Do we really need Kylie Jenner’s new clothing line?

As soon as a member of the Kardashian-Jenner family creates media headlines, rest assured another sister will soon one-up her. That’s exactly what happened this week. Shortly after socialite-slash-business polymath Kim Kardashian announced her inaugural menswear Skims collection, on Tuesday, Kylie Jenner took to Instagram to tease the release of her new clothing brand, aptly called Khy. The Jenner sibling posted the first look at the budding “accessible fashion” label on Instagram, which looked to have plucked design cues straight from Phoebe Philo or The Row’s moodboard. Sporting a black leather trench coat and crimson heels, the Kar-Jen sibling captioned the post “meet Khy,” tagging the new brand’s social handle. To date, the label’s official account has racked up 228,000 followers. Enthusiasts can sign up for exclusive early access to Khy, but little has been given away in terms of what aesthetic Jenner is set to dive into. Though, with the whole Kardashian clan having recently leaned further into the quiet luxury trend, it’s likely that Jenner’s new venture will follow suit. According to a press release from the brand, Khy’s first collection will be created in collaboration with Namilia, and feature 13 products including base layers, tops, and faux leather coats and pants. Prices will sit between 48 and 198 and items will be available in sizes ranging from XXS to 4XL. Within hours of Khy’s unveiling, the pop culture and high fashion communities on social media united to ask, do we really need another celebrity fashion line? The answer was a resounding “no.” Not only has the first glance of the clothing sparked questions over its material integrity and sustainability, but a video published by the Wall Street Journal – which showed Kylie explaining the reasons behind her latest endeavor – has been pilloried. “Rich people have it so easy when it comes to creating clothing empires. I went to fashion school with so many talented designers that unfortunately don’t have the money to make it big in the industry,” one user replied to the video on X. Rumors of design theft are already mounting. Shortly after the brand's Instagram debut, Paris-based creative Betsy Johnson took to the platform to claim that Jenner had allegedly stolen her concepts and passed them off as her own. With the social media behemoth having been crowned the haute-couture queen of the recent Spring/Summer 2024 fashion week, after popping up at the likes of Schiaparelli and Acne Studios, Jenner is currently perched at the apex of ‘fashion girlie’ status. It seems like the next logical step is to capitalize on this success as much as possible – a move no doubt ‘momager’ Kris Jenner has played a part in. Though we must give credit where it’s due. Jenner has previously built an empire within the beauty arena with her eponymous brand Kylie Cosmetics. But can she replicate the same success within the fashion realm? Critics are unconvinced, claiming that Jenner is simply riding on the coattails of her older sister's success in the industry; Kim Kardashian’s shapewear label Skims is now valued at 4 billion, as reported by the New York Times in July. Whatever your opinion is on Kylie Jenner, her influence on the fashion scene this year has been undeniable – and if the poster girl of fashion can’t launch her own fashion line, then who can?

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Do we really need Kylie Jenner’s new clothing line?