Kith founder Ronnie Fieg is big into fabrics. “This season has a lot of novelty fabrics,” he says at an appointment. “I feel every season it’s become a challenge, and a sport basically, for us to one-up what we’ve done the year before for the same season.”
If last fall he celebrated Kith’s 10th anniversary by leaning into a “neutral palette of humble, easy silhouettes,” this season he was less conspicuous with his style statements. Chief among them is a beautiful floral tapestry fabric shown as a striking full look: a chore jacket with brown suede trim collar and patch pocket details, worn with matching loose fit trousers, a matching tote bag, and, of course, a matching New Era Yankee hat. A striped chenille fabric in shades of moss green and brown was used for a classic chore coat (with a matching bucket hat), but it shone brightest as a pair of trousers that anchored a fuzzy cheetah-print cardigan with black trim, and peeked out just so from underneath a slick olive jacket with a “unique sheen and matte feel.”
“I feel like there is a time in this market today where there needs to be a very strong point of view,” Fieg explains. “It’s gotten more sophisticated, and the [Kith] guy is definitely looking to be told which prints he can wear together, you know what I mean?” Standouts included killer paisley-embossed leather pieces, and a paisley print-flocked denim, which was made into a groovy Canadian tuxedo. The comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who stars in the Kith fall campaign, called it his “date-night look.” (Seinfeld, an alum of Queens College, was the obvious choice to announce the brand’s capsule collection with Queens College and Brooklyn College — developed in collaboration with Russell Athletics.) Fieg is also continuing his ongoing collaborations with New Balance and Clarks Originals.
Meanwhile Kith’s womenswear has become sharper and more defined. Fieg’s favorite looks: a collegiate knit cardigan from his Russell collaboration worn with a pair of plaid track pants and deep brown loafers (no socks), and a heather gray polo buttoned all the way up and layered underneath a beige cable knit v-neck cardigan and plaid track jacket and cargo pants. Fieg’s is a cool and casual tomboy-ish vision that is not often seen in the market. “It’s been seven years [that we’ve been doing] womenswear and we’re finally getting into this groove of sophistication that I really am comfortable with.” He should keep grooving in that direction.
