Q&A: Toronto's Kathryn Bowen on designing custom looks for Kim Kardashian

Jan 27 2022, 2:09 pm

Toronto designer Kathryn Bowen has been steadily building buzz since the launch of her contemporary label in 2018, but was thrust onto the global stage last week when Kim Kardashian wore custom looks from her atelier.

The reality TV star stunned in three of Bowen’s signature mesh dresses for the launch of her latest fragrance with florist Jeff Leatham. Jeff Leatham II by KKW Fragrance dropped on Wednesday.

Each of the looks corresponds to one of the new fragrances in the line, which have been heavily promoted on Kim’s social media channels in recent days.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian)

Daily Hive caught up with the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards nominee about how the exciting project came about, what it was like meeting Kim, and what’s ahead for her.

How did the KKW Fragrance campaign come up?

My stylist, Basia Wyszynski, knows someone on the KKW Fragrance team, and had sent them images of my collections in April of last year. We just knew that Kim would really like the mesh pieces that I make. Her team agreed and thought Kim would be interested at some time — but we didn’t know for what.

When this shoot opportunity came up, the KKW team remembered my mesh dress. They thought it would be a good base to model looks off of for this shoot because they wanted her to have three custom looks [to represent the three fragrances]…they reached out to me, which was crazy.

How did you feel when you got the call?

I was overwhelmed and I was a little skeptical. I was thinking, “I don’t know about this.” A lot of the time, I do loans to celebrities — and I didn’t know this was a custom project at first. I thought I would loan dresses I already had — and lot of the time, a celebrity won’t use or wear them.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by KKW FRAGRANCE (@kkwfragrance)

This time, I thought, “let me talk to the team.” I got on a phone call with a producer at KKW Fragrance and she said, “We really like your mesh bustier dress. Are you available to make three versions of it in two weeks?”

She laid out the project for me and I realized it was a custom job and that it was a huge thing. They basically commissioned me to make three custom dresses for Kim.

What inspired you to work with mesh and how did Kim fit into that?

I really like the mesh because I’ve always loved lingerie and corsetry. Mesh can be layered and create beautiful lines — and it’s easy to wear, but looks like a corset. My corset top is actually a tube top, but there are so many lines [in the fabric] that it looks like a real bustier that has boning in it. It sells really well because it’s super comfy.

Kathryn stands a selfie in her studio while working on custom pieces for Kim Kardashian. (Credit: Kathryn Bowen)

For Kim, I always thought she loves wearing really sexy stuff that’s fitted, so it was always something at the back of my mind that she may want to wear some day. That was why we sent images to her team months ago! It made sense — I wasn’t surprised she was interested in the style; I was just shocked that the size of the project they actually asked me to take on.

One of the dresses is seen underway. (Credit: Kathryn Bowen)

Over time when we were discussing the designs, they saw we also made bustiers — which is the top version of Kim’s dresses. Those are a special part of my archive. They wanted the bustiers, too, which was amazing because that’s a defining piece for my brand.

How much input did Kim have on the custom designs?

I was collaborating with her creative director at [KKW Fragrance and KKW Beauty], Kim Schraub. We had a lot of emails back and forth to talk about the fine details. They really liked the original mesh dress [that I already make] and asked me to make it in Kim’s size — they gave me her measurements to make a custom one.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by KKW FRAGRANCE (@kkwfragrance)

They also decided they wanted the dresses to be in neutral tones to go with the fragrances, the packaging of the product, and the floral design — so we came up with a nude version of the dress and then black and white. It was pretty easy, because they did really like the original design. It was more about variations.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by KKW FRAGRANCE (@kkwfragrance)

The initial black dress was the same [as the one in my collection]. We switched it up for a nude one to add a different neckline and a slit. And the last white look was completely from my archive. I make the mesh bustier in that colour, same shape and size, and we then we paired it with a pair of lingerie bike shorts. Kim loves the biker short!

What was it like meeting Kim at the fitting?

Kim was lovely to work with. Of course, she always looks beautiful and knows exactly how she wants everything to fit. She was very professional and sweet!

The custom nude mesh dress worn by Kim Kardashian in her new KKW Fragrance campaign. (Credit: Kathryn Bowen)

What were your thoughts when you saw the photoshoot by fellow Canadian Greg Swales?

I didn’t know that Greg [who hails from Vancouver] was doing it, which was pretty amazing. We have a lot of mutual friends and have met. When I realized Greg had shot it, I thought that was pretty special because we come from the same place. We have the same friends in fashion here in Toronto.

When I first saw the shoot, I was pretty blown away. I didn’t realize how many photos they were taking. They also told me they were going to spread [the release of the photos] out over the course of the week to build hype for the launch — that blew me away! It meant that my designs were going to be part of the entire rollout for the fragrances.

What’s next for you?

I just finished a spring collection! It’s a small capsule collection made entirely out of that mesh fabric, because it does so well. I wanted to have fun with that because I generally only put these mesh pieces in as underpinnings or easy tanks or corsets — but I have gotten really creative with using the fabric and I started to make full outfits with it.

This entire spring collection is made of mesh and I think it’s just really easy to wear. That launches this week on Instagram. It’s already been bought by SSENSE and Nordstrom, so it will be available in late spring.

Daily Hive StaffDaily Hive Staff

+ Arts
+ Fashion & Beauty
+ Curated
ADVERTISEMENT