Meet Kaan Peksen | Co-Founder of White&Melon Clothing Brand

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

Hi Kaan, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
To begin with, I always wanted to have my own business and I was also interested in the clothing/fashion industry. It felt like a good opportunity to start my own business when I was a student at San Diego State University. I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My father and my grandfather also worked in the textile industry for years so we have accumulated 50 years of experience in textile wholesale before cofounding clothing brand I was always interested in manufacturing garments such as T-Shirts, Hoodies, Sweatpants, Shorts etc. I always wanted to transition from wholesaler to retailer, create a cool logo and create a brand. Moreover, designing my own clothes was also part of this dream. Therefore, I decided to start a clothing brand. It was a dream then it became a reality. All in all, the thought process starts with dreaming and then working very hard to turn your idea into reality.

What should our readers know about your business?
One of the most important distinction between us and other clothing brands is we use the best cotton fabric that is available in the market which is durable and soft. I get to where i am by hard work and not listening what other people telling me to do or not to do. I followed my own dream and I worked for it without listening who does not believe in me. In my opinion, the biggest challenge is the people around you who says no and you should not do it. It is too risky and you will lose money. These kind of mindset is the biggest challenge for entrepreneurs because they try to convince you that it is not possible but I believe that anything is possible if you work for it and don’t lose hope. It is really important that yo believe in what you do then you will get significantly better results. I want to world to know that i want to open stores or at least sell my clothes to the world and also I want everyone to know about my brand.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In San Diego, one of the most beautiful place is Coronado and Coronado beach. I would take my friends to Coronado beach to watch the sunset then have a wonderful meal one of the local shops in the island. Overall, San Diego is an amazing city but Coronado has a special place in my heart. I would recommend to try some tacos and burritos because they are really delicious. I would also go to La Jolla which has an amazing coastline and fascinating beach. I would recommend to go to surfing which is one of the most fun things to do in San Diego or just hanging out at the beach with your friends is also fun.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents deserve the most credit because they taught me everything that I know about textiles. They conveyed their generational textile knowledge to me which gave me a comparative advantage in this field to run my company efficiently. My father and grandfather’s experiences in the same industry were an important determinant of my success. I took the wholesale textile industry knowledge that I gained from my father and grandfather then turn to retail (creating a clothing brand). Also, it was important to have a textile network to manufacture the clothes in Turkey which I used my generational network for manufacturing because one of the most important thing is trust and you can only trust to someone who you know really well to do business. All in all, my father is part of the company and he deserves the highest credit.

Instagram: whitemelonbrand

Image Credits
Akarsh Kain Ricky The Photographer