KIÉ EINZELGÄNGER X WILDSIDE BY YOHJI YAMAMOTO
Yohji Yamamoto has tapped Kié Einzelgänger for a collaboration under his ongoing Wildside project
Kié Lee has been on our radar ever since the first launch in 2016 as Ageless Einzelgänger. For the uninitiated, Kie Einzelgänger may not ring a bell, but take a look at her pieces and you’ll be hit with a sense of familiarity. Her aesthetic — hinging on fluid all-black designs — are reminiscent of Yohji Yamamoto’s, which is why it comes as no surprise to us when Yohji Yamamoto invited her to a collaboration.
Dubbed Wildside by Yohji Yamamoto, the collection is meant to explore one’s creativity and imagination, as it’s part of an ongoing project where Yamamoto invites various creatives (who are not only in the fashion industry) to let their imagination run wild and take their work to the next level.
The capsule line features three shirts that Kié developed, and like her and Yamamoto’s aesthetic, they’re cut in a loose, androgynous silhouette in a dark palette. Made to be worn for any occasion, the tops are zhuzh up with details that lend that extra statement-making factor. Case in point: the pullover shirt that’s given a slightly off-centred treatment with asymmetric constructions complete with a ’30s-inspired collar; the loose-fitting jersey T-shirt crafted from a dense and opaque fabric that’s adorned with three buttons; and lastly, a unisex T-shirt in a lightweight fabric that’s more than meets the eye, as various techniques are hiddenly applied onto the seams.
The “wild side” may always refer to one’s edgier or crazier alter ego, but to Yohji Yamamoto and Kié Lee, being wild is always a good thing.
About Kié Einzelgänger
Before Kié Einzelgänger was introduced in 2019, the brand was originally launched as Ageless Einzelgänger back in 2016. Founded in New York by designer Kié Lee, the brand relocated to Antwerp, Belgium following its rebranding and made the city its base ever since.
Having been born in Basel, Switzerland, Kié spent her childhood there and in South Korea before moving to New York to study at Parsons School of Design. After graduating, she stayed in Japan to produce her first collection, and after a few seasons of presentation in New York and Paris, the designer moved to Antwerp where the brand’s currently based. Kié’s exposure to different cities and cultures definitely shaped her way of thinking and broadened her perspective of creation.
The German word “Einzelgänger” in the brand means a maverick or a person who walks alone. Since the very beginning, he label has always fused its melancholic portrayal — as seen in its dark, muted colour palette — along with inspirations of visual arts from the interbellum (interwar) period between the ‘20s and ’40s as well as influences of the Surrealism and the Dadaism. That’s not all. To give the label that modern touch, contemporary and classical details from the 21st century are also injected into its designs
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