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Kate Hundley is about to begin her debut runway show when emergency strikes. The incident — a rogue sparking wire — is quickly fixed while models undergo hair, makeup, styling and photography for both the resort 2024 collection’s show and lookbook at the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, leading the designer to sigh in relief. After all, the show must go on.
“The process was exciting, chaos, but it’s good,” Hundley exclusively tells Footwear News, noting appreciation for her show’s producers, photographers and public relations firm BPCM.
“As