Photo Credit: Andy Hoang /MUA: Kimie Yashiro
The past year has been a starting point for Kyle Ho's career as a fashion designer. His debut garment received worldwide recognition. Kyle's designs were featured in magazines such as Vogue Italia Talent, Boyfriend, REVS and the Flow House. The designs were showcased at London Fashion Week as well as worn by public figures such as singer Niall Horan for the Fault Magazine Cover, actor Jahi Di'Allo Winston at the NAACP Images Award and Glyn Fussel at the NME 2020 Awards.
Kyle was born and raised in Hong Kong. He decided to follow his dreams by moving to London where he studied Fashion Styling for three years.
"During this time, I realised that Fashion Styling is more akin to post-production, in which you curate garments and pieces to construct your vision. While this was exciting, it awoke my desire to be something more than just a curator. I wanted to be a creator in my own right."
It was a turning point in Kyle's career. After graduation, Kyle focused on creating a fashion design portfolio and constructing the garments. Kyle's hard work led to getting accepted by the London College of Fashion where he completed the Menswear Design course.
"The combined experience and knowledge from studying both styling and design allowed me to fully realise and execute my vision through the collections. I think of myself as more of a Creative Director rather than a menswear designer."
For Kyle fashion is about telling a story about yourself and what you believe in.
"Fashion is at its simplest, an art form, a conduit for one's passion and expression. It's a fundamental tool in expressing who we are and what we believe in. Fashion is at its best when you're able to convey your story. It's an art form that is used as an integral storytelling technique across all mediums."
"My affinity and fascination for fashion has always been a part of my identity. It helps define and preserve our history and I aspire for my work to become a part of the elaborate and complex tapestry", adds Kyle.
Photo Credit: Anna Pluskota
Kyle describes his work as perplexing and subversive. The designer is inspired by the classic music, paintings and historical books. "I enjoy being retrospective, immersing myself in the past."
While working on the new collection Kyle use human physique as his canvas. His design aesthetic is driven by one core principle 'less is more'.
"While this may somewhat contradict how I define my work, I am always trying to find the balance between subverting the norms whilst maintaining my more refined and minimalistic approach to design."
Kyle doesn't restrict himself while designing the new collection. He tries to deconstruct the ideas and consider different perspective to expand his own creative horizons.
"I think it is always important to challenge the status quo but also to challenge yourself. Regardless of the process, one thing always remains the same…there will definitely be classical music playing in the background!"
The debut collection featured extravagant silhouettes without exaggerated proportions. Kyle used pattern cutting methodologies as well as focused on the sourcing of materials. The fine wool was the main fabric in the collection which was combined with other textured fabrics to maintain the authenticity of traditional menswear.
"My upcoming new collection explores a more diverse range of materials and colours. I am continuously seeking to challenge myself and this new collection will showcase my growth and ability to experiment with the signature style."
Kyle mainly focus on the menswear designs. "There is a certain rigidity to how the industry approaches menswear, adhering to the norms of what society expects for men to wear. This has often resulted in the field feeling somewhat stagnant and limited in comparison to womenswear which encourages a lot more experimentation."
The designer believes that "as the industry veers even more into gender-free/gender-fluid fashion, the lines between these two binary descriptions of fashion are becoming more blurred." It is important how people label and categories fashion as it will be a defining moment for the industry.
After graduation Kyle was naturally concerned about getting recognised in the saturated industry. "There are thousands of designers around the world vying for a chance to be recognised. It can be a very difficult industry to navigate."
Kyle believes that social media is important for the creatives. It allows reaching the audience and represent the brand. "If you are passionate and you believe in your work, keep that mindset and commit to your dream."
Emerging designers face the difficulties while looking for the publicity opportunities but in Kyle's opinion, even the smallest opportunity can change everything. "No matter what, believe in yourself and your work."
The designer believes that London Fashion Week was the opportunity which became a monumental milestone in his journey.
"When studying for my MA at LCF, we were told that 10 students from the class would be given the opportunity to present their work during fashion week. As you can imagine, the competition was fierce and each student deserved to showcase their incredible work. Fortunately, I was one of the chosen few. While this was incredibly daunting, I grasped this once in a lifetime chance to debut my collection on such a prestigious platform. Being able to convey my vision for menswear to such an audience was an honour."
For the designer, fashion industry is a platform which can help to reach and make an impact on everyone around the world.
"We have a certain duty to ensure we lift each other up and support our peers. The industry can be quite unforgiving and incredibly daunting for the new generation of designers. Up-and-coming designers face a lot of hardship when trying to get recognition. I think it is important that those large platforms try to use their status in a way that encourages and enables new designers to receive the attention and recognition they deserve. Thankfully, this is something that I think is already becoming more common within the industry."
At the moment Kyle is working on his new collection, evolving his clothing brand into menswear haute couture and working with talented artisans. Kyle also wants to collaborate with different artists and fully realize his vision for the future of menswear.
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