Founded by Ronnie Fieg, KITH evolved from a small sneaker operation tucked behind the local retailer Atrium into a globally influential lifestyle brand. What began with footwear has expanded into a full ecosystem: menswear, womenswear, accessories, kidswear—effectively building a wardrobe for the entire family. KITH is also known for its unusually wide and often unexpected collaborations, spanning categories from heritage footwear brands like Clarks, to luxury speedboats with Cigarette Racing, and even desserts through partnerships with Dominique Ansel.
In 2025, KITH debuted its first runway show at New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter, staged at 337 Lafayette Street—the brand’s flagship store. Speaking about the show, founder Ronnie Fieg emphasized breadth over a singular concept: “The strength of the show is how wide the spectrum is. Typically, a show is built around a very specific point of view, and I don’t work that way now. The red thread through what we do is New York style. In a New York closet, you would see many different styles.”
This runway debut also functioned as a declaration: KITH is formally entering the luxury tier.
The transition from everyday streetwear to luxury positioning has been controversial. Critics argue that KITH risks abandoning the loyal customers who helped build the brand—primarily ordinary New Yorkers who once lined up overnight for collaborations. However, I see this shift differently.
KITH’s core cultural audience has grown up. The “New York kids” who once queued at midnight for drops are now professionals collecting year-end bonuses, paying rent, and attending meetings where appearance carries social and professional weight. KITH has chosen to mature alongside this generation, evolving into clothing that can “enter the room” without embarrassment.
The tension lies in the fact that most of those former kids did not become luxury consumers. By moving upmarket, KITH inevitably sacrifices a portion of its original customer base in exchange for higher average transaction values and a more aspirational identity. This raises an important question: why didn’t KITH continue cultivating a new generation of “New York kids”?
One possible answer is the dilution of localized New York culture among younger generations. KITH’s identity is deeply rooted in New York–specific cultural symbols—Yankees iconography, Adidas heritage, skate culture, and other markers of an older, locally grounded nostalgia. As New York’s immigrant population continues to increase, younger audiences are less likely to share or inherit this nostalgia. Instead, they often arrive with their own community-based brands and cultural references, making it harder for KITH to recreate the same emotional resonance.
This generational shift is subtly reflected in KITH’s 2025 Fall/Winter runway casting. The invited figures—Justin Bieber, Alexandre Arnault, and 2 Chainz—are all married and have children. Even Justin Bieber represents a later millennial generation rather than Gen Z. Meanwhile, Gen Z audiences are more engaged with emerging rappers, indie scenes, and digital-native cultural movements that operate outside KITH’s original nostalgia framework.
In this sense, KITH’s evolution is less about betrayal and more about demographic realism. The brand chose to age with its original community rather than constantly reintroduce itself to a generation shaped by entirely different cultural inputs. Luxury, here, is a signal of adulthood.
reference
[1] A BRIEF HISTORY OF KITH’S RETAIL EXCELLENCE, AS TOLD BY RONNIE FIEG