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It's time to get to know some of the 50 finalists nominated for Racked Young Guns, our annual search for the country's most promising new fashion talent.
Kieley Kimmel isn't afraid to be highbrow. The LA designer has based collections around everything from modern art tourism hotspot Marfa, Texas to the work of literary critic Walter Benjamin. Last year's autumn/winter collection was inspired by feminist writer Donna Haraway's essay "A Cyborg Manifesto." (Remember when LA fashion was just about faux vintage concert t-shirts? Yeah, that era has ended.)
So how do all these big ideas translate to a clothing line? In the video above, Kimmel explains how her heavy reading list results in a collection of elegant textiles and chunky knits.
· Kieley Kimmel [Official Site]
· The Effortless San Francisco Line Poised For Big Things [Racked]
· All 2014 Young Guns coverage [Racked]