And as he began to evolve Kith from sneakerhead mecca to destination fashion boutique to international luxury menswear brand, Fieg developed an even deeper appreciation for Armani’s abiding fashion influence. “As I started to learn about Giorgio, I saw how he really invented some of these styles that are still so relevant today.” Relaxed fit-clothing and bomber jackets, two things Kith has sold a lot of in the past 13 years? Very Armani. “He changed fashion,” notes Fieg.
Courtesy of Kith
Courtesy of Kith
The clothes revolve around four consummate characters that inhabit the casually elegant world of Armani. “The way that I explained it to Mr. Armani was: I want to showcase the men that Giorgio Armani dressed, and how these people have become immersed in his world,” Fieg says. There’s the soft black suiting of the artist; the velvety loungewear of the entertainer; the earthy field attire of the traveler; and the slick, street-ready tailoring of the entrepreneur. Each category has its own style of tailoring; the entire line—which also includes trench coats, bombers, rugby shirts, jerseys, heavy knitwear, sunglasses, duffle bags and other leather accessories, plus three footwear styles—is made in Italy by Armani.
“My collaboration with Kith and Ronnie Fieg resulted in four wardrobes for four different types of men, maintaining the suit the focus in all of them,” says Giorgio Armani. “My main intention has always been to create garments that give the wearer a sense of dignity and confidence: clothes that make them look their best, designed to highlight their personality. We worked on expressions of personalities and ways of being. Developing the collection was a bit like designing costumes for the stars of a movie.
“As for suits, the centerpiece of the male wardrobe, I’ve always striven to demonstrate its constant modernity and its ability to adapt to both the times and people. This collaboration offers a different perspective on my classics, reaching a new audience.”
Courtesy of Kith
The campaign to roll out the collaboration does indeed have the makings of a movie. Alongside Scorsese, who fills the role of the artist, Fieg cast Lakeith Stanfield as the entertainer and Pierce Brosnan as the traveler. So who’s the entrepreneur? That would be Fieg himself. It was, he says, the Armani team’s idea. “I don’t necessarily love to be on camera,” he says. “But I feel like this is such a benchmark for us, so I was honored and proud to be a part of it in that way, so that I can look back on it and remember it for this exact moment.”
Being in a campaign alongside Martin Scorsese is cool and all, but Fieg is actually most excited for what comes next. The clothes launch at a NYC pop-up shop on September 6, with a wider rollout starting September 13. “The collection is wow, man,” Fieg says. “There’s the content and all that, but at the end of the day, when people touch and feel the product, it’s going to be better than anything we’re talking about.”
