DakoModa

DakoModa was the idea of David Kohina, a lawyer who had worked as an executive at a global network marketing firm. On trips abroad, his wife would ask him to “just bring something nice” for their boys. Friends began asking where the clothes came from, and he saw that such quality was usually sold only by boutiques at premium prices. He set up DakoModa with his wife, Elena Kohina, who became co-founder and creative director and designed the line.

“We started Dakomoda with the simple idea that not only privileged kids deserve to enjoy clothes with the best fabric, style and quality. All children do.”

David Kohina, Founder and President — DakoModa website, “About Us” (dakomoda.com, archived June 2014)

The company was based at 4288 Arthur Kill Road on Staten Island, New York. Its website went up in 2013, and in 2014 it announced its national pre-launch, calling itself “a direct sales company dedicated to designing, producing and marketing luxury children's apparel and accessories.” The Kohinas presented it as a family business: the team page listed their sons, half-jokingly, as senior advisor, PR guru and VP of product testing.

DakoModa sold its own exclusive designs, not rebranded stock. The look was classic and clean, with no cartoon characters: polos with contrast trim, button-up shirts, pleated polo dresses and ruffled blouses. Most of the line was knitted from Peruvian Pima cotton, a long-fiber cotton known for softness.

• Kids (2T to 7): polos, long-sleeve Pima polos, plaid and striped shirts, pants, dresses and blouses for boys and girls.
• Babies: bodysuits, rompers, two-piece pant sets and layettes.
• Organic line: GOTS-certified organic Pima cotton layettes for newborns.
• Special pieces: dresses in Japanese cotton fabrics and a small wool collection.

The company said it audited its factories and visited its Peruvian suppliers in person, and its supplier code banned child labor and forced labor. Prices were set below boutique brands, from about $24.95 for an infant bodysuit to $49.95 for a detailed dress. Most items came in sizes 0 to 7T.

Sellers were called Brand Partners. They held DakoModa Showcases at home, ran online and Facebook parties, sold at fairs and events, and had a personal replicated website. Orders shipped directly from the company, so Partners did not carry stock.

Starter kits

The old Direct Sales Aid profile described two kits. The $99 Showcase Kit held seven bestselling pieces, which the company valued at $200, plus a fabric swatchbook, catalogs, hostess and business brochures, training materials, 25 order forms and a website and virtual office with no monthly fee. The $199 Advanced Partner Marketing Kit swapped the set pieces for $400 in store credit. In 2016 the company was also promoting a $1 sign-up.

Pay and rewards

Brand Partners earned 25% commission on retail sales and a 25% discount on their own orders, with up to 10% more for higher personal sales, recruiting and signing up Preferred Customers. Preferred Customers joined free, got 10% off retail and earned reward dollars, and Partners earned the gap between that discount and their commission. Hostesses earned 15% to 25% in product credit on Showcases of $200 or more, plus half-price items and extra rewards for bookings.

DakoModa did not publish a closing announcement that we could find. Wayback Machine captures show the full Brand Partner website still running in July 2016. By August 11, 2016, dakomoda.com showed only a “Website is currently undergoing maintenance” page with a newsletter sign-up. By October 16, 2016, the address redirected to a DakoModa shop on Amazon, and it still does. The partner pages, enrollment and Showcase program never came back.

The brand had been listing on Amazon since at least October 2015. In 2026 its Amazon brand store still shows a handful of Pima cotton pieces, such as a crochet-collar bodysuit set and a peach polo, but each one we checked was marked “Currently unavailable.” Former Brand Partners cannot order through the company. You can still visit the old DakoModa website address, which forwards to that Amazon store.