Photos courtesy of Lito Caleon and Edmund Chua
Globally, 2015 and 2016 runway shows have had their fare of streetwear designs, and in the recently concluded Philippine Fashion Week, streetwear was one of the highlights on the catwalk. Exploding with colors and punk, SoFA and Central Saint Martins–University of the Arts London alumna, Kaye Morales, takes a “Rebel” yell and showcases a colorful mix of neoprene, leather and denim paired with her new line of backpacks and shoulder bags made from vinyl and cassette tape. Inspired by her roots as member of the LGBT community, the young designer’s streetwear collection screams, “I’m out, loud and proud!”
“I’m out as a lesbian with my friends and family but not in the fashion industry yet. I want the industry to understand why my designs always highlight androgynous and tailored pieces,” Kaye shares. “The title of my collection is Rebel. Because it’s a revolution of self. It’s about my personality and sexuality. I want to open myself and make the fashion industry a welcoming place to all different types of gender as I open up to this industry,” she adds.
Her clothing brand is a go-to house for people who want to stand out in the crowd, be different, be edgy, and rock. But now that she has labeled herself as a proud LGBT designer, her market might get broader or smaller depending on how the crowd will receive this revelation. “Of course I want to be labeled as a good designer,” explains Kaye. “It’s good to be known as a designer that creates good quality clothes and not just a lesbian designer,” shares Kaye. “It tells the story of how I came out with my parents, my friends, or how I overcome all the trials in my life and open up my designs to different genders, sexualities and share it to the fashion industry.”
The Kaye Morales clothing brand has always had an avant-garde signature to it with a dark rocker chic insignia. “My designs changed over the years; they’re becoming more wearable now,” explains Kaye. “
When I started designing, I started with clothes that are avant-garde, almost like costumes, because of my background in production design.” Her latest collection draws her back to her ready-to-wear line Schizo. “I started with RTW when I was first launched as a designer. I guess my brand is streetwear, androgynous, tailored and has very edgy pieces,” says Kaye.
Throughout the years, Kaye Morales’ eclectic designs have stood out from the runways and gets a mixed pool of reviews from bad to good. Her collections have been featured in both local and international shows, most notable of which are the LA Style and Vancouver Fashion Weeks. “Everyone has a say when you create a collection. I guess you just have to be ready with what critics will say. For me it’s actually not bad,” she says. “It gives you more tips on what to edit on your next collection. Like I know what to improve and I get to realize if I went overboard already with details,” chuckles Kaye.
Rebel somewhat relaunches her RTW collection and this young designer wants to create more for her RTW line. “I want the crowd to feel that I have never forgotten that RTW side of me and this is like a comeback and I think I’ll be creating more wearable pieces now,” shares Kaye. “I want to also put a line between my brand of RTW and separate it from my made-to- order which is Kaye Morales.”
For more information on the Rebel collection or Kaye Morales designs, follow Kaye Morales on Facebook and @mzkayemorales and @kayemoralesintl on Instagram. Call +632 519 0523 or +63 917 320 7550 to set up an appointment at her freestanding store, Kaye Morales Atelier, located at 8862 Sampaloc Street, San Antonio Village, Makati City.
