KkCo Is a New Fashion Brand Inspired by the Great Outdoors

Tie dye is having a serious moment (again!), and newly launched brand KkCo — pronounced “Kay Co” — is selling the blue-and-green tie-dyed earth-inspired outfit of our dreams, in addition to other must-have items that all reference the great outdoors. Today, KkCo launches its first collection with the aim of encouraging its wearers to “celebrate the world we live in and the activities we enjoy.”

“I camp a lot, so it's something that I'm passionate about and really enjoy doing. It always leaves me refreshed and is how I disconnect from the world,” says designer Kara Jubin, who studied fashion design at the Art Institute of New York and now lives in Los Angeles. Taking on-trend silhouettes such as flowy dresses and bucket hats and bringing in a foraging theme via pressed floral prints, the brand embraces a whimsical, outdoorsy aesthetic ideal for your spring and summer wardrobe. Moreover, when it came to choosing the color palette for her brand, Kara — who spends her free time camping in places across California such as El Capitan State Beach Campground and Big Sur — pulled hues directly from hiking trail maps.

The collection is meant to embody the concept of what the designer calls "feminine utilitarianism." With added functionality such as utility pockets, custom power cords as straps, and carabiners for closures, Kara wanted to make clothes that could easily transition from working to going out and being social. “I think a lot of people think of KkCo as their uniform or wardrobe,” she says. Other details include embroideries of plants and fruits in addition to custom-made Lucite buttons from Italy pressed with local wildflowers made in reference to contemporary artists and designers including Finnish glass designer Oiva Toikka and Italian furniture designer and artist Enzo Mari. The designer, who admits that moving to L.A. has inspired her to embrace bright colors and make statements with her clothes, says she pulled from many different worlds and mixed it all together.

But the line is more than just a fashion brand. Kara, who was running development and production for Brain Dead, did sketches for John Elliot and designed for Tigre et Tigre before launching KkCo, sees her company as both a community and creative studio. With sewers and a production team on site, she is still consulting for other brands while photographers and creatives can use her working space for shoots and projects. For Kara, this practice is distinct from the traditional or outdated fashion mindset in which everyone’s competing with one another. “There's something about L.A. right now where everyone's super collaborative, and maybe it's this new turn of the industry in general, but I think that we can work together,” she says. “We're all trying to get to the same place and we could do it together, and why not help each other do it?”

While KkCo makes products that are relevant to current fashion trends, Kara believes that many of the pieces could last several seasons. Right now the label is releasing two drops for spring/summer 2019 but plans to expand the line for its upcoming fall collection and release more one-off collections, not following the traditional fashion release schedule. "We can make things in limited quantities and come out with little stories here and there,” says Kara. In this way, both the brand and its products embrace multifunctionality, creativity and the power of collaboration; as Kara says, “The best part of starting KkCo is the opportunity to create things with friends! From collaborations to creating shoots, I’ve really enjoyed being able to work with other creatives.”

Planning on glamping this summer? Keep scrolling to see more images from the brand's lookbook and shop our favorites below.