A Kind of Guise Heads to the Middle East for SS23
HYPEBEAST exclusively spoke with the brand’s co-founder to learn more on the upcoming collection.
Every time A Kind of Guise (AKOG) drops a collection, it’s an opportunity to connect with the world. Indonesia, Georgia, the Himalayas and Ghana are some of the many places that have played muse over the past ten years. This penchant for curiosity makes sense when looking at the German-brand’s formation, which like the random occurrences that often transpire on holiday, came by chance.
Yasar Ceviker was always interested in skateboarding and worked at a local skateshop in Munich where he was first exposed to fabrics and graphic design. He would later focus on studying photography in university, where he met his eventual wife and AKOG’s co-founder, Susi Streich. In a random set of circumstances, Yasar missed his final exam and like any beleaguered student, wondered what would come next. Both of them knew they wanted to create something on their own, so they decided to take a year off and go on a quick Italian getaway to find inspiration.
“We were on holiday in Italy and I was always interested in craftsmanship, so we bought some leftover leather they used to cover medicine balls — a sort of patchwork leather you could find at a gym here in the ‘80s,” Yasar told HYPEBEAST in an interview. “I made myself a duffle bag from these leftovers and then everyday, there would be three-to-ten people who would say: ‘May I ask you where this bag’s from?’ So we realized that there’s some potential.”
“Timeless pieces with a little twist.
Yasar knew nothing about sewing, but luckily, there were a group of elderly women who met at a local cafe every Wednesday who did. So the couple formed a business relationship with the local sewers who helped create a small line of shirts which sold out quickly. Things began to progress when they showed a basic rack of 12 shirts at their friends gallery space in Berlin, where a few days later, a Japanese agency emailed to see if they were willing to sell pieces abroad. It was just the two of them, but they knew chances like this would not come often, so they gave it a try.
“We didn’t know how to produce these 80 pieces, so we thought we could either cancel it or go all in. That’s how we also started with the idea of producing it as local as possible, which we still are trying to keep alive,” Yasar said. This momentum snowballed into a network of knitters and manufacturers that led to beautiful bespoke pieces, such as a fully furred lambskin parka that they sold for a mere €700 EUR, “which is crazy, because I think nowadays it would cost €700 EUR wholesale. We didn’t have any experience we’re just going for it, but we managed it,” he added.
With over 50 global stockists, much has changed for Yasar and Susi. But what has remained a constant, is the brand’s commitment to locally sourced fabrics, creating timeless pieces that will last from one generation to the next and centering culture and spontaneity at the core of each capsule’s message.
Having recently dropped a cozy American-inspired collection for Fall/Winter 2022, HYPEBEAST caught up with Yasar prior to Men’s Fashion Week in Paris to learn more about the upcoming Spring/Summer line. Read the full interview below.
Courtesy Of A Kind Of Guise
Courtesy Of A Kind Of Guise
Courtesy Of A Kind Of Guise
Courtesy Of A Kind Of Guise
Courtesy Of A Kind Of Guise
Courtesy Of A Kind Of Guise
Courtesy Of A Kind Of Guise
Courtesy Of A Kind Of Guise
Courtesy Of A Kind Of Guise
Courtesy Of A Kind Of Guise
Can you talk about the storytelling behind each collection?
Everything starts with a journey. We were in Italy and found this old diner. We were always interested in traveling, new cultures and getting inspired by different kinds of influence. We’re on a totally different level today, but the main idea is still the same of trying to produce as local as possible and finding inspiration in different things and locations.
We all live multiple personalities in the way we present ourselves through our fashion. Can you talk about the name, A Kind of Guise, and how that came to be?
We were sitting in the kitchen and this song came on that said, ‘I’m the kind of guy’, and I thought there may be something there that works. I told a friend of mine who was married to someone in the UK and he told his wife, ‘what do you think of this name?’ At the time, he was doing our graphics and she didn’t fully get the meaning of the lyrics and she suggested the word ‘guise’, like to disguise. She told me about it and I thought it was even better.
How would you describe the brand’s ethos?
We always try to avoid the word ‘fashion’ — we’re making clothing. We try not to follow any big trends. Sometimes we do on accident, but most of the time, we’re trying make quality clothing. It’s about the fabric and the manufacturing process. There are so many differences, especially when it comes to fabric. It may look the same, but it’s a completely different thing. The biggest goal we have in mind is creating timeless pieces with a little twist, in terms of design and with a lot of attention to detail.
The collaborations are also very curated and exclusive. How do you approach a collaboartion?
We’re getting a lot of requests with different brands and have done some bigger projects with companies, such as adidas. That was about five-to-six years ago and it was good, but I had the feeling that there are so many collaborations going on. Everyone is collaborating with everyone. What’s the idea about? So adidas was the last big collaboration that we did. Even if we get a request from whoever today, we always see if we can do what we want. If it’s just a shoe in another colorway, why? We’re already a part of such a shitty industry, to be honest, when it comes to pollution. Why is it necessary to have another shoe, if the color or laces are black now, when it was white before?
We’re trying to limit the collaborations, because there’s just too much going on and we’re not the brand that is collaborating with everyone. There are some coming within the next two-to-three years, also with bigger names, but very well curated and we only partake if we have creative freedom and not limited to material or where it has to be produced.
“It’s always a kind of road trip.
There are so many heritage staples within the menswear line, such as the Kura Cardigan and the De Niro Coat. The one that really comes to mind instantly, however, is the Kohaku Cardigan. Can you talk about the genesis of that particular silhouette?
Well, I’m a big fan of Japan. I’m a fan of minimalism and personally like to wear cardigans. So we tried to combine the best of both worlds, like a Kimono — which is Japanese inspired — and something new. I don’t necessarily want to say we started this kimono cardigan, but now I’ve seen many brands doing a similar thing. But that’s also part of the game. We started it about eight years ago and continue to try and make it a little bit different with new details.
What were some of the highlights creating this past American-inspired collection?
The funniest moment we had was during the editorial. I’m still involved with all the editorial stuff. When we started the brand, my passion was designing and I’m still trying to focus on that, but 95% of my days now are business issues. Photography is still one of my passions, so I’m always very involved in taking pictures for the editorial and it’s the most fun part.
It’s always a kind of road trip. We have a lot of stories to share and maybe one day we’ll write a book about all the crazy stuff we experienced.
What’s this next collection about?
We’re heading to the Middle East for the summer stuff. We went to the desert and the feedback from the team is that it’s one our most powerful editorials. We went to Jordan, the border of Syria and Iraq, and down to Saudi Arabia. It was a very interesting experience. We’ve been to around 20 countries, but Jordan has been one of my favorite experiences. The landscape there, especially when you’re going down south to Saudi Arabia, it’s like going to another planet. Dune, the film for example, was filmed around there because it looks like it’s on Mars.
Is there a particular piece or new silhouette that is dropping in this collection that hasn’t appeared in the past?
There are a couple. Fabric is very important to us and in summer, you’re more limited, but we did some really nice graphic prints and some all-over embroideries inspired by a Jordanian tablecloth. We also have hand-made crochet hats and some very nice leather jackets.
When will the collection preview?
February 5 and very excited about it. Our editorial campaigns are so authentic, that we never know what’s going to happen. When we went to Colombia or Ghana, you never know what’ll happen and it’s a really great experience. In Jordan, we met some great people, great characters and I think they definitely represent the whole collection in a special way.
