KYLIE Jenner has launched her fashion label KHY into shoes with a smart new collaboration that seems designed for nights on the town. She has teamed up with Italian label Gia Borghini to develop her first footwear range under the KHY brandthree pairs of heeled sandals made for nights hanging out with mates. The decrease, then is a natural opening step for the label, which Jenner resuscitated just a few months back with a laser sharp focus on curated wardrobe basics. Following the re-launch of the apparel capsules, and a holiday hit swimwear collaboration, footwear seemed the natural choice.
Jenner has been sporting Gia Borghini footwear for years, making the tie-in more exclusive. Jenner described the process as a realization of her dream shoes, with every detail being handcrafted in Italy until they ‘felt right’. The collection is based around three different silhouettes, which achieve a maximum fashion statement with practicality and comfort.
The Icon Sandal is a multi-strap design with a towering four-inch heel, finished in metallic chrome and simple all-white leathers. A little more manageable, but still to the point of a healthy fashion statement, are the kitten heels and wedges, identical in their sleek modern silhouette. What differentiates this collaboration is the strong perspective.
Rather than following all the trends, the shoes go into an elegant, a little bit sexy, direction. Metallic, leather textures and contemporary, not complex shapes reflect the one night girls’ shopping idea. The sizes up to 36-41 are functioning in a buyerfriendly range.
The prices are positioned mid-to-high among other designer shoes, due to Italy’s quality and the scoop of the drop. Jenner has not just been talking about the shoes; she’s also been wearing them, famously donning an early pair to a starred NBA game. The campaign imagery continues this narrative with a wholly dramatic shoot starring the shoes alone, dressed in the simplest of styling. It keeps the story of the product intact, untouched by noise, and it appears to work well for KHY since the refresh. Fans of Jenner’s taste will instantly get this: elevated, but not precious. Functional enough to be worn.
The draw for many is really the celebration to which the range is aimed. A girl’s night out, for example, often demands somewhat dressier shoes than are needed for the red carpet-something that feels a little more glamorous, but also one can comfortably stand, sit, or walk from venue to venue in it. In this way, the gold and silver metallics photograph strongly and coordinate comfortably with either black or colour.
The launch is also representative of a shift in the functioning of celebrity brands. Rather than saturating the marketplace with more and more categories, KHY has taken cautious steps from its core clothing into logical products that seem directly related to the three KHY wardrobes. Shoes are a logical next step.
