microaggressions – all at my cost it didn’t matter how hard I worked. Within all that chaos I found the pursuit of purpose in creating a clothing brand where fashion, activism, and the environment intersects. Y como yo soy muy bocona (since I’m very vocal), when it comes to adversity, speaking my truth, ideas, and setting boundaries, and in 2017, Kalani + Wolf was launched out of my garage. And I’m 100% unapologetic about it.

Was it easy to get here business-wise? That’s a hard “NO”. There so many jobs within the fashion industry and outside the industry that I’ve had to prove myself over and over again with no avail. I had to find within me my pursuit of purpose and when I finally did, I launched my own business to change the industry from within for my community.

Lessons will always be apart of any journey that we take along with risks. We have to be okay with those lessons, as well with failures and that is success.

Kalani + Wolf will forever be a clothing brand that’s Never Apologizing, Never Conforming™ to anyone standards. It’s for our BIPOC and Queer communities.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Screaming Carrots in Hallandale – hands down the best vegan food, extremely well priced, and amazing people who work there

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Most definitely, my success is due to my community:

Michelle Duran (my sister)
Emilia Howard
Johanne from Cool Creative
Vanessa from NouNou
Shaunda
Julie
Lorena Sosa

Website: www.kalaniandwolf.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kalaniandwolf