Designer Profile 2023: Kiki Apple

Returning for her 4th and last year, Kiki Apple presents her latest collection: an eclectic mix of Italian and Catholic allusions with splashes of red, white, and black littered with sports mesh and plush elements.

… on 4 years in MODA

It’s kind of crazy thinking of how 4 years have already gone by. This year is my biggest collection yet,  4 looks for 4 years. Having done this for 4 years, I’ve had the opportunity to have 4 years of experience creating designs and pieces, which allows me to now produce pieces up to the caliber that I want to be. A lot of my pieces are very body specific but there are some that I have put in my own closet, like my cow dress and shirt from my second year. This year, I’ll probably take one of the plush pieces and the nun jumpsuit. 

… on the concept

For this year, I have a very specific theme in mind. I describe it as all of my models going to a work event that’s taking place in a church in the Baroque style in Italy that is turned into a night club and they work for the Italian mafia. It’s formal but also club-weary with a lot of Catholic religious allusions. It’s hard to visualize but I think it all comes together in the end. At first glance, all my models were super confused, but after doing the first fitting they finally get it. Hopefully, when the show happens, everyone will get the concept. 

… on the collection

Each look has a different religious allusion. There’s the priest, the nun, the runaway bride, and the repentant sinner. This year’s collection is a lot of sports mesh, the kind that basketball shorts are made of, and a lot of plushies. The reason why I’m using sports mesh was actually an accident since I accidentally ordered 21 feet of sports mesh, but it ended up working well in the collection and pieces. The color palette is mostly red, white, and black.  Each piece had its own little challenges. The nun jumpsuit was really hard because I had to make it big first and tailor it to the model, so lots of alterations there. The priest was also difficult with alterations. I take into account the opinions of my models too even though the designs are my ideas, so some details are tailored to what they want. The looks are all very plushy-heavy, and there’s a blazer, jumpsuit, skirt, and a lot of other elements I’ve done in previous shows. 

… on inspiration

I’m Italian, so I obviously had to incorporate that into my collection as an homage of sorts. I actually came up with the concept for the collection while watching the Godfather, as it’s one of my favorite movies. The concept of the bride in particular alludes to my Catholic upbringing as an Argentine Italian where there’s so much passion and romance in both cultures, so the bride is supposed to represent the romanticization of love in life as opposed to marriage. The sinner concept came last to me when sketching. I had this idea of a blazer but I wasn’t sure what look to assign it to, but I thought about how the church can’t survive without people who sin, so that’s where the sinner came from. 

… on other designers

I’ve been working a lot with the new designers and I’m working closely with Eddy and Seb, so definitely look out for them! They’re doing a collaboration collection, which will definitely be interesting. 

… on looking back to the first year

If I could talk to first-year me, I think I would tell them there are some things in life that you have control over, and a lot that you don’t. What you can control is how you respond to them. Choose where you will put your energy into. And also, enjoy the mundane more, and find your peace in the mundane. Related to the show, I would say find your piece and start early. Enjoy the mundane of working on pieces for themselves. 

… on my design philosophy

My design philosophy is very iterative. I started by putting all my ideas on a page, picking one, taking it further, and repeating it. This collection started with workwear, then it went to clubwear, and then the 80s, then medieval and crusade, and then Catholic allusions. It’s about going back and forth between your ideas and never getting rid of them.