Pulsing with a heavy beat and hazy with a deep rouge glow, the Top of the Standard is as glamorous a place to be as ever. And tonight it is packed with partygoers. Drag queens, various fashion influencers, socialites, and BDSM enthusiasts make up the colourful crowd– all gathered around the stage for Kaimin's Spring/Summer 2018 presentation and an exclusive triple X performance by rapper and singer Brooke Candy. As the models take the stage in the first looks of the collection, photographers begin snapping photos feverishly; their flashes reflecting coolly off the vibrant colors of the tron-like garments. Several rounds of models took to the stage to twist and turn around the elevated bondage cage, later used to bind Brooke Candy in suspension as she harmonizes with the melody of one of her latest tracks. And the tone of the party takes on an element of otherworldliness all its own. View backstage photos from the event, and read the exclusive TWELV interview with KAIMIN:

1. What is the significance of the title ”Slut from the Future”?

It describes my overall creative bias in a fun way. I’ve always been fascinated by technology and the image of the future. So for my work, I purposefully seek out innovative materials that you just don’t see everyday, like the iridescent PVC I use or the “liquid” fabric that looks like it’s melting. And of course, I’m infatuated with sexuality and seek to emphasize the human body in my designs with varying degrees of subtlety. I also try not to take things too seriously, in general, thus the quirky name… and, obviously, anyone can be my “slut,” a girl or a boy.

2. How would you describe your Spring-Summer 2018 collection?

There are three parts to this collection, one of which is a brand new look for me that I really love right now– the Tron-like, motorcycle gear-inspired leather pieces. Here, I wanted to transform the masculine elements into something provocatively feminine and used sharp angles, aggressive cuts, and bright acid-colored accents. The other two subgroups– PVC and tulle– are more evolutionary and are honed from my past looks. I decided to present my very feminine tulles dresses together with shibari-type rope bondage, which is quite extreme and sexual in its purest form, and I think it makes for a really cool contrast. In general, I wanted to employ a lot of neon hues that pop and I think that pallet really makes a statement.

3. Why was the Boom Boom Room / Le Bain the perfect place to host your show and afterparty?

The Top of The Standard is such an iconic venue. It’s just the perfect setting that I envisioned for the “Slut From The Future.” The all-around windows looking out onto the nighttime New York has always felt futuristic to me. This backdrop works well to create some pretty surreal images together with the bondage-frame installation performance. 

4. What were your main sources of influence? 

I'm very liberal and non-linear in terms of the creative process. Usually I don't follow any specific method and don’t have any set time/place boundaries, which I find are too restrictive of creativity. I enjoy the flow of creativity as it comes and only try to direct this flow, but I always try to make it come naturally. 

It’s hard to pinpoint specific individuals that inspired this particular collection but there were a lot of people that added pieces to the inspiration. Influence came from musicians and artists to street kids and movie characters– whoever has strong charisma and caught my eye.

Looking back at the last two collections, I’ve gotten inspired by some random situations or elements and did not try to purposefully dig for ideas. Once the first iteration of themes, ideas and designs had taken shape I reviewed them all together and discovered some common, repeated patterns or shapes, which I probably came to subconsciously for each season. Then, I sharpen those recurring shapes to make a coherent theme before moving to the final stage of detailed design.

5. You continue to explore ideas of sexuality in the collection, and without subtlety. When did this become an interest or focus of your work?

I don't remember when and how it started exactly... at some point I realized that sex is an animalistic and intuitive action, and since then, I’ve wanted my clothes to evoke the essentialism of sexual desire that everyone has. This season, in “Slut From The Future,” I’m combining my signature bondage and punk elements with an exceedingly vibrant color scheme and innovative materials to present a vision of the future where gender boundaries are intentionally deemphasized, and the wearer is empowered by the unapologetic comfort with their sexuality without the clothes appearing vulgar.

6. How has music played a role in the conception of KAIMIN as a brand?

Of course, music and fashion have such an intertwined relationship and all the different kinds of music I listen to undoubtedly have had a great influence on my stylistic approach in general. For me it comes down to attitude and the ability to express oneself, be it through music or through clothes, so the references to punk in my clothing clearly correlate with such music but I also use elements of pop culture and futuristic looks. All of these bring up specific musical associations in my head when I think about the different parts of the collection.

7. How did the collaboration with Brooke Candy come about?

I met Brooke Candy through our mutual friend, B. Akerlund. We respect each other’s work, and we recently created a capsule collection of dresses to use for visuals as part of the official launch of her song “Living Out Loud” ft. Sia, including the main cover. I also created some custom pieces for Brooke Candy’s current music tour to be worn on stage and for press purposes.

8. What does the selection of Brooke Candy as 'the muse' demonstrate about your brand?

I think Brooke Candy is an exceptional artist and I’ve found out that in real life she is exactly what she appears to be in the media, she is incredibly authentic– I really respect that and I very much associate this authenticity with my brand. She also has a very inclusive attitude and, similarly, KAIMIN has always tried not to focus on gender specifics. I think our relationship just works on so many levels. 

9. What do you hope people take away from this collection?

Well, my works can be rather sexual and sexuality is a very personal matter. I want people to feel comfortable with their sexuality and themselves in general, so that’s probably the implicit message. I think inclusivity is very important. But as much as I like to communicate with people through my work, I never expect a definite answer. I enjoy the variety of reactions as I just create and design whatever I like. What matters most is that some type of emotion is evoked in general and I think that’s why my pieces appeal to such a wide variety of people. My designs work for self-confident, progressive, and feminine women, and for anyone who wants to feel that way.

10. When you’re not designing or working on the collection, what occupies your time?

I like to watch movies and I travel a lot.

11. What does the future hold in store for Kaimin?

Ultimately, I wish to influence people through my work and inspire the next wave of innovators. Knowing the artist world from the inside, I strive to support the many talented people that haven’t gotten their time in the spotlight quite yet, but who most definitely deserve to be heard.

INTERVIEW BY AUDREY ROSE

EDITED BY HOLLIS DE LANEY

PHOTOGRAPHY: MARK HUNTER, RYOSUKE MIYAI, DOM SMITH