KA WA KEY Through The Looking Glass
I’m almost ashamed to admit that until last year, I had never heard of Ka Wa Key when we covered their Twink Prince event at New York Fashion Week. Though not solely a menswear brand, the London-based gender-fluid label by design duo Key Chow and Jarno Leppanen made me realize how disappointed I am with most designers when it comes to producing vibrant colorful clothing for men. I’m a life-long New Yorker, but by God, I need my colors and I need clothing that look like some thought went into it. I find the latter sorely lacking in menswear, but Ka Wa Key brings it!
Through The Looking Glass, KA WA KEY FW21 collection observes the duality of the imagination and reality inspired by larger than life characters and their dual personalities such as Willy Wonka, Moira Rose, Peter Pan, Mad Hatter just a few to mention.
Through their FW21 collection, KA WA KEY reflects the imaginative worlds they’ve visited and characters they’ve met during the past year, which has been rather different and even scary at times. TV and music have been a huge inspiration and has offered an escape from reality, opportunity to meet different personalities who have given us hope and a variety of amazing places to visit. KA WA KEY thanks all the creatives and artists who have created content and entertainment to get us through these unexpected times.
KA WA KEY NYMD & NYFW digital presentation comments on the controversy of the journey of growing up and the pressure which comes along with it. So often we desire the things we don’t have, things we dream about and on the contrary the things we used to have, the things we've now lost. This presentation is inspired by the works of Tim Burton and was made by a young filmmaker Cecilia McAloon Wolff and the music is by Robin Appelqvist.
Through The Looking Glass, KA WA KEY FW21 collection is a playful and romantic combination of soft and fluffy knits using mainly RMS mohair and uniquely cut swirl patterns. The collection includes 7 pieces designed in collaboration with Japanese fabric manufacturer TORAY using their sustainable fabrics.
Photographer: Jarno Leppanen/Hair: Maria Kovacs/Hair Assistant: Chris Harris-Gibbs/MUA: Michelle Strain
MUA Assistant: Alesandra Nieri/Assistant: Bertie Wells/Models: Jack Blanco, Isiah Zion, Taia Tulher/Shoes: Gola
Venue: Lone Design Club and the Howard de Walden Estate