they are part of us and who we are. KAWAkEY Secrets Under The Bed.

Key reflects his teenage year experience: “As gay and on the spectrum, being a teenager was sometimes rather lonely. I imagined characters to be friends with as I felt no one else could understand me. I also realized some of them in the form of love and erotic-themed manga drawings. It was pure imagination — a form of escapism and self-expression — at that time.”

“Once, my drawings were found and they raised conversation and concern within my family. I was ashamed and didn’t know who to talk to. I buried all those fantasies under my bed and hoped they would never see daylight again. Even after all these years, I can still remember those characters and stories I created, they must have had great meaning to me, there is no way I can forget them. They are still reminding me who I was, who I am.” he says.

Over time, tucked away things become faded, moth-eaten, and dusty. In this collection KAWAkEY uses digital prints on various kinds of Tencel satin and BCI cotton twills to imitate these effects – layered prints and textures dissolve into each other. Mohair/ Alpaca blended yarns are knitted with unique gradients effect to reinterpret fabric fades in an exaggerated form, then heavily brushed to imitate worn-out romantic knits.

KAWAkEY Rebranded

KA WA KEY has been rebranded as KAWAkEY, one single word with second “k” in lowercase letter, making it look like a typo. “We see the beauty of imperfection. Sometimes when experimenting textile treatments and pattern cutting, we just cannot avoid errors or failures, which can be very inspiring and uniquely beautiful.”

Reimagining traditional textile crafts with sustainable materials and practices, KAWAkEY is a London-based label designing deconstructed knitwear and prints that bring new emotions and ideas into a genderless wardrobe with vivid colorways and unexpected proportions.

Key Chow, originally from Hong Kong, graduated from the Royal College of Art in London with a Master’s degree in Fashion (Knitwear). He was nominated as one of the finalists at the H&M design award for his graduate collection, which was selected to be exhibited at Palais de Tokyo in Paris. He believes that knitting and crafting are ways for a sincere expression of emotional vulnerability.

Finnish Jarno Leppanen has a cross-artistic background and holds a Master’s degree in Arts. With a cross-disciplinary take, he devises their unique design language into collaborative poetical works. He is currently an MSc student majoring in Sustainable Development.

See more looks from the KAWAkEY Secrets Under The Bed collection…

Images courtesy of KAWAkEY

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