story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero
Brother & sister Nicholas and Chris Kunz, of the New York based label Nicholas K, actually began their journey to the catwalks of New York in the arid air of Tuscon, Arizona. The loose cuts and fine and flowing layers seem a natural outgrowth of life in the heat.This season’s collection continued the growth of this impressive and under-recognized label. Ably helmed with Nicholas as designer and Chris as the business manager, the label is poised for bigger and better things.
There was a strong feel of casual ease and deconstruction present throughout the collection. These two strange aesthetic bed fellows combined to make the clothing seem as if it belonged to the most stylish nomads of all time. The hard edge provided by leathers and leather cords made them seem as they had wandered into a desert city. Perfectly weighted fabrics moved easily in short relaxed waves creating a beautiful effect, particularly when paired with a linear multi-hued print that appeared throughout the collection.
In a further display of skill Mrs. Kunz used loose-hanging layers composed of dual color sections draped on top of each other that was handled in such a way that it felt very fresh, even though it’s a staple for many designers. The looks suggested a designer who is coming into a sense of comfort with their work. The collection was cool, calm, and collected and seems destined to be a hit with down town darlings in cities around the globe who want to project, “relaxed, but not sloppy” into the hangouts where the cool kids dwell.
