KidSuper plays around at New York Fashion Week

To kick off New York Fashion Week, New York City-based brand KidSuper held a screening of their comedy show, “Funny Business”, at The Angelika Theatre in NoHo. Colm Dillane, brand founder and creative director, reimagined the typical fashion show, opting to present his Fall 2023 collection in the form of a comedy show. 

First introducing this format at Paris Fashion Week in January of this year, the show was recorded and then screened for New York Fashion Week. Dillane called upon some of comedy’s most esteemed to model the collection, with comics such as Andrew Schulz and Jeff Ross joining the show. Originally presented at the Casino de Paris, “Funny Business” offers an entertaining answer to the question: where is menswear headed? 

 KidSuper makes its position known. This is not typical menswear; it is clothing reimagined. With colorful patterns and embroidery that recalls youthful doodles, KidSuper’s suits and coats serve the man who has graduated from  t-shirts and jeans and now seeks thoughtful tailoring and construction–yet refuses to take himself, or his garments, seriously.

Faces were a central theme of this collection, with profiles painted by Dillane himself incorporated in this season’s jeans, coats, and jackets. Using muted tones and blurred lines, these painted faces raise the question of what identity you assume as you step into your clothing and out into the world. KidSuper, with its unique designs, offers its customers a chance to make themselves known.

Comedians and superstars alike, such as J. Balvin and Andrew Santino, took their turns on stage, each debuting a new KidSuper look, in color palettes of muted blues, lavenders, bright yellows, and greens. 

In a business where everyone knows each other and word of mouth travels fast, making fun of some of the biggest names is a brave choice. Yet through the bold colors of the suiting and the unique detailing of the pieces, it’s clear that this is how Dillane operates–making bold decisions in everything he does, unconcerned of how it will be received. 

Held at The Angelika on Houston St., a New York City theater known for playing independent and arthouse films, I made sure to arrive early on the evening of Saturday, Feb. 11, to people watch. Fashion week had just begun, and the ever-growing crowd in the lobby buzzed with anticipation.

Everyone in attendance was so well dressed that the reception before the show could have served as a fashion show all its own. Loyal KidSuper supporters donned the brand’s playful pieces, from the multicolored crossbody bags to a monochrome suit that featured a painting by Dillane.

Color was everywhere in the crowd, celebrating the true spirit of KidSuper. One group wore coordinating getups of green and red, making for an interesting contrast as they traveled around the room in a pack. 

One of the guests, Levi Pitters, carried something on his shoulder. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that it was a small table, with dress pants and shoes on the legs, resembling the lower half of a body. A unique take on accessorizing, the invention proved to be a conversation starter among the guests. 

The screening was set to begin at 9 pm, but it wouldn’t truly be fashion week if anything started on time, would it? Around 9:15, the crowd began to move downstairs to the theater, the ushers dutifully checking tickets. A friend of mine was working the event, and graciously set aside a ticket for me. Filing into the theater, the loyalest of fans made  sure to grab seats towards the front. I spilled prosecco on my white coat, but there was  too much going on to care. The lights dimmed as I grabbed a seat, and the show began. 

Tyra Banks, former supermodel and host of the 2000’s hit reality TV show, America’s Next Top Model, was the emcee of the evening. She appeared onscreen to welcome the crowd and introduce herself, though in the world of fashion, Banks needs no introduction.

She wore a fitted black suit with exaggerated white contrast stitching that immediately caught the eye. The suit featured a face embroidered with white thread, alluding to the facial motif that would run through the entire show. 

Jeff Ross, the American comedian also known as “The Roastmaster General,” was the first model to grace the stage. His light blue suit featured a sketch of a face across the breast and the leg, colored in shades of lavender and blue. Paired with lavender loafers, a purple and coral striped handkerchief around the neck, and a mini crossbody bag, the look sat somewhere between American workwear and Parisian chic. 

“I want to shout out all the ushers and bathroom attendants…because just a few short weeks ago, they were running PR for Balenciaga,” Ross said, a nod to the Spanish fashion house that has come under fire recently for a controversial ad campaign, which featured children with age inappropriate items and props . 

