Can I Have Your Attention Meow—Q&A Sesh With Kritter Klips
Nocturnal creatures Cyn & Steve @ Nocturnal Wonderland 2019
Most of you know by now that I am a crazy cat lady, and that’s putting it mildly. So when I found out there was a brand that sold hair clips that were cute furry ears that resembled cat ears, you know I was more excited than a cat with a new cat nip toy. Being able to have somewhere to wear these adorable clip-in ears (music festivals) was even better because people wouldn’t be doing a double-take because I was an adult with cat ears on, but because they’d be wondering who created these fun and cute accessories. If you ever wondered how these kitschy Klips came about, well, I have the inside scoop so curl up with your fur baby and keep reading.
I reached out to Kritter Klips during this Quarantine to ask them some questions that festival goers and people who don’t know about Kritter Klips (but need to know) would be interested in hearing about and this is what Justin the Meow of Kritter Klips had to say.
Justin Lennon of Kritter Klips
How would you describe Kritter Klips?
We are a small business with an EARnormous impact! We PURRmote self exPURRession with handmade clip on animal ears. Two snaps, and your cuteness is doubled. They bring out the best in those around you. Charitable donations to non-PURRofit organizations supporting wildlife, human rights and education are the backbone of our company.
How would you describe the customers of Kritter Klips?
We have geared our brand to be accessable to all ages and walks of life. Our PURRoducts are non gender specific! Our music festival deMEOWgraphic has grown iMEOWnsley (immensley) in just 4 short years!
Where are some of the places that Kritter Klips have been spotted or sold online or in person, where people might have seen your brand?
We have vended nEARly 250 events across the country ranging from small street markets to huge Festivals and Rave like EDC, Electric Forrest, Bass Canyon, Lightening In a Bottle, Shambrala, Envision and so MEOWny more...
Where do you find materials that are upcycled to create such fun and unique ears?
Upcycling utilizes a network of sewers and MEOWnufacturers collaborating to collect furs and fabrics that may have been unused or thrown away.
Where do you draw inspiration for creating new ears, to keep it fresh as well as eco-friendly?
Variety is a top PURRiority! Our ears are often small batches and it keeps us on our toes looking FUR the next design! Our customers speak and we listen. We also have the aMEOWzing Kritters to create these MEOWsterpieces.
I understand that Kritter Klips donates 5% of its proceeds to Amazon Watch. What can you tell us about this organization, why is it an important organization to Kritter Klips, and what are some other non-profit organization groups that Kritter Klips donates to?
EarthJustice takes on many of the biggest environmental and health challenges of our time and sticks with them. The laws make changes. We love them because the earth needs a good lawyer.
We have also donated a PURRcentage of our PURRofits to Amazon Watch, an aNEOWzing nonprofit that defends sacred space and indigenous rights in the Amazon. We donate to The Trevor Project who PURRvides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning youth. Oh, and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's MEOWssion is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and PURRotect ecosystems and species. They use innovative, direct-action tactics to investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas.
How did Kritter Klips get into the rave scene/music festivals and how do you impact the rave community?
KritterKlips was founded in 2015 by Quinn Ja. She started sewing ears out of upcycled teddy bears and old textiles. She would sew on the weekdays at home with her little boy and sell them on the weekends at craft fairs and festivals. Eventually with the help of her mom, grandma and friends who know how to sew we were able to start producing better ears at a better price and the rest is history! Now there is a team of 6 us who vend festivals, work on the website, make ears, pack orders and do creative stuff. If you happen to see us somewhere say hi!
If I were to come to the Kritter Klips booth at a music festival and couldn’t decide on a pair to purchase, how would you help me select the perfect pair of Kritter Klips?
As a PURRsonal stylist I utilize eight years of cliptology schooling to MEOWch your Purrrsonality and find your Kritter Spirit! I’d consider your color scheme and accessories and use PURRfect placement to double your cuteness!
Cyn as a Purr-Maid
Please describe your current ambassador program MeowKult, and what are the cool anticipated changes coming to the unique ambassador program.
Our ambassador program connects like-minded animal, art, and music lovers to each other, while sponsoring amazing causes like community beach clean ups and donation drives for nonprofits fighting for social and environmental justice.
We are inspiring, positive, creative and build momentum in our pursuit to a better, more inclusive world.
