Humans are complex beings and to even begin to try and fathom our depth is nearly impossible. We as people have the human experience through both conflict and catharsis, and the human experience is one that is uniquely our own—despite the fact that it is shared collectively among individuals. We as humans are living paradoxes.
– Kyle Denman
With a love for politics, law, and art, Los Angeles-based, South Korean-born Kyle Denman shares a philosophical perspective on fashion and the interconnectivity and multi-dimensionality of the human experience.
Premiered at New York Fashion Week September 2021, Denman’s “mul·ti·po·lar—ex·ist·ence” has garnered well-deserved attention. An emotional and personal project that took over a year to create, Denman’s collection takes a deep dive into the social context of human interconnectivity and the psychological aspects of our fundamental need to belong, to connect, and be loved, referencing Maslow’s “hierarchy of needs”.
“Humans are social creatures and interpersonal connections are vital to our existence”, Denman says. “The collection demonstrates the capacity of the human condition and how we as people are interdependent elements whose souls become intertwined through chance and circumstance. It is a conceptual, personal, and poetic vision of humanity; it is both an homage and a criticism of the dissociation and de-realization of relationships in our own lives.”
Carefully composed with sculpturally defined shapes and the human silhouette, “mul·ti·po·lar—ex·ist·ence” showcases multi-dimensional aspects of the human experience specific to evoking emotions or states of being, with each look in the collection named as such—Anxiety, Detachment, Homeostasis, and Vibration—to name four out of the eight looks. Stories are born through pain and suffering. This body of work demonstrates Denman’s storytelling about how humans are able to connect through these emotions. Denman’s work is complex and multi-layered, in addition to the contours of shapes and the human silhouette, there are other layers; for example, Denman’s use of yellow, “yellow exists as a paradox in the collection; it is both representative of purity and youth as well as degradation and cowardice.
A highly acclaimed designer with honors including 2023 Forbes inaugural 30 Under 30 Local Los Angeles list, the International Design Award 2021 Fashion Designer of the Year, the Fashion Designers and Craft Makers Network 2018 Young Fashion Designer of the Year, and the Grand Prize winner of the 2016 Project Runway Remake It Work contest, Denman is humbled as a steward of fashion’s purpose. He sees fashion as a record keeper of our times, as artifacts of history, and a powerful art form that cannot be ignored.
Feature image [collage]: photographer Ilya Savenok
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