09.22.22 Malik Fabian-Mahmud(Left) with Kanesha Wiley(Right) taken by Ryan Gipson
For those who aren't in the loop, Kanesha Wiley is a designer, creative director, as well as a stylist. She is known for her large-scale Cole bags, formerly known as KW. With a new drop in the works, she takes a different approach from an oversized look to a mini version called the Teeny Bags.
When putting together an outfit, what does the process look like in your head?
Honestly, it kind of changes, one day I could be trying to base it off my hair or just basing it off what colors I want to wear; If I want to wear neutrals, or just want to wear something vibrant that pops. Whatever I'm feeling at that moment. I feel like it's more authentic. I like to collect pieces because eventually, it gets to the point where you're going to collect enough that you can put multiple pieces together. I think people will be looking for staples, and eventually, that staple is not gonna fit in a year from now.
I like to thrift, I get that from my mom she's always been a thrifter. It wasn't even called thrifting growing up it was just shopping. I kind of got that mentality from her, knowing that you can shop anywhere and still make that shit look fly. I used to ask her "Are we putting clothes on or are we just throwing something on?" and she used to be like "We're putting some clothes on". It was like almost every single time because she wore heels every single day. So I knew how to come whenever I was with her.
When did you decide you wanted to start creating?
I've always created pieces myself, but I never really sold them. I would distress clothes or do some upcycle work to make different pieces. 2020 I had a moment where I'm like "Why am I buying all these expensive ass clothes? That shit can just be into my own, if I want to make bags, I can make bags.
Cole is the name of a poetry book I was writing in high school and the cover was actually supposed to be orange. I was kinda bouncing off that idea with my first drop under Cole.
The constant between the KW and the Cole bags was the oversized look, what inspired that?
So I had this mink coat, it was falling apart and I didn't want to get rid of it so I made a bag out of it. It's a mink coat so it went down to my feet and I used all of the fabric, I posted it on Instagram and everyone was like "You selling it?" and I was like shit I can. So I just started pricing out everything and finding out the direction I wanted to go in, the materials, figuring out the fabric I could find. The fabric that I wanted completely sold out.
I could only do the leather bags, at first, the leather bags weren't really rockin' because people were and still are focused on the fur bags. I was trying to pivot where the leather bags were a little better than the fur bags, market it better and people started fucking with it, but it all really stemmed and grew from that mink coat.
People always asked if I was making small ones, I was already planning on making smaller bags. I got sick of wearing all of my old bags and purses. So I started hitting up my manufacturer like "Hey, I'm trying to make small bags, showing her how I want the straps and handles, really detailed because I knew what I wanted in a purse.
There are two colorways yellow one called Sunny and a black one named Carl, honoring and remembering my uncle.
Any advice for emerging creatives?
Just do it. I feel like people question shit so much that it slows them down. Even though I did that this year, I didn't want to drop this late in the year but I was questioning everything about my bag. Once you start moving you're gonna get your shit going. Also, be original. I hate fakes, I hate replicas. I just prefer authentic shit, that catches my eye.
I see replicas of my shit already, seeing people that follow me making bags that look like mine was scary. I'm not shocked that people are copying what I'm doing because I've always done my own shit. I've never tried to feel like somebody is stealing from me but you can just tell that there are too many similarities. Some people don't really see how it's not okay to be stealing someone's original ideas. People miss the mark with originality and respect the fact that you are being original.
Interviewer: ($2.50) Malik Fabian-Mahmud: @fabmud