The crowd loved this first shot, and were eager to hear who would be the comedians’ next victim. Banks returned to the stage again, as she did nine more times, each time in a different KidSuper suit. The most notable look of hers was a baggy black blazer embroidered with oversized, royal blue swallows, reminiscent of the Miu Miu Spring 2010 collection–an unexpected yet welcomed reference. 

The most striking look of the evening was that of Yvonne Orji. The actress graced the stage in a pink suit with Monet-like watercolor print. The suit jacket was lined with neon orange, demonstrating Dillane’s penchant for catching the eye with contrasting colors. She wore a pink trench coat over her suit, with white embroidered graphics all over it, made to look like a page of doodled faces and lettering come to life. The structured silhouette of the jacket combined with the imaginative details of the embroidery breathed new life into a classic wardrobe staple. 

Stavros Halkias, a Greek-American comedian known for his podcast Cum Town, came on stage guns ablaze, ready to take shots at the French. Clad in a decadent fur KidSuper overcoat with a geometric tracksuit underneath, Halkias announced himself as the self-proclaimed “fattest man at Paris Fashion Week.” 

“5’7, 310 baby, no one’s fatter in here right now. Anybody?” Halkias asked as the camera turned to a motionless crowd. 

“That’s what I thought. If you were, we would’ve had to have a croissant eating contest,” he said, telling the crowd that he too would’ve been slimmer if he began smoking at 9 years old like the French. The crowd ate this up, enjoying the digs at the superfluous Parisian scene in the midst of men’s fashion week. 

Many of the comedy routines were filled with witty, sometimes snide digs at the fashion industry as a whole–a privilege the comedians only had because of their distance from the industry. After all of the performers had their turn on stage, the group returned one last time in a line together, presenting the collection in its entirety.

After the screening ended, Dillane himself walked to the front of the theater, opening the floor up to questions. Dillane, recently tapped by Louis Vuitton to design the heritage brand’s Fall/Winter 2023 collection, spoke a bit about his experience doing so. The designer explained that on his first day with the French brand, he had everyone in the atelier write a letter to someone they loved. Louis Vuitton started as a luggage maker, so letters have always been tied up in the brand’s history. The writing on the suits in this collection are made up of excerpts from those very letters, a demonstration of Dillane’s love for others as well as his desire to rework and transform the classics.

Dillane went on to speak about the brand’s humble beginnings, telling the crowd how when he first sold his clothes online, he would send a handmade letter to each new customer. Every step along the way, he has remained grateful to his supporters, and in the crowded theater of the Angelika, it was clear that he had built a loyal and dedicated following. 

Outside of the theater, people swarmed around the designer, eager to congratulate him and tell him how funny the show was. Dillane was crowded by both fans and friends, — some of them trying to remind Dillane of a time they had met, others asking him to review their own designs. 

When I talked to Dillane, I asked him what advice he has for young designers. 

“Look around the room and try to find people to work with,” he said. “You need a leader. If you want to make it, you don’t have to be a leader [yourself], but you need help.” 

“Art students think they don’t need to help [others], but I wish I had helped somebody. That’s how [you learn],” the designer said, while surrounded by his team.

KidSuper may not be for everyone; it certainly won’t be the brand that replaces every man’s staples. But, the brand is attempting to take the future of menswear in a fresh new direction. With daring design, many of the pieces require a wearer who isn’t afraid to turn a few heads. A KidSuper jacket is sure to draw both disparaging looks from the older crowd as well as compliments and inquiries from those dying to get their hands on a piece, too. Dillane makes one thing clear: that menswear should be fun. Often the overlooked half of fashion, the New York-based brand is offering playful, louder designs for men to indulge in and explore. 

Ultimately, fashion is about self expression, and the cherry on top is being able to build a community of like minded people through our clothing. Dillane successfully does both–using his designs as a means of artistic expression and offering an insatiable fashion scene something to talk about.