NYFW: Reviewing KYE AW14
Image: KYE.
While the Japanese have long-retained the proprietorship over streetwear and sports-inspired fashion, an interesting thing has happened in the last few years in the asian market: South Korea kind of got hood. Blame it on the influx of American sports brands (Jeremy Scott, adidas, Hood By Air), the rise in Korea’s per-capita income, and the celebrity of bad girl K-pop bands like 2NE1, but there’s a new wave of designers writing and re-writing the words of fresh threads. Seoul-born designer, Kathleen Kye, is no exception and, in fact, one of the leaders of this movement. With a focus on youth culture and eye-catching, non-traditional prints her designs utilize the boldness of the Korean New Wave and conceptual risks of London. Last night, under her own label, KYE, the designer showed her Autumn/Winter 2014 collection: a mix of RTW and men’s for her fourth season at NYFW to an intimate crowd at Industria Studios. While the girls donned Miley-appropriate-lengthed outfits with long bell sleeves and bare midriffs—a silhouette Kye has been developing over the past few seasons—it was the guys that had all our attention—and rightly so. Covered in layers—be they leather pants over below-the-knee jogging shorts—angle plans of gradients, or deep emerald fur jackets, each look was perfect in itself. As an editor beside us muttered in amazement each guy had “total look.” Ready for purchase, no extra styling needed.
Image: KYE.
