Today we’d like to introduce you to Tannaz Zakeri.
Hi Tannaz, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I became pregnant with my son, I was gifted a cricut machine and at first it just started off with me just making cute little onesies for him or game day outfits for the both of us to wear to his dad‘s games. I was in full-blown mom mode at the time so a hobby was really all that I ever saw this as. Then as time went on, I started making more things with my machine like gifts for all the closest people in my life whether it be for engagements, graduations, baby showers or really any amazing life milestone! This was when everybody in my life started encouraging me to turn this into a real business. At first, I was very hesitant because the fear failure always goes through our heads when we were thinking of starting an entire business, but it wasn’t until about a year and a half ago that I got the final push to really get this thing going! The business is named after my son Khi, who is my entire world. It wasn’t even a second thought to somehow incorporate him into the business because one day when he gets older, I just want him to be proud of me and what I started completely from scratch from the office in our house. As a stay at home mom he is in there with me everyday and has gotten to the age where he loves to “help” as much as he can which really warms my heart. Sometimes I still have pinch me moments at where this business has taken me in such a short amount of time! My significant other has gone from playing at the collegiate level to now in the NFL so my niche has mostly been game day attire for the families of players! I have had the blessing of creating outfits for tons of the teams out there whether it be college or NFL and have even branched out to other sports, which has been such an amazing milestone for me. I have recently even gotten an official order from an NFL team for their Christmas party and that felt so surreal to me! But what I love is that I am so much more than game day attire I can customize just about anything you can think of. I have done multiple events and birthday parties as well and even done marketing tools for businesses as well! I have done gear for local sports team and so much more! I love that I’m constantly growing and trying new things, and it all started from a tiny little cricut machine three years ago! I have
expanded my skills so much and have even moved into embroidery/sewing, and so much more! I’m so excited to see where 2026 will take me and all the amazing opportunities that will come my way!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For the most part, it has thankfully been a smooth ride. I think the most challenging transition I had was when football season ended last year and I was only a couple months into my business so things got really slow and at first it was challenging, but what I really admire is that it got me to think outside of the box as to what other services I can provide during my “slow season” during the off-season! This is when I really tapped into all the other things I can create/provide other than making game day outfits!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My biggest niche right now is game day attire, but i’m not just limited to that so I can really create anything that you can think of! Business merch, sports team gear, birthday party decor, wedding decor. I’m really a one stop shop for anything you need! My motto is that “I love to help bring your ideas to reality” and I really mean that because no idea is too crazy for me. Some people come to me and start off their order with “I don’t know if you can do this” and my favorite thing is being able to fulfill that for them! Currently, I am most proud of an order that I actually recently just finished! The Minnesota Vikings reached out to me to create a large order of customized clear game day bags that they wanted completely rhinestoned to gift at their Christmas brunch! I was so honored and thankful because there are quite a bit of other businesses in the same realm as me that have been around for so long that they could’ve gone with, but they chose me and I couldn’t be more grateful for that! The bags turned out beautifully, and I felt so proud of myself when I was looking at all of them when they were finished.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I think the most surprising thing is when people find out how long certain orders take me! Rhinestoned attire/bags/shoes/etc. are super popular right now so the majority of my orders are rhinestoned and people are always so stunned to find out how long it takes to do that! Currently the process is putting a small area of glue down and placing them one by one on the garment and certain outfits have taken me 10 to 12 hours from from start to finish!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @khiwearkustoms
- Facebook: Khiwear Kustoms
Image Credits
Nathanael Gue (Beyond Athletics Photography)