More brands in the rave community are becoming more environmentally conscious and making changes to how their products are created and sent to consumers. What is one of the important items customers should pay attention to when shopping eco-friendly brands?
Support slow fashion brands! Slow fashion brands focus on quality over quantity so it’s ideally made to last longer. Unlike the fast fashion industry, slow fashion companies have fair wages, smaller carbon footprint, and little to none waste. Another solution is to buy less. Often times we get things because they are on sale/cheap or it looks PURRetty, but reMEOWmber to think about if it is something you’d wear out and how often. A third way could be to buy used instead of new. If the deMEOWnd for fast fashion decreases, fast fashion industries will have to stop PURRoducing large quantities in short time spans. Lastly try PURRticipating in clothing exchanges. We've found some great facebook groups that exchange or resell festival ware.
What has Kritter Klips done to evolve and thrive during the global pandemic of Covid-19, where selling at music festivals or boutiques is no longer practical? What would you say to KK consumers who have been hesitant to make a purchase during this time of conscious frugality?
Covid-19 has had a sEARrious impact on us as a community and business. Since the beginning of the outbreak we have been busy sewing and donating thousands of non- medical masks to nurses in our hometown of Sonoma County. We’ve had so MEOWny countless friends reach out asking for masks. We had to OfFUR them to the public! Each mash is handmade and sterilized with love. For each mask purchased, we will donate another to a nurse and/or vulnerable population in need. We love you, be well & stay safe!
The most recent civil unrest and development in the social justice movement was sparked by the unfortunate homicide of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. I think your followers would like to know what was/is Kritter Klips role in the Black Lives Movement and what does it mean for the brand?
Racism isn't controversial unless you are a racist. We feel it is absolutely necessary to speak out against systemic racism to uplift and protect Black communities. We have been a long time supporter of NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). It is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We also support the ACLU which has been our nation’s guardian of liberty, working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
Kritter Klips says it is open to all genders, sizes, orientations and colors. How has Kritter Klips demonstrated this, and how will it continue to show it’s inclusivity?
KritterKlips is all about self-expression, playfulness and simply spreading smiles in your everyday life. As a women owned company we include ALL body types, gender identities, races, nationalities and orientations. We donate to Amnesty International fighting discrimination. We all have the right to be treated equally, regardless of our race, ethnicity, nationality, class, caste, religion, belief, sex, gender, language, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristics, age, health or other status.
Can we expect to see other kinds of kritters (animals) klips other than kitties?
Although I PURRtray a cat, KritterKlips can be what you iMEOWgine them to be. We ofFUR ears in mini, short and long fur, round and angular with tons of handmade variations.
Thank you Justin and Kritter Klips for your time and answering these questions for our followers and the curious. You can follow Kritter Klips on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Let me show you a few of my favorite pairs of Kritter Klips at the moment.
These cuties are a bright pop of Sherbert colors with a star design and Silver foil. The fur is a mixture of pastel rainbow colors. I’ve had my eye on these for a minute. (click name to buy)
If you love a black light the way I do, I def recommend these! You will glow like you fell into a vat of radiation!
I wore these to Hard Summer last year, check out my outfit here. Sadly, I lost one of the ears so now I only have 1 ☹️ Click name above to go get a pair.
I’ve also been eyeing this pair because I have a few outfits that would go with these. So…. come payday I gotta make these mine because I don’t want to wait too long and they sell out. Outfit Inspo’ for these, here. Click name on photo for link.
If you are wanting to help support one of the many amazing causes referenced above, and get a cute pair of ears, go to the Kritter Klips website to peruse and shop. They offer AfterPay so if you wanted to snatch up a few pairs before they sell out but don’t have all the funds up front, totally select that option. Oooh! Before I forget, some of the ears come with cute little piercings so if you’re into that, check if the ears you want have a piercing option. You can also add your ears to baseball caps. You know the little holes on the top of the caps? Well, you can snap open the clip and slip it in there for a snug fit on your hat. Pro-tip: secure ears with bobby pins no matter how you wear them, because if not you’ll lose a few like I have at festivals because I was too lit and they probably flew off while I was dancing or maybe I knocked them off, I honestly have no idea. I just remember being big sad when I lost them. I always end up with just one, which is bittersweet.
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The biggest smile I had was when I met Pasquale Rotella of Insomniac Events
