{"id":167626,"date":"2025-07-09T12:00:20","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T16:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/?p=167626"},"modified":"2025-07-14T14:45:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T18:45:37","slug":"kyle-luu-on-using-fantasy-and-humor-as-styling-codes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/kyle-luu-on-using-fantasy-and-humor-as-styling-codes\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyle Luu On Using Fantasy and Humor As Styling Codes"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n.centerimg {padding:4em 7em;margin:20px 0;}\n.centerimg2 {padding:4em 4em;margin:20px 0;}\n.centerimg3 {padding:4em 3em;margin:20px 0;}\n.sidetxt {padding:16em 2em 16em 2em;;margin:20px 0;}\n.centerimg img {margin-bottom:0px;}\n.instagram-media {margin:auto !important;}\n#wp-content hr {margin: 40px auto 80px auto;width: 80%;}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"centerimg\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2025\/07\/DSF3612_RGB.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2250\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-167631\" \/><br \/>\n<small> Luar S\/S 23 Campaign by Marc Asekhame | Image courtesy of Drive Represents<\/small>\n<\/div>\n<p>Growing up in DC and moving to New York at 17, <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/kyle-luu\">Kyle Luu<\/a> first fell in love with fashion through cartoons, dreaming of becoming an illustrator. That spark ignited something bigger when a cousin gifted her a 600-page book filled with designers like <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/rei-kawakubo\">Rei Kawakubo<\/a>, <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/yohji-yamamoto\">Yohji Yamamoto<\/a>, <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/hussein-chalayan\">Hussein Chalayan<\/a>, and <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/iris-van-herpen\">Iris van Herpen<\/a>. \u201cThat was the first time I\u2019d seen fashion I could truly identify with. Something about it felt so unattainable and unrealistic, and I was so curious to imagine how those garments would feel, move, and photograph in person.\u201d After taking classes at FIT, Luu quickly became a fixture in New York\u2019s downtown scene, forging creative alliances with brands like <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/client\/luar\">Luar<\/a> and <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/client\/telfar\">Telfar<\/a>, relationships she maintains to this day. Her aesthetic, she describes as, \u201craw, yet there\u2019s always a fantasy to it. There\u2019s always something that might feel a bit humorous, something sexy,\u201d reflects a life that has fluidly crafted the sartorial identity of pop culture\u2019s finest. Luu\u2019s fearless eye caught<a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/people\/solange-knowles\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Solange Knowles&#8217;<\/a> attention in 2016, leading her to style and craft visuals for <a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/album-cover-when-i-get-home-solange-1\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>When I Get Home<\/em><\/a>, as well as<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kyleluu\/p\/B_xhSNuB7T_\/?img_index=1\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Solange&#8217;s viral 2018 Met Gala Iris van Herpen look<\/a>, with a black durag, and a halo headpiece, and her 2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BxJJrfeBmhw\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">full Ferragamo look<\/a>. Never one to stay in a single lane, Luu has explored \u201csocial experiments\u201d like a stint in Switzerland, where she learned garment construction through theater costume design, and most recently styled Katseye\u2019s Beautiful Chaos <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DJc4yratMr-\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">album cover<\/a>. Despite her high-profile projects, Luu remains private, grounded, and creatively leads with empathy, believing that \u201cFashion should be fun. It\u2019s a business, and it\u2019s a serious one, but we should also remember that we\u2019re interacting with humans, whether that\u2019s clients, teammates, or collaborators.\u201d Models.com caught up with Luu to talk about her long-lasting collaboration with <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/raul-lopez\">Raul Lopez<\/a> of <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/client\/luar\">Luar<\/a>, her rule-breaking spirit, and what her next big experiment might be.<\/p>\n<div class=\"centerimg\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-09-at-10.41.44\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1448\" height=\"1458\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-167639\" \/><br \/>\n<small> Solange | Image courtesy of Drive Represents<\/small>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>How would you describe your work? What would you say is your trademark as a stylist?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt\u2019s so hard to talk about yourself in that way, but I think for me, I moved to New York and didn\u2019t have the opportunity to go to school full-time. I was really just taking classes at FIT. I originally wanted to go into fashion design, but the lack of resources pushed me to be crafty. I\u2019ve heard a lot of people say, \u201cYour work feels very DIY or scrappy,\u201d and I feel like sometimes that has a negative connotation.  