Meet Kat Platt | Founder + Designer

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

Hi Kat, how do you think about risk?
I know taking risks is not for everyone, but I love it! Growing up, my father was a serial entrepreneur. I had the benefit of watching him start and grow businesses throughout my childhood. Some of which thrived and later sold, while others were shut down. It was during the latter that I learned to embrace risk. I remember one time in particular when my parents prepared me for the possibility of losing our home; fortunately, that did not end up happening. However, that experience taught me not to fear failure because even if you are at the bottom, with hard work, a support system and a little luck, you can climb back up.

What should our readers know about your business?
Bliss-On is the Premier Bridal Swimwear Brand. I’ve created luxurious bridal swimwear so brides feel as blissful, beautiful and special at the events surrounding her wedding as she does on her wedding day. Most honeymoon and bachelorette celebrations are spent on or near the water, so creating a brand focused on weddings just made sense. Being able to support brides in this way brings me so much joy!

I have taken thoughtful steps in developing our swimwear. The Bliss-On designs are classic in style and are made of high quality, Italian recycled fabric. I’ve added an extra layer of lining to ensure our brides feel confident that her suit will not be transparent when wet. Because of these attributes, our suits can be worn again and again, not just around the wedding celebrations. I have used details such as lace patterns, ruffles and even swimmable bridal accessories to give each of our designs a bridal flair.

I am most proud of our attachable Bliss Blooms accessory. These swimmable blooms can be added to any suit giving it that extra bit of chic bridal flair. I am also busy adding new colors to our collection so that brides are able to customize their swimsuits with their wedding colors to make them feel even more special.

In addition to being my favorite accessory, it has also been the most challenging to produce. The blooms are made from single petals of swimwear fabric that are machine stitched and then hand finished. They are incredibly labor intensive and finding the right manufacturer was quite the journey. We made numerous pattern and process changes during their development. Each bloom is definitely filled with love!

The biggest challenge we have faced is launching Bliss-On during the height of COVID in 2020. We were set to launch in March of 2020, but due to factory shut downs, we were forced to move the launch of our brand to September 2020. Yes, we launched during a pandemic with swimwear for brides, amidst wedding and honeymoon cancellations! What a learning experience! While waiting out the pandemic, we connected with brides to gift them our swimwear as a way to cheer them up after having to postpone or cancel their weddings.

Another attribute that makes Bliss-On special is the way our swimwear arrives at your door. We put great care into our packaging and each box arrives as a gift to make our bride feel special. We use fun confetti of diamonds and diamond rings along with a hand-written note from me. The biggest thing I want the world to know is that we truly care for our brides and are solely focused on making their swimsuit experience a blissful one!

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.
If I were to show friends around our beautiful city, I would start off with breakfast at Ria’s Bluebird located on Memorial Drive. I love the inviting, laid back atmosphere and their buttermilk pancakes are to die for. I would then head over to Ponce City Market. There’s so much to explore and do! I would take them shopping and then grab lunch at my favorite food hall restaurant, Marrakesh, where I would encourage them to have the Goat Cheese + Lentil garden salad with an added lamb kabob. It’s delish! Then we would head to The Roof for an intense Skee-ball competition and afternoon toddy. We would end our day with dinner in Decatur at the Iberian Pig and a stroll around the square. We would have fully bellies and happy hearts!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a shoutout to my family. My husband has been an incredible supporter and cheerleader of mine during every stage of building Bliss-On. He makes me laugh when times are stressful and gives me sage business advice when needed. Both of which have kept me perservering with a smile. My daughters are always willing to repeatedly try on swimsuits to assess fit and style and my son has moved and broken down every box of product received. I could not do this without out them!

I would like to also give a shoutout to my dear friend, Jenny Pope. She has been by my side along the way keeping me organized, executing complex photoshoots with ease, as well as heading up our social media and marketing efforts. Her hard work is so much appreciated.

Website: https://www.bliss-on.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blissonbykatplatt/

Image Credits:
Jeremy Harwell (https://www.instagram.com/harwellphoto/)