UVU students and Fitted co-founders Octavia Desmarais and Kiara Dann shared their entrepreneurial journey during the Reed and Christine Halladay Lecture Series—offering candid advice on starting young, overcoming fear, and making success inevitable through persistence and adaptability.
UVU was honored to host Octavia Desmarais and Kiara Dann, the Co-Founders of Fitted, as the guest speakers for this week’s Reed and Christine Halladay Lecture Series.
Both students at UVU, Octavia and Kiara first connected through the UVU Sandbox program, where their shared entrepreneurial drive led them to create Fitted, an innovative app that combines the social media experience with online shopping.
Kiara, originally from Dallas, Texas, attended a performing arts high school before planning to pursue college. After being unable to join the Air Force due to eyesight restrictions and experiencing the loss of a close friend, she chose to join the LDS church and serve a mission. Following her mission, she moved to Utah to continue her education.
Octavia’s entrepreneurial spirit began early, selling everything from lemonade to friendship bracelets. Inspired by her uncle, who created his own business opportunities when traditional paths failed, Octavia gained real-world experience working alongside him. She began her college journey at the University of Utah as a member of the dance team but later transferred to UVU, where she found the Sandbox program to be a perfect fit for her mindset.
The idea for Fitted began with helping people find the right clothing size using photo-based body measurements. While the concept faced scalability challenges, Octavia and Kiara pivoted the business model from B2B to B2C. Today, Fitted functions as a digital shopping mall by merging social media and retail. Users can follow influencers, shop curated items, and discover products more seamlessly. The founders describe the app as a combination of Amazon and TikTok.
Throughout their lecture, the founders shared insights from their journey. Kiara emphasized overcoming the fear of starting, recalling an early experiment at a golf event where they surprised themselves with success. She also highlighted the reality of imposter syndrome for young entrepreneurs and encouraged students to just jump in and try. Octavia spoke on the concept of choosing your hard, explaining that both working for a business and building your own come with challenges, and it is about deciding which path aligns with your goals.
Both women emphasized persistence and adaptability. Kiara shared that the difference between a successful and unsuccessful business is making success inevitable through determination. Octavia noted the advantages of starting young, reminding students that people are often eager to support college entrepreneurs and that knowing when to use the student card versus presenting professionally is key. They also acknowledged the value of resources such as IHUB and practical tools like ChatGPT in building presence and efficiency.
In closing, the founders spoke candidly about balance, acknowledging that while building a business and managing personal responsibilities can be overwhelming, embracing change and accepting moments of imbalance is part of the journey.
The Woodbury School of Business extends its gratitude to Octavia Desmarais and Kiara for sharing their experiences and insights with UVU students. We look forward to seeing the continued growth and success of Fitted.
Want to catch every insight from this year’s Halladay Lecture Series?
Watch Fitted founders Kiara and Octavia's full lecture below.
