Over the summer, emerging designer Kari Vettese unveiled her first capsule collaboration of sculptural ready-to-wear with Kim Kardashian’s Skims.
“Skims approached us two years ago with the idea of working together, and the partnership felt incredibly natural from the start. We were able to bring distinct Vettese language to an entirely new scale and audience. Seeing the collection sell out immediately was a testament to how naturally the two brands came together,” Vettese told WWD of the partnership.
Now, the first-generation Italian American designer, who recently relocated from Los Angeles to New York City, is gearing up to present her spring 2027 collection during New York Fashion Week. The runway show, happening on Sept. 12, also continues her relationship with Kardashian’s label, as Skims is the official undergarment partner.
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Vettese said the collection continues to be rooted in her Italian heritage, mixed with her American life including the color, happiness and California sunshine of her childhood. This also comes through her seasonal inspiration quote that, “The greatest gift a parent can give a child is the freedom to dream.”
“She eats, loves, works extraordinarily hard, drives fast, lies in the sun, gets dressed beautifully for no reason, keeps her grandmother’s things and buys extraordinary new ones. She is ambitious without becoming sterile, sensual without being objectified, and glamorous without being perfect. If I had to describe the collection in one word, it would be aliveness,” she continued of the Vettese woman.
Vettese noted the collection will include traditional menswear codes, reworked for the female form, alongside an evolution of her interchangeable constructions which “continue to challenge how a garment is meant to be worn,” she said. In addition to sculptural styles, which have become a hallmark of the label, Vettese will also be introducing her first handbag, said to be inspired by her signature hip corset.
In addition to her ongoing relationship with Skims, Vettese is working with Patti Wilson for her show’s styling.
“I’ve always admired Patti. She’s an icon with a rare ability to create characters and images that become part of fashion history. Working together felt incredibly natural as I wanted someone who could understand the codes; I’ve built deeply enough to see completely new possibilities within them. I also just love being around women who have lived, have stories and have a strong sense of themselves,” Vettese said. “I was incredibly close to my Nonna, and growing up in an Italian household, the kids were always at the table with the adults during our big family gatherings, often multiple nights a week, listening to their stories and wisdom. There’s something about Patti’s spirit that feels very familiar to me in that way. I adore her, and this show is going to be so special.”
Speaking to growth since launching her label in 2022, Vettese said it has been very organic and that some of her most conceptually driven pieces, including her Deep V body styles, Tube pieces and tailoring, have also become her strongest commercially. Furthermore, the designer’s tailoring specifically exudes her expression of the brand’s in-house craftsmanship, which brings together elements of the past and present through a mix of elevated fabrics paired with antique textiles and finishes, which are then worked into styles that reinterpret historic techniques for the modern day. Her collection continues to range from $95 for everyday-to-night, versatile core garments to $6,000 and $7,000 for her more runway-driven pieces.
“It’s deeply important to me to preserve the art of design and to never compromise the vision or values we believe in. Being able to move between the worlds of luxury and commercial while remaining true to the integrity of Vettese is truly the dream,” she said, noting that having her own in-house production allows her brand to imbue each garment with, “real value and care” encompassing craftsmanship and construction by the skilled individuals on her team who bring the pieces to life.
Showing during New York Fashion Week — she showed on the CFDA Fashion Calendar for the first time in February after showing off-calendar — has also allowed Vettese to scale her audience.
“NYFW has given us an incredible opportunity to present Vettese as a complete world and, with each show, that world becomes more defined, expansive and true to our vision. The CFDA has been incredibly supportive of Vettese from Day One, and I’m always looking forward to each season and finding new ways to build on what we’ve created,” she said.
Showing in New York City and widening her city-based customer base was also part of the impetus for Vettese to relocate from California this year.
“From a business standpoint, being in New York has brought us closer to the center of the American fashion industry, which has been essential to this new stage for Vettese. I don’t think New York replaced California in the work; however, it expanded the world around it,” she said, noting that while the optimism, freedom, ease and sensuality she grew up with in California have informed how she sees clothes and the women who wear them, New York brings a new intensity to her perspective.
