Kylie Jenner is a committed supporter of emerging brands. The beauty mogul loves the caché that comes with wearing a one-of-a-kind piece by a Central Saint Martins graduate or an upcycled look from a conceptual label that would never have the budget for influencer marketing. Yes, these directional outfits are frequently paired with rare Hermès bags and It-girl Amina Muaddis, but every little helps in the celebrity sphere that peddles big-name companies.
Jenner’s offbeat fashion approach extends to denim. On a recent trip to London, Kylie supplemented her rare vintage collection with directional jeans from Sevali, Ottolinger and Devised Antithetical, as well as the obligatory Balenciaga. Each of these brands comes with a story that’s just as interesting as her ’90s Thierry Mugler motocross jacket.
Take Sevali. Chilean designer Sebastian A de Ruffray learned the two pillars of his brand – upcycling and deconstruction – at Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford and Balmain. After chatting to Demna about the obsolescence of the current fashion system at a party, he moved to Paris permanently to join the Vetements collective in 2016. Sevali, named after the initials of Sebastian’s maiden name, showed its first collection of urban artisanal pieces pushing the boundaries of recycling in 2019. Kylie’s Hybrid pants, which are constructed like tailored trousers rather than jeans, are indicative of where the brand is heading. Made to order, each petrol blue or oxidised green pair is unique and not for the average skinnies wearer.
“We aim to give value to techniques and materials that sometimes go under-appreciated, a new life to things that otherwise would be forgotten,” says the designer of finding inspiration in the everyday. There was, of course, nothing “mundane” about Jenner’s patchwork pair of Sevalis, which she teamed with a Paco Rabanne hooded chainmail top and Yeezy PVC wedge pumps.
Kylie’s Devised Antithetical miniskirt was also fashioned from offcuts sourced in thrift stores. Founder Brittany Garcia grew up cutting old jeans apart and hand sewing random fabrics back in for a piecemeal look. Fashion college didn’t work out, because the history modules bored the hands-on creative, who learns best through trial and error. The signature DD Mini, like Kylie’s, is formed from whatever Brittany finds in second-hand shops that day, and the brand, which she named after a Tumblr post Garcia stumbled on aged 13, is fuelled by her desire to “show people that you can push for the things you want”.
Ottolinger, the most established brand in Kylie’s new denim mix, has also never let go of Swiss art school friends Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient’s green-conscious mission, thanks to a partnership with sustainable denim brand Isko. With zero business plan but a mutual admiration of each other’s work, the ambitious pair set about making comfortable jeans that don’t compromise on sex appeal in 2016. Ottolinger’s distressed pairs, with their unique paint effect, are designed to fit the wearer like a second skin and cloak them with confidence. “To wear Ottolinger is to be unafraid. To take space. To raise the alarm,” they say. Paired with twisted sunglasses and a ceramic shoulder bag – more Ottolinger pieces that challenge their wearer – Jenner embodies an age of uncompromising denim that demands to be seen and, most importantly, does not harm the planet.
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Originally posted from “VOGUE UK” by Alice Newbold
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