New York Fashion Week may be over, but Vivet is still in the news. Vivet is the latest influencer-owned company by Kai Cenat — head of Streamer University.
In January, Cenat announced his fashion line in an emotional YouTube video, titled, “I Quit.” The video acted as a vulnerable exploration of Cenat’s mental state and his desire to evolve beyond his identity as a streamer.
It is great for influencers to pivot, especially in industries when your career can end when you least expect it. However, this shift needs to make sense. Rarely do influencer or celebrity brands work when it was not part of their previous brand, i.e. Beis or Rare Beauty. However, it can work when it is on par with their brand, like Skims, Pattern, or Victoria Beckham.
Companies like Victoria Beckham, Skims, and even Yeezy made sense because that was who those celebrities were and there was a clear vision about what they were trying to sell.
When I saw the items by Vivet, I could see a cohesive theme of distressed leather, fur trims, or alternative designs. However, it seemed to be an amalgamation of Rick Owens, Demna’s Gucci and Balenciaga, and Yeezy. There were even parallels between Kai and ASAP Rocky, as Kai used the exact same venue ASAP used the year before—Cipriani Downtown—and drew the same large crowd outside.
The pants were low-rise, jackets were commodiously large, and the leather was tight to the skin, but the comparisons can be seen as soon as items started walking down.
This is only the first show and there is space to grow. If he really wants this, it could go farther, as long as he continues being dedicated to the craft. Lest we forget, Yeezy was hated when it first came out and a decade later, fashion still takes cues from the originality of the first couple seasons by the company.
All in all, was it a good collection? No, but there is always the ability to grow and continue.
