Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Kilgore.
Kyle, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve always been a creative person. As a child I cut up clothes to make new ones a lot, once I got a bit older I started making my clothes for concerts and stuff. Surprisingly I wanted to go to school for architecture, but I saw the coriclumn and that was a deal breaker lol. I continued developing my skills in sewing but went to school for design, after a chance encounter with a buyer for Nordstrom at a Halloween party I dropped out of college. The Nordstrom buyer and I bonded on a lot of things and I told him about my clothes and showed him some of my work. He said it was really good and no amount of schooling can teach someone taste. He advised that I save the money, start my brand and see where it takes me. So I dropped out and put everything into my brand, I did a photoshoot with a popular south Florida burlesque performer Vita DeVoid and that put me on the map. I did my first show in 2014 and that solidified my existence as a prominent South Florida designer. Both those things led to me winning the best designer of the bay in ’15. Everything since then has been a learning experience, I’m constantly working reworking my business model and design approach. Last year (2019), I opened my first physical location in downtown Tampa, which was open for one year. Building management changed and wanted to double my rent, so I downsized and relocated to Ybor City. And I’ve been here ever since.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has NOT been a smooth road at all. My first struggle was balancing work and my design. We all have to pay our bills, and in the beginning, my design DID NOT pay the bills at all. So I had to work all day at my day job, and all night at sewing. It was EXHAUSTING and emotionally tasking. Then the next giant hurtle was financing. Getting a person or a bank to believe//invest in a start-up art company is like pulling teeth. It is easy to get someone to invest in hard numbers, statistics, and business models that already exist. But getting someone to invest in art so you can have the capital to develop as a company and generate real numbers and a business model is next to impossible. I’m still struggling with that.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Kilgore is known for its advante garde designs, leather work, and fetish wear (specifically harnesses). I’m most proud that we’ve excelled in such a unique design niche in such a commercial un-diverse market. Kilgore is unique in the fact that our work is still done by hand the hard way. Right now, fashion brands are obsessed with this high volume, cheap quality and disposable. Being quality driven, small batch, and not disposable is a rarity these days.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I can’t speak in Miami. I do shoots and fittings there. But I can say Tampa is not very good for my line of work. There is an extreme lack of style diversity, which forces designers to conform to the already redundant market for the sake of making money. And the market locally doesn’t prioritize fashion and cant support a healthy price point.
It is a great place to get your feet wet and find your voice as a creative. Tampa has tons of showcases. But if you want to make your art more than just a hobby, this is not the place.
Pricing:
- alterations are normally anywhere from 25-70$
- My custom work is charged based on a 300$ day rate. Most simple designs take about 2-3 days.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1327 East 7th Avenue
#Unit B Suite 2 - Phone: 8138427575
- Email: Kyle@Kilgoreofficial.com
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