IMAGE COURTESY OF WK
Each season a new crop of fashion hopefuls debut collections for the world's most prestigious buyers, bloggers and style mavens to peruse. For Spring 2015, one such hopeful will be WK, the enigmatic young designer behind the emerging brand Asymptote. A bit of a mystery man who is known only by his initials, WK's first collection really showed a wisdom and daring beyond his young years, that left us wondering, just who is this guy?
To answer that question, Style Wylde got together via e-mail with WK to find out what he and his label are really all about.
SW: First and foremost as we are all just getting to know you, we have to ask, what does “Asymptote” mean, both literally and as a name for your brand?
WK: An asymptote is the line a curve approaches but never reaches. They tend to infinity together. Asymptote can be thought of an ideal that can not be reached. This is explored well in Zeno's paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise. As for how the word serves as a name for my brand, I believe Fashion is never finished, it is a process that strives for ideals yet is never complete. The Dior Homme scars and Yohji Yamamoto's consideration of perfection as 'ugly' are great examples of designing towards an asymptote.
SW: Have you always known you would get to fashion as a career? Were there any other careers that you imagined yourself doing when you were a kid?
WK: All I've ever wanted was to realize ideas and dreams into physical reality. Fashion gives me the opportunity to do this and then share these dreams with others in a personal way.
SW: It’s my understanding that Asymptote is your first full professional collection, is that correct? What is it that you want to say with this debut about men’s fashion and the menswear market? What drove you to want to create it? Was it more of a hole in the marketplace that you wanted to fill, or more of a “I have something I want to say” drive?
WK: It is my first fully realized collection under my own brand although I have worked previously in the fashion industry. One of the main things I wanted to address with the collection is the notion that men are moving past the need to dress for their position in life. They want to add more personal expression, more emotion to how they present themselves to the world. Asymptote offers this variety with looks that are sophisticated and mature without being traditional or tiresome.
SW: From where do you draw inspiration for your design? What is it in your world that you feel moved by?
WK: I'm inspired by history, photography, movies, and the wonderful personalities of all the amazing people in my life. I'm moved by action, passion, belief, and love.
SW: What, if any, music do you listen to when you are designing, or even editing down a collection?
WK: Vivaldi's Stabat Mater conducted by Chiara Banchini, Angelo Badalamenti, Richard D James
SW: Who are you favorite icons of male-style? Who would be a dream client to dress (living or dead)
WK: Oscar Wilde, David Bowie, Pharrell Williams
SW: For the Spring 2015 collection, there seems to be a lot of fluidity between looks that are relaxed and flowing perhaps more unisex in vibe and looks that are more structured and decidedly more masculine. Do you see this as appealing to different moods of the same guy, or is Asymptote a collection that offers individual looks for a vast variety of guys?
WK: My customer is comfortable in a wide range of outfits and circumstances. This is a result of him defining his wardrobe rather than his job or other expectations picking his clothes for him. So when he wants structure, drape, or something in between Asymptote is a good choice.
SW: How do you think the edgier, more unisex pieces will be received by the male public at large? Are mainstream American guys ready for it, or do you see it as more of a cool-in-the-know-fashion-guy brand?
WK: That’s really a question for my customers. I think that you can style pieces in my collection in a way that would only work for an edgier, fashion-educated guy and the same pieces can be styled into a more professional, mainstream way. It’s always interesting to think of how the same outfit looks completely different on different men, personalities, and the occasions they are worn to.
SW: And finally, when you are not working on a collection, what is your favorite thing to do?
WK: I read a recommended book, go out to eat, or watch a movie. However, it all eventually gets reflected back in the collection, so I can never fully say that I’m not working on a collection!
For more information on Asymptote, and WK check out the brand's official homepage.