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In a world filled with everything from hypebeasts to culture crashers, and just about everything in between, often times what unfortunately gets lost in the mix of our fashion world is the attitude and approach of the designer themselves and whatever medium of creativity they’re choosing to interact with (or the emotional response they’re trying to create out of it).
Recently creative Ian Delucca summed up this sentiment perfectly saying “objects are not just objects, holding not only (their) form but a vast set of cultural information.”
This reigns especially true with Delucca’s close collaborator (and the featured artist in this piece), Kristopher Kites, a south side Chicago native who this year alone has seen his jewelry endorsed by everyone from the likes of Lebron James to Beyonce, and just about every music artist under the sun.
Kites brings an extremely unique twist in his jewelry by combining the idea of high fashion accessory staples (like the Cuban link, Gucci links, and more) with his personal passion for cartoons as a kid growing up. Even more fun though, is the early twenties designer creating his products out of solidified resin. Yes, that resin. The end product? Fun, light-hearted pieces that combine the nostalgia of our childhood with the perfect compliment for a casual streetwear outfit.
Surely, Kites has made his name in jewelry however its his work over the past year into everything from clothing, to furniture, and even custom rugs that have caught the eyes of both designers such as Virgil Abloh to celebrity partnerships with the likes of JBalvin that have proven Kristopher Kites is a name in the fashion world we should all become accustomed with now rather than later.
His work is fun, charismatic, and energetic (similar to his personality) but above all Kites makes such detailed, intricate creative work look and feel so simple on those rocking it. Its this simplicity in the materialism itself, that is such a big reason why it resonates so deeply with this generation’s fashion identity. Taking what we’re already so accustomed to and tweaking it as if to change the lens we’re viewing it from, only to realize we’re doing the same thing to our inner self in the process too.
Here’s to all the artists, and especially this south side Chicago native, that do so much to shape our society’s culture we’re a part of in a very ‘more than meets the eye’ approach. As Kites has just recently launched news relating to his newest creation, a Cuban linked meets barbed wire chain, make sure you take the time to dive in more to the ‘ifakemakeclothes’ persona that is fueling pop culture across the globe.
Make sure to check out Kites work via social media,@kristopher.kites on IG and @kiteskristopher on Twitter, or by supporting him through his website ifakemakeclothes.com, or choose to follow us here @engmtcent to keep up with the latest and greatest to come from him and more of your favorite artists in music, fashion, and more.