Beyond Lost: Alyssa McKay’s Groundbreaking Streetwear Brand
We introduce you to Beyond Lost, an innovative streetwear brand founded by Alyssa McKay and her team at The Network Effect. McKay, a powerhouse in the digital space, has achieved remarkable success as the most viewed female lifestyle creator on Snapchat, averaging over 1 billion views each month and generating millions in revenue through mid-roll ads.
A New Standard in Streetwear
Beyond Lost distinguishes itself with a commitment to quality, sustainability, and accessibility. Every piece in the collection is hand-sewn and ethically sourced, reflecting Alyssa’s dedication to responsible fashion. The brand’s pricing strategy ensures that high-quality streetwear is accessible to a wider audience, while each unique design drop—released primarily on Saturdays—creates excitement, often selling out within hours.
Setting a precedent in the fashion industry, Beyond Lost has launched without any paid marketing campaigns, relying instead on Alyssa’s organic reach and her active engagement with her audience. Notably, Alyssa is not just the face of the brand; she plays a pivotal role as a co-designer and Creative Director, actively shaping the aesthetic and vision of Beyond Lost.
A Revolutionary Approach to Engagement
What sets Beyond Lost apart is its mobile-first approach, embracing the capabilities of Snapchat to engage directly with followers. Alyssa takes her audience on a real-time journey through the design process, encouraging feedback, and utilizing Snap features such as direct message replies and polls. The brand has also pioneered a feature allowing customization of Snap Bitmojis, further engaging its community and strengthening the bond between creator and audience.
Beyond Lost also boasts an “Exclusive Access” Community, offering early access to members before public drop times. This initiative fosters a sense of exclusivity and anticipation, sending members a text message with a private URL to shop the latest drops before they sell out.
A Mission Beyond Fashion
Beyond Lost embraces the idea that it’s acceptable to feel “lost” at times in life—a sentiment echoed in the brand’s mission statement. It encourages self-acceptance and highlights the beauty in imperfections, embodying themes of expressive freedom, love, and inclusivity in every drop. Designed in New York and hand-crafted by a family-owned business in Asia, every garment emphasizes ethical sourcing and quality craftsmanship.
Alyssa McKay: A Story of Resilience and Creativity
Alyssa McKay’s journey is as inspiring as the brand itself. Raised in Portland, Oregon, she entered the foster care system at a young age, using creative content creation as an outlet for healing and self-expression. Her passion for acting flourished during her high school years, leading to opportunities in leading roles across film and podcasts, including the hit series “The Royals of Malibu,” which topped charts in 75 countries.
With a combined social media following of over 15 million, Alyssa is not just a creator but a force capable of driving cultural conversations and shaping contemporary fashion. As the world’s top female lifestyle creator on Snapchat, she embodies the future of “Creator Led Businesses,” paving the way for a new generation of entrepreneurs in fashion.
In summary, Beyond Lost represents a revolutionary approach to streetwear—one that values authenticity, community engagement, and ethical practices, all under the creative vision of Alyssa McKay. This brand not only seeks to dress its consumers but also to inspire them to embrace the beauty of being a little “lost” in life.
A CHAT WITH ALYSSA MCKAY
Alyssa, your personal story of entering the foster care system and finding solace in creative outlets is incredibly powerful. How has your background and experiences influenced the themes of expressive freedom and acceptance that serve as the foundation for Beyond Lost’s collections?
Growing up, all I ever wanted was to feel like I belonged somewhere. One of the main goals we had with Beyond Lost was to create a streetwear brand where everyone could resonate with at least one collection. Beyond Lost is for everyone and is meant to empower anyone who wears it, regardless of who they are or where they come from. Beyond Lost is a safe space in a world where fashion is exclusive, and I am so happy that shines through.
The concept of being “Beyond Lost” and embracing the idea that we are all a little lost in life is a profound and relatable message. Can you share how this concept resonates with your journey and how it has shaped the creative direction and mission of Beyond Lost?
When you scroll on social media, you find yourself with video upon video on what you can do to be a little less lost in life. At the end of the day, our message is that it’s okay to not know everything. In the age of constant information, it’s okay to take a step back and relish in the lostness a bit. My journey from foster care into adulthood was incredibly overwhelming and stressful. I had no idea where to start. I didn’t know how to find a doctor, or how to pay taxes.
Beyond Lost places a strong emphasis on ethical practices and supporting small family-owned businesses in Asia. Can you elaborate on the importance of sustainability and ethical production in the fashion industry, and how these values are reflected in the hand-made craftsmanship of Beyond Lost’s products?
It took us over a year to find a smaller manufacturer who was able to meet our standards in how they source materials and run their business with their employees. We built a close relationship with our suppliers and even their families. It’s incredibly tight knit and we are so grateful that we have a copacetic relationship. We want love and care to be put into every stitch. It takes us months to receive one sample, but it is worth the wait. It’s all about the quality as well as taking a more ethical route with our production.
Alyssa, your dedicated audience across various social media platforms is impressive and speaks to your influence as a content creator. How do you leverage your reach and engagement to amplify the message of inclusivity and love that defines Beyond Lost’s brand identity?
What’s unique about my audience (specifically on Snapchat) and our marketing approach is that we actually include our audience in the designing process and beyond. I will throw up a poll asking my audience what colorways they like best and we ask for feedback and actually incorporate it into future pieces because at the end of the day, we want the consumer to be happy. We have been doing giveaways for each drop, picking 5 winners per drop to receive whatever the newest collection is as a way to give back. Our most recent giveaway, I actually FaceTimed the winners to make it even more special. This all ties in to our mission of making everyone feel included and welcomed.
The collaboration between NYC design inspirations and hand-made production in partnership with a small family-owned business in Asia is a unique aspect of Beyond Lost. How do these diverse influences inform the aesthetic and storytelling behind each volume that the brand releases?
After collecting hypewear for years and realizing that my manager and I had been spending multiple hundreds of dollars for one hoodie, we started taking these pieces apart with the question, “why are these priced so high?” Our conclusion: absolutely no reason. That’s when we decided we could create our own streetwear brand that is even better quality than the top streetwear brands at a fair price point. We wanted to provide quality streetwear at an accessible price because of how overhyped this genre in fashion is specifically. Once we bring a design to our manufacturer, we welcome their opinion, and often make changes based on their deep knowledge of how things are made and how we can improve a design or a cut of a design. Their input is always a key step in our final design process.
Your role as the sole promotional engine behind The Royals of Malibu: Season 1 podcast attaining global success is commendable. How does your experience in content creation and storytelling intersect with your vision for Beyond Lost as a platform for self-expression and empowerment?
As someone who has been creating content for years, I typically know how to make a video drive a considerable amount of views; even if it’s just of two people in a glass box talking into a microphone. With that being said, I took my knowledge of social media trends (which is constantly evolving) and what works and what doesn’t and applied that to Beyond Lost, tweaking a few things to appeal to people who love fashion.
Building a community of almost 15 million of followers across different social media platforms is a testament to your influence and connection with a global audience. How do you prioritize authenticity and genuine engagement in both your personal brand and the message of authenticity that Beyond Lost embodies in its brand ethos?
My whole narrative on Snapchat specifically has been about being my most authentic self. On my other platforms I played a persona, so Snapchat is where I got to really be myself and build an audience based on my personality and openness alone. I wanted Beyond Lost to have that same level of authenticity and feel less like a brand and more like a feeling. Beyond Lost is meant to feel more personal than other fashion brands.
KREEP. 