I see it differently, though, because for me, it makes my work feel more personal, raw, and real. I\u2019ve always tried to keep that essence in everything I do. I\u2019m really good at creating on the fly. A lot of the time, when you see some of the headpieces I did for<a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/luar-luar-fw-25-show-\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Luar&#8217;s most recent show<\/a>, those came out of a bit of frustration. We were trying to figure out how to tie together all the elements in Raul&#8217;s original mood board. He was trying to translate something, and I was trying to help him bring that vision to life. The best way for me to do it was to create something on the spot instead of manufacturing it. It couldn\u2019t have been manufactured; it was a little scrappy, a little pieced together, a little raw. I think my work can definitely feel raw, yet there\u2019s always a fantasy to it. There\u2019s always something that might feel a bit humorous, something sexy, and those things are all true to my work. It\u2019s hard to describe my work because so much of it reflects who I am as a person and my experience getting into fashion as someone who had no resources<\/p>\n<p><strong>I know you said that you made the headpieces for <a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/luar-luar-fw-25-show-\/2444825\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Luar&#8217;s F\/W 25 Show<\/a>. How did you learn how to make those kinds of headpieces? Was that just through trying it out and experimenting?<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/people\/raul-lopez\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Raul (Lopez)<\/a> and I have talked about this before. I think part of growing up queer and being someone so interested in fashion means you often have very few resources, and you have to get creative and crafty. It really goes back to something that\u2019s not unique to my story. It\u2019s very niche to the community and shows up a lot in drag, where you\u2019re constantly piecing things together, hiding flaws, and presenting something beautiful to the world. That\u2019s still very true to who I am today, and I think Raul can relate to that as well. I believe that\u2019s why we work so well together. At the end of the day, we\u2019re focused on presenting something beautiful to the world, and however we have to get there is how we\u2019re going to get there. There are no rules. I\u2019ve never believed in rules or followed them. I never even had proper fashion training, never assisted anyone, and never worked under anybody. I just had to figure it out on my own, and that\u2019s still how I operate today.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where did you grow up? What was your first introduction to fashion?<\/strong><br \/>\nI grew up in DC and moved to New York when I was 17 in 2008. My first introduction to fashion was really through cartoons. I wanted to be an illustrator when I was younger. My mom said something to me that I don\u2019t necessarily agree with now, but at the time, she told me, \u201cYou want to be an illustrator? That\u2019s not something people can really make a living off of,\u201d which, in some ways, was true. I think illustrators are often underpaid. A lot of times, you\u2019d watch a cartoon, and it would just stop at a certain episode, and then they\u2019d keep rerunning the same shows because they couldn\u2019t afford the illustrators. It took so long to complete new projects and episodes. So I decided I wanted to get into fashion design because the illustration part of it, especially drawing female figures, felt like the next best thing to drawing cartoons. When I was really young, a cousin of mine gave me a book that I still have to this day. It\u2019s about 600 pages, and it only features avant-garde designers like <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/rei-kawakubo\">Rei Kawakubo<\/a>, <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/yohji-yamamoto\">Yohji Yamamoto<\/a>, <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/hussein-chalayan\">Hussein Chalayan<\/a>, and <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/iris-van-herpen\">Iris van Herpen<\/a>. That was the first time I\u2019d seen fashion I could truly identify with. Something about it felt so unattainable and unrealistic, and I was so curious to imagine how those garments would feel, move, and photograph in person. I had no idea what they would actually look like up close. When I finally had the opportunity to experience it, the person who brought that childhood vision to life for me was <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/solange-knowles\">Solange Knowles<\/a>. When I came on toward the end of <em>A Seat at the Table <\/em> and then into <em>When I Get Home<\/em>, we were able to open so many archives of those specific garments I\u2019d seen in that book. For me, that was a full-circle moment. It brought me back to how I initially saw fashion\u2014these incredible avant-garde pieces\u2014and finally being able to see and touch them in person made everything come full circle, starting with that book I received as a child.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I love the connecting story of having that book as a child and then using a lot of that inspiration for the designs you worked on with <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/solange-knowles\">Solange Knowles<\/a>. Could you also speak about how you and Solange came together?<\/strong><br \/>\nI think she just found me on Instagram at the time. It was so funny because I\u2019d been working on other music-related projects before her, and I remember it was my birthday. I was sitting at dinner talking to friends, and they asked me, \u201cWhat do you want to work on next?\u201d I said, \u201cI want to work with someone who aligns more with my vision.\u201d At that time, I was working on projects that just didn\u2019t feel right for me. Sometimes you see a stylist and a client who are a perfect match, and then that same stylist might work with someone else, and it doesn\u2019t hit the same way. It\u2019s not about whether they\u2019re a great stylist or not; it\u2019s about whether they align with a particular talent. For me, Solange was that alignment. My friends asked, \u201cWho do you want to work with?\u201d and I said, \u201cI love what Solange is doing right now, and I would really love to work with her.\u201d I swear, two days later, I got a random phone call from her assistant at the time, telling me, \u201cYou have two days to figure this out.\u201d And I was like, \u201cAbsolutely. I think this is going to be the right fit for me.\u201d I\u2019m so glad I took that chance because she\u2019s so special, and I\u2019ve really enjoyed the work we\u2019ve created and collaborated on.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CL4tKELBbUe\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CL4tKELBbUe\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <\/p>\n<div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CL4tKELBbUe\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by KYLE LUU (@kyleluu)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>What non-fashion influences such as art, film, literature, or music influence your perspective with your work or inspire your work?<\/strong><br \/>\nI think that, coming from downtown nightlife, you\u2019re just surrounded by the most amazing talents. A lot of the friends I look up to aren\u2019t necessarily in the fashion space. I have friends who are more in the fine arts world. My friend <a href=\"https:\/\/47canal.us\/artists\/stewart-uoo\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Stewart Uoo<\/a> has a curtain series where he created all these curtains, each with its own character. He did one inspired by Abercrombie and Fitch, where he made all these plaid curtains, and another one with a Japanese schoolgirl feel. If you look at the curtains, they\u2019re these oblong shapes dressed in Japanese schoolgirl fabrics. I\u2019ll send you his profile after this. There\u2019s also my friend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/norauls\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Raul De Nieves<\/a>, who creates these sculptures covered in crystals. I find myself looking to a lot of my friends who are a bit outside of fashion. Your eyes can get so used to focusing on just one thing, and when you step outside of that and look at things unrelated to fashion, that\u2019s often where I find the most inspiration.<\/p>\n<div class=\"centerimg\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-09-at-10.44.04\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1152\" height=\"1460\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-167642\" \/><br \/>\n<small> Solange Knowles | Image courtesy of Drive Represents<\/small>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>What&#8217;s your process when you&#8217;re conceptualizing a look? What do you start from? Do you begin with an emotion or just a reference?<\/strong><br \/>\nI think it really depends on the teams I\u2019m working with. I\u2019ll often lean into the photographer\u2019s work, and nowadays, more than ever, I try not to take on too much. When you\u2019re younger, you just take on everything, but now I\u2019m more selective about what aligns with my vision and where I\u2019m at in life. Sometimes I\u2019ll look at a photographer\u2019s work and think, \u201cWhat are the blind spots? What\u2019s something fresh I can bring to this picture that maybe they haven\u2019t done before?\u201d If their style is more minimal, is there something I can add that still brings the story to life? I really love texture, shapes, distortion, and going into character play. We do a lot of that for Luar. It definitely depends on the day, though. I love experimenting and coming up with something that feels otherworldly. I\u2019m never going to be the person who just throws on a suit or a full look and calls it done. It really irks me when someone says, \u201cJust throw the thing on,\u201d because I\u2019m like, \u201cNo, we need to stop and figure out what\u2019s going to make this pop.\u201d You know what I mean? I\u2019m just not that girl. I\u2019ve never been that person. I did this story for CR Fashion Book years ago, and they had a \u201cfull look policy.\u201d It pissed me off so much that they ended up naming the story <a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/cr-fashion-book-full-look-policy\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cFull Look Policy.\u201d<\/a> When that happened, I told myself, \u201cI have to put my freak on it.\u201d So we started sculpting the garments. I thought, \u201cWe can work within the full look policy, but it\u2019s not going to look like the full look.\u201d We started stuffing the garments and creating all these oblong shapes, and it really turned into something else. You\u2019d never recognize it as the original full look. I\u2019m one of those people who will try to break the rules every single time. I\u2019m never going to give you exactly what you asked for. If the vision is amazing, we can follow the rules. If it\u2019s not, we\u2019re going to have to find a way around it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Are there are any emerging brands right now that are pushing boundaries, experimenting more, and really resonating with you?<\/strong><br \/>\nI think I got so lucky to come up alongside so many people who are popping off now, like <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/benjamin-armand\">Benjamin Armand<\/a>. I\u2019m really so happy for them. There are so many. In New York, I feel like the people who were meant to blow up definitely have, like <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/shayne-oliver\">Shayne Oliver<\/a>, <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/telfar-clemens\">Telfar Clemens<\/a>, <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/raul-lopez\">Raul Lopez<\/a>, <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/client\/willy-chavarria\">Willy Chavarria<\/a>. A lot of these designers like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ruiofficial.me\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Rui Zhou<\/a>, <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/client\/standing-ground\">Standing Ground<\/a>, <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/client\/hodakova\">Hodakova<\/a>, (and so many others) who are getting big now, I remember pulling from them when they were just showing their graduate collections at Central Saint Martins for Solange. I remember seeing their work back when they were graduating from Central Saint Martins, and it\u2019s amazing to see where they started and how far they\u2019ve taken their collections over the years. Every time I get the chance, I\u2019ll always work with emerging designers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"centerimg\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-09-at-10.34.23\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"956\" height=\"1450\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-167635\" \/><br \/>\n<small> Luar F\/W 25 Show | Image courtesy of Drive Represents<\/small>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>You recently styled the music video for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DJc4yratMr-\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Katseye\u2019s \u201cBeautiful Chaos.\u201d <\/a>How was that process?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019ve been working with my friend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/humberto\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Humberto Leon<\/a> on his girl group, <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/katseye\">Katseye.<\/a> He had asked me to work with them before on a Netflix series that was shot two years ago. At the time, I knew it was just way too many people to dress, so I told him, \u201cCall me when it\u2019s the final formation of the group.\u201d These days, I\u2019m mostly working with close friends, and Humberto is a good friend of mine. He gave me so many opportunities back when Opening Ceremony was around. So when he asked me to work on this project, I said, \u201cAbsolutely.\u201d I like to pay it forward. He\u2019s done a lot for me, and I wanted to be there for him as he put this group together. It was also a bit of a personal social experiment for me. I\u2019ve always done that in my career. Since I was young, there have always been projects where I\u2019ve thought about the long-term trajectory. I wanted to align myself more with the Asian market because I spend so much time in Asia, and I really enjoy being there. I\u2019m always asking myself, \u201cWhat projects are going to help me get out there more?\u201d Working on Katseye felt like the right move because they have both a Korean label and an American label, and a lot of the work is happening in Korea. It was partly a social experiment but also a chance to collaborate with a friend and to connect more deeply with the Asian market, since I\u2019m traveling there so often and want to work more in that region. I don\u2019t want to put all my eggs in one basket in the States or Europe. For example, I spent five years in Switzerland working at a theater, learning garment construction through costume design. That experience was like a social experiment, too. It ended up leading me into consulting work. I did a collaboration with the shoe brand <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/giaborghini\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Giaborghini<\/a>, which taught me the language of consulting and opened new doors. For me, it\u2019s all about planting seeds. You put your seeds in the ground, set them, and sometimes forget them for a while. Later, you see how those seeds have grown into opportunities that take you into new spaces. Right now, I\u2019m focused on pulling back from certain things and doing a lot of social experiments on myself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Are there any new social experiments you&#8217;re looking forward to this year?<\/strong><br \/>\nThere\u2019s a lot. There are quite a few consulting projects on the table right now, although I can\u2019t take on fifty of them. That\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to figure out\u2014one\u2019s over in Asia, one\u2019s in Europe, and there\u2019s one here in New York. It\u2019s a question of, \u201cHow do I decide where to split my time?\u201d Right now, it\u2019s all up in the air, and I\u2019m just seeing where I\u2019m at. I\u2019m planning to go to Paris after September for a little while because, for the past three years, I\u2019ve spent a lot of time outside of New York. I\u2019m looking forward to exploring other places outside of New York, and that\u2019s my next big social experiment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"centerimg\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2025\/07\/Chaotic_1080x1350-02.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1350\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-167636\" \/><br \/>\n<small> Katseye\u2019s &#8220;Beautiful Chaos&#8221;| Image courtesy of Drive Represents<\/small>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;You don\u2019t need to become a caricature of what you think fashion is supposed to be just because you\u2019ve seen it, heard it, or been treated that way. There\u2019s a way to treat people with respect and still get things done.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s one thing outside of work that you would like people to know about you?<\/strong><br \/>\nMy life has changed so much socially post-pandemic. Before the pandemic, I was doing these parties called Club Glam that were really immersed within the community \u2014 not just the queer community specifically but the New York community in general. After the pandemic, I\u2019m inside the house all the time now. New York has changed a lot for me. With the way social media, TikTok, and all these digital platforms have taken over, it feels like there\u2019s a lack of energy outside in the real world. Most of my days now are spent focusing on self-care, and nothing I do outside of work is really fashion-related. When I\u2019m looking at things for inspiration, it\u2019s usually not fashion. It\u2019s more film, fine arts, and everything outside of fashion. As for what I\u2019d like people to know about me\u2026 I\u2019m honestly not sure. I don\u2019t know if I even want people to know things about me. I\u2019m such a private person, and I tend not to broadcast my business. Even doing an interview like this can feel a little scary for me because I generally don\u2019t speak too much publicly. What you see is a true testament to who I am. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m any different in my work than I am outside of it. The way I operate at work is the same way I am in my personal life. I\u2019m not a type-A person when it comes to how I run my teams day-to-day. I\u2019m very alternative. I like to give people freedom, and I don\u2019t like to lead with force. I never get frazzled on set or have meltdowns over fashion. Fashion should be fun. It\u2019s a business, and it\u2019s a serious one, but we should also remember that we\u2019re interacting with humans \u2014 whether that\u2019s clients, teammates, or collaborators. At the end of the day, I believe you should treat everyone like a human being. If there\u2019s one thing I\u2019d want someone to know about me, it\u2019s that you don\u2019t have to be the typical type-A fashion person. You can lead a team in your own way without feeling like there\u2019s only one way to do things. There are no strict rules. You just have to make the best decisions to keep the project running smoothly and be a fair boss and leader. It\u2019s important to understand that people are human, not robots. We\u2019re not meant to operate on rigid timelines that cause emotional distress. That\u2019s what I\u2019d want people to know about me \u2014 that I\u2019m human, and I understand how the human mind and body work. You don\u2019t need to become a caricature of what you think fashion is supposed to be just because you\u2019ve seen it, heard it, or been treated that way. There\u2019s a way to treat people with respect and still get things done.<\/p>\n<div class=\"centerimg\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2025\/07\/DC284_Covers_RGB_4x5_AYRA.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2608\" height=\"3260\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-167637\" \/><br \/>\n<small> Arya Starr for Dazed Magazine Autumn 2024 Covers by Zora Sicher | Image courtesy of Drive Represents<\/small>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>It seems like self-care is a huge priority for you. Are there any self-care practices that help you stay mentally and spiritually aligned?<\/strong><br \/>\nOne thing I really love doing is taking team trips if my team and I are having a stressful week and we have a few days off. If I\u2019m ever in LA, I\u2019ll always take them to Disney or Universal. If I\u2019m in New York, it\u2019s a bit more low-key, but sometimes I\u2019ll just decide, \u201cI\u2019m going to go get 10 massages this week.\u201d I\u2019ll do whatever I need to do to get myself back to 100 percent for the next project. A big part of it for me is also self-reflecting. People talk a lot about imposter syndrome, and I\u2019m sure that\u2019s a very real thing, but I also believe it\u2019s important to take time to reflect and keep things in perspective. I always tell people, when they\u2019re going through something like not getting a job or missing out on an opportunity, \u201cThat job wasn\u2019t in your inbox three days ago, and you weren\u2019t thinking about it. Pretend it never happened and move on.\u201d There are certain little things I do to take the pressure off myself. I read a lot, and I talk to my friends in the community. I\u2019m very transparent. I\u2019ve always been that way. When people come to me for advice, I\u2019m always as transparent as possible. Talking about things and realizing that challenges in this industry are not the end of the world is really important. Opportunities will always come. When you choose this career, you have to remember things will never always be on the up\u2014it\u2019s a constant cycle of ups and downs. It\u2019s crucial to make sure that during your downtime, you pour back into yourself, soak in new information, visit exhibits, or see things that have nothing to do with fashion. Then, when you step back into work, you\u2019ll have a fresh perspective and can reapply those new visuals and ideas to what you\u2019re creating. <\/p>\n<div class=\"centerimg\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2025\/07\/293564897_759186355279681_2919346963996523499_n.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-167628\" \/><br \/>\n<small> <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/kyle-luu\">Kyle Luu<\/a> | Image courtesy of Drive Represents<\/small>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Luar S\/S 23 Campaign by Marc Asekhame | Image courtesy of Drive Represents Growing up in DC and moving to New York at 17, Kyle Luu first fell in love with fashion through cartoons, dreaming of becoming an illustrator. That spark ignited something bigger when a cousin gifted her a 600-page book filled with designers&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":450,"featured_media":167671,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13941,10527,10414,16,13943],"tags":[12930,14944,12093,9686],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167626"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/450"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167626"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":167672,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167626\/revisions\/167672"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}