Fashion

Too Kule For School

Written & Photographed by A Wild Dove


Nikki Kule was born into fashion. Here’s the gist - her father Gene Kule was the “King of Pants” having created the 1970’s clothing brand Happy Legs with her mother Arlene. Knowing she wanted to continue the biz’, Nikki attended Parsons The New School for Design in Paris and New York and honed her aesthetic around the world. She took a role with her family, but after having her first child, saw an opportunity to create luxe children’s wear by launching KULE in 2001. Soon after, chicsters from Amy Astley and Stella McCartney to Madonna came calling. Based on her initial success, Nikki then launched a full boy’s and girls line for Brooks Brothers. But as her children grew older, she decided to design women’s clothes to better serve her own passion.  She naturally gravitated towards stripes, and thus KULE was born. It’s become the de-facto must-have line for a cool Parisian-meets-New York take on the stripe. We spoke with Nikki about everything from horizontal lines to the little ones, and how she manages it all -


 
 

A Wild Dove

What was the "trigger moment" for launching an exclusively striped collection?

 

Nikki Kule

Stripes have consistently been included in all of my collections, starting from my first season for the KULE children’s line. When I decided to transition my business from children’s to women’s, I wanted to focus on something I truly loved.  Stripes make me happy. I had been searching for the perfect striped shirt my whole life.  Since I have never found it, I figured it was time to stop searching and create it myself.

 

A Wild Dove

We couldn’t agree more! What’s a typical day like for you? Can you describe the different "hats" you wear?

Nikki Kule

Every day is a little different. I work closely with a great team in our Soho-based studio. One day I might be working with my team on a look-book shoot, and on other days I might have the phone plastered to my ear on conference calls with my factory.  My favorite days are when I am wearing headphones and designing the upcoming collection or creating content for our social platforms. One thing is consistent.  It’s very busy every day, but all of the hard work is worth it.

 

A Wild Dove

Being an entrepreneur, you must be learning a great deal along the way. What is one mistake you learned from?

Nikki Kule

The one mistake I have learned along the way is that I can’t be afraid. There was a time when I really wanted to design women’s clothes, but one of my close friends was a designer. As I didn’t want to compete, I started a children’s wear collection.  More recently, when I wanted to launch a women’s stripe focused collection, someone I knew had started one six months before me. Both times I changed my course since I didn’t want it to seem like I was copying them. I eventually went ahead and did it anyway since it was all I ever wanted to do.  I decided to chase my dream and not worry about what other people think.

 

A Wild Dove

What's the best advice you've been given?

 

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Nikki Kule

A piece of advice I follow and often share, is to stay focused, trust your instincts and make decisions quickly. It’s easy to get caught up in trends and other people’s work. The only thing that will set me apart is me.  

 

A Wild Dove

We’re writing that one down. How do you stay balanced?

 

Nikki Kule

I always make sure to spend quality time with my family. We are really close and they help me stay grounded. I also love to run. I release so much stress and can rebalance simply by running and exercising.  I also love to stay in on the weekends, catch up on reading or watch old movies.

 

A Wild Dove

What are the next steps for Kule?

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Nikki Kule

While stripes will always remain the focus of the collection, I am slowly expanding our accessories and outerwear categories. We are also introducing a Resort and Summer collection for the first time in 2018. And I have a secret project in the works right now with a long time friend that I am so excited to share later this summer.

 
 

A Wild Dove

Who are your style icons?

 

Nikki Kule

To name a few of the obvious - Lauren Hutton, Jane Birkin, Lauren Bacall, Sofia Coppola and Alexa Chung. To name a few of the not so obvious, my mother Arlene Kule, who taught me about quality and taste and Ruth Shuman, who founded the charity Publicolor. Both are inspirations inside and out.

 

A Wild Dove

What makes you fly?

 

Nikki Kule

Stripes!! They make me happy. Not to be literal, but my airport uniform always includes a striped top because who doesn’t want to be happy when they travel?

 

for more info

visit kule.com

Our Comme des Garçons Workshop With A Wild Dove & Shine

Written & Photographed by A Wild Dove


Aaron Goldschmidt, our dear friend, is the Founder of Shine, an organization that creates artistically-inspired programs for children. So in celebration of tonight’s MET Gala honoring Comme des Garçons, we tasked him with developing a workshop where kids could discuss fashion as art and create an avant-garde piece inspired by CDG. Aaron gave us the play-by-play of the workshop so that you can inspire your own budding fashion designers at home.

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To begin, Randi, our head teacher and myself, sat in a discussion circle talking about the clothes that we wear. What does it mean to dress for school? To dress up? Does what you wear tell people about who you are or how you’re feeling? Can your clothes make a statement? We then asked the kids if they thought fashion designers were artists. There was no fooling this crew of downtown boys. We all agreed, then went on to look at eight CDG looks and discussed the fashion label.


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I find that by simply asking more questions, the right leading questions, we can help guide children to understanding a concept without it having to be forced into their head. It means a lot more when they start to piece things together rather than when we tell them directly.  

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The boys understood these clothes were special. We discussed the structure of the garments as well as their sculptural quality. We had already talked about the fact that designing clothes was like building, just building on a body. The details on the CDG clothes were noticeably popping off each garment, the 3D aspect making them feel constructed and appealing to the boys’ desire to build.

We told the boys they were going to design a garment using the distressed vintage t-shirts on the mannequins. Since CDG is a Japanese label, origami paper is the perfect material to construct
an original garment while tying it back to the theme.

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We then went on to teach the boys simple folds but encouraged them to make up their own folds, to do a repetition of folds, to really go crazy, go avant-garde with experimental and unusual ideas.

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It was then on to the construction of the garment on the mannequin. Using adhesive tape so they could move their origami around, the boys began building their piece. For embellishments, we added ribbons, buttons, and crumpled up white butcher paper as an added fabric in case they wanted to add volume or length or giant flowers.

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With only guidance, a little direction, and some questions, we were able to allow the boys to really get into the process. When they settled on placement for their paper and embellishments, we came in with a hot glue gun to attach.

Our workshop concluded with another meeting where each designer got to speak about his garment. 

 

Callum wanted

his to be "joyful"!

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Gabi really wanted to

Show off the wings.

 

Alexander, well,

his vision spoke volumes

about him as a designer...

truly inspired.

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Allowing children to explore and create using a theme that might seem daunting or difficult can become an opportunity for learning, growing, and expanding their views of the world. This ultimately leads to creating critical thinkers, creative minds, and open hearts - making the world a better place for all of us.

Mannequins and All Clothes on Alexander, Callum, and Gabi by Trico Field | White Vintage Tees by The Quality Mending Co.


For More info please visit

SHINE.NYC | Trico field

the quality mending co.

As modern mamas living in the over information age, (where everyone is an expert and parenting opinions are shared as freely and easily as an Instagram post) it can be tough to filter through the white noise to find the facts. Naturally, we’d love to consider ourselves wise in all sorts of ways, but the truth is sometimes we’re scrawling SOS in the sand. Good thing we’ve got the guidance and expertise of our own personal rockstars: the people who inspire us on the daily. Our rockstars (our flock) are enthusiasts, professionals and influencers in the fields of wellness, travel, education, style—the list goes on. Each one brings a profoundly different perspective to the table, one informed by their own experiences and outlooks. And that perspective is priceless.

They say it takes a village…we say it takes a flock.

Lynn Loves - Spring Favorites

Written & Photographed by A Wild Dove


Welcome back to Dove Loves, Lynn’s definitive guide to the products and pieces she’s loving right now - her favorites du jour, the holy grail of what she’s coveting, researching, talking about, obsessing over. From yellow sunnies to scuba boots, consider this a Springtime selection of beauty and fashion that’s tried, tested and approved directly from the source of all things A Wild Dove.


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Céline sunglasses

I’m ob-sessed with everything about these sunnies. They’re not my usual “go to” shape, but for some reason I love them. Very 90’s Kurt Cobain. And the color is SO GOOD. It somehow goes with everything, even though it’s a totally crazy mustard yellow!

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Sunglasses by Céline | Hoodie by Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh


herbivore coco rose body polish

This “heaven in a jar” is one of the best scrubs I’ve ever used. I love the way it looks, feels and smells and since it’s coconut oil based, it is SO hydrating. It leaves your skin super smooth. The smell is just the perfect amount of rose fused with Moroccan oil. And since I’m all about packaging, Herbivore’s is so good - clean and fresh-feeling, which is exactly how I feel after I use it.


Off-white c/o virgil abloh hoodie

I’m a hoodie girl. I’m always on the hunt for the perfect one. Well, the cut and weight of this one is on point. The fabric is a bit on the heavier side, which makes it fall better. It’s cropped, but it hits my jeans just in the right spot and doesn’t rise when I reach out my arms (which, TBH, is a major pet peeve).


la prairie Anti-Aging Eye & Lip

Perfection A Porter

LOVE LOVE LOVE this compact. It’s luxe and feels so special. It’s anti-aging, illuminating, and hydrating for both the eyes and lips. It highlights under the eyes, eliminates dark circles and it’s perfect for on-the-go giving my eyes that extra pop I always need during the day. And the lip balm is so moisturizing and it plumps...what more could we ask for?

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Balenciaga boots

I’m not even sure where to begin. These are BEYOND. Legs. For. Days. The super elongated toe is so flattering and the fabric is so cool. It’s scuba-like, so it doesn’t slouch around your ankle (another pet peeve). But the best part is that they are so comfortable. As much as I love the look of high heels, I would never buy a pair that I can’t walk in. Those days are officially over. Thank you Demna!

Reworked Denim Jeans by Vetements | Boots by Balenciaga