Kaiya Eve™ Couture made its mark three years ago when LA based designer Kandi Lightner created a
one-of-a-kind vintage line of pettiskirts. Kandi traveled the nation in search of the most beautiful vintage petticoats. “I was able to make at least three skirts for little girls out of a single vintage petticoat.  They were soooo beautiful,” says Kandi.  In the beginning, she had an exclusive deal with Fred Segal in Santa Monica, California and began to accumulate quite the celeb Mom following. It was there that little starlet, Dakota Fanning, bought one and wore it to the Teen Choice Awards. After her photo appeared in People Magazine, Kandi received hundreds of orders from girls across the country wanting one for themselves.

As every designer knows, it can sometimes be a struggle. Kandi began having difficulties locating large quantities of vintage skirts and came up with the idea of a vintage reproduction line, renaming them “pettiskirts”.

While still transitioning into a single Mom to her daughter Kaiya, Kandi continued to build her business with very scant financial resources. Then one day, out of nowhere, she received an email from an 11-year-old little girl named Molly Swindall from Georgia. “Molly really wanted the skirt that Dakota wore, but I wasn’t designing those anymore. I sent her a new fluffy pettiskirt and she fell in love”, says Kandi. 

After a year of ordering everything Kandi ever made, Molly called and told Kandi that her Father, Pat Swindall, wanted to invest in her business.  Pat called and said, “How much do you need to get your product out there?” He transferred funds into her account the very next day.  “He didn’t even know me and he was willing to take a risk,” says Kandi.  “These things just don’t happen every day!”  Molly has become her little angel, and one year later, they are partners today.

Now, there are many pettiskirt copies on the market, but
“If it doesn’t say Kaiya Eve™, it’s not an Original!”