After having established a billion-dollar cosmetic empire well before celebrity beauty brands became mainstream, the internet’s princess is now venturing into the realm of fashion. On October 24th, Kylie Jenner soft-launched her very own fashion brand when she captioned a picture of her, sitting in a black faux-leather trench coat, with two simple words: “Meet Khy”.
The brand was officially announced the next day, and as described by WSJ Magazine, the brand’s debut collection could be seen as “the wardrobe of a biker babe during the apocalypse – who happens to have interest access and a Pilates-toned body”. A quite niche, attractive, description, reflected in the brand’s official Instagram page gathering tens of thousands of followers in less than 24 hours.
Khy’s board of founders includes, other than the homonymous billionaire, her mother/manager, Kris Jenner, and Jens and Emma Grede, the same brains behind her sisters’ own clothing brands: Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS, and Khloe Kardashian’s Good American. In short…it’s a family business.
The brand’s first collection, which dropped on Wednesday, November 1st, featured a variety of high-quality pieces at affordable prices, ranging from $48 to $198. As stated by the reality star on a press release, the brand: “is dedicated to redefining the modern wardrobe with a collection that speaks to the avant-garde while remaining inclusive and accessible to fashion enthusiasts of all backgrounds” and plans to frequently collaborate with other designers, companies, and public figures to drop new launches. The brand is stated to be inspired by Jenner’s personal style and will “embody both futurism and timelessness, defying conventional fashion norms and redefining the limits of creativity.”
The debut collection has been created in partnership with Namilia, a highly regarded leather wear designer, and its founders Nan Li and Emilia Pfohl. Namilia is known for its dark, provocative style, which was one once described as “borderline-pornographic”.
The first drop featured 12 pieces, which ranged from skin-tight dresses to leather pants and jackets.
In the first hour that Kylie Jenner launched Khy, the line surpassed $1 million in sales, and sold out of the faux leather trench, minidress, and Moto gloves.
“I want people to know how completely involved I am in this”, Jenner told Vogue, “From original concept, to designing, or co-designing if we’re working with other designers, from picking fabrics, colors, I’ve been in every fit meeting. I am the creative director of the brand and marketing. There’s not an Instagram post or video that hasn’t been personally edited by me, there hasn’t been an Instagram post that I haven’t posted myself.”
Judging by her own words, it seems like the establishing fashion mogul is putting her hands forward towards criticism and accusations of the launch being another quick-monetization scheme fed to us by a celebrity.
In fact, this isn’t Jenner first foray into fashion. The influencer launched Kylie Swim in September 2021, which soon fizzled out in mid-2022 after it was met with criticism for its poor quality. Moreover, in 2016, she created Kylie+Kendall with her sister, the model Kendall Jenner. However, the teen-centered brand of which pieces could be found in stores like Pacsun and Walmart has been silently proclaimed dead.
It seems like these relative failures did not prevent the youngest member of the Kardashian-Jenner club from achieving a fashion icon status. It looks like this time Kylie wants to finally get it right.
On the same day the first collection dropped, Jenner was awarded the brand innovator of the year by WSJ Wagazine, an honor that her sister Kim was recognized in 2021 for SKIMS. “To be recognized for the success of the brands I’ve built and my new Khy, which launched today, is so special”, she said as Haider Ackermann handed her the award.
As expressed by Kylie upon the launch, each drop collection will be unique, representing her eagerness to experiment with her style, with the new one having dropped as soon as November 15.
Drop 002 introduced a new category of puffers and base layers by Jenner and the Los Angeles-based Entire Studios, showcasing a fresh take on go-to winter essentials and everyday luxury. Offering sizes from XXS to 4X, the second collection sold out within seconds.
The billionaire entrepreneur has already seen massive success and has shown the world once again that there exists a huge market for accessible but luxurious vegan clothing. The only thing we can do is sit and watch how her new baby will shape itself and fit into the ever-changing lines of the fashion industry.
Antonio Cavallo
