Kith’s Ronnie Fieg debuts tennis collab’ with Wilson, explains his design philosophy

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jun 11, 2023

Few brands have made as much of an impact in the past decade as Kith, which has been busy in Paris this past fortnight launching its Kith for Wilson collab’.
 
Its timing could not be better – during Roland Garros, to which founder and fashion entrepreneur Ronnie Fieg invited friends and editors on several evenings.

Kith has already made its presence felt strongly in Paris, where is flagship on rue Pierre Charron has achieved cult status, bending Kith with brands like Adidas, Nike, New Balance and Red Wings. Even if the tony corner of haute gamme Paris a far cry from Kith’s first store on gritty Broadway and Bleeker in New York.
 
The collab’ captures all that is best about Kith; quality, street cred, punchy NYC design, and a certain downtown nonchalance. It’s pricey but does not scare you from the cash register. Classical but not preppy, high performance but not tech sporty.

Those of us who grew up with Wilson rackets back before Fieg was born will feel these are all still very much Wilson products. Added a little New York pizzazz and panache and punch, without losing that old world class that Wilson stood for as a Chicago brand. Using K and W combos logos in a way that fit in very finely.
 
FashionNetwork.com caught up with Ronnie in a storied rooftop tennis club overlooking the Eiffel Tower for a Q&A rally on what makes Kith tick.
 
Fashion Network: Why are you in Paris?
Ronnie Fieg: Every other year we create a collection with Wilson, around the time when tennis is at its finest and being celebrated. So, we wanted to bring this project to Paris, where we have an incredible store and community, with people who are avid tennis fans.
 
FN: In terms of style and technique what are you trying to bring to tennis?
RF: There is a void in the lifestyle that a tennis player has in my market. Lots of people I know play tennis but don’t necessarily have the bridge between the lifestyle and how they dress outside of tennis. So, when they play tennis, they look and feel completely different and distant from their lifestyle. So, we designed a collection that is really half-and-half – half on court and performance and half off court and lifestyle.

FN: I notice the materials are unusual – viscose and cupro?
RF: Over time the fabrics have gotten a lot more technical, and performance driven. The amount of testing that goes on is incredible. All the fabrics are highly technical performance fabrics. Like this pointel design, a knit that is perforated, but you don’t see my skin even if it’s very breathable. Plus, I love playing in it since I got it. Wilson also makes the best hard goods in the world. So, we wanted our racket to be based on their 70s racket. So, it looks like half wood and then white.
 
FN: You grew up in Queens, near Forest Hills, the center of U.S. tennis. So, you played lots of tennis, right?
RF: Not as much as I would have liked. I grew up in Jamaica, Queens, where there are less courts. I played more basketball when I was young.
 
FN: Define the DNA of Kith?
RF: That’s very tough to do. It is a brand that and lifestyle where people come to us to see product through a lens of a New York brand. New York is a very special city as it’s a melting pot of all cultures. Kith resembles that and covers a wide range of different styles. So, my closet represents cultures from Harlem to the Hamptons and everything in between.
 
FN: Your Paris store has a major mix. What is you Geiger counter for whether a brand fits with Kith?  
RF: It’s really based on brands that I love. It’s curated for a like-minded consumer, people who are really smart and savvy and understand quality.
 
FN: Is Kith streetwear?
RF: People try to put us in many different boxes. But if you look at our last collection, we shot with Adrian Brody. I don’t think that is streetwear. Streetwear is graphic driven and printable. But this collection is very elevated, and its fabrics are every expensive – linen, cupro and silk.
 
FN: How big a business is Kith?
RF: I’m not sure I want to get into that. But we have 16 shops, three of them are shop-in-shops – one on Bergdorf Goodman, Hirshleifers and Selfridges. We have a partner in Tokyo, but it is our shop. We don’t sell wholesale or online. We have always been a direct-to-consumer brand. We started as multiband footwear retailer. But after a year, our community wanted our store to become a brand. Our first stores were Broadway and Bleeker. Today, we are nearby on Lafayette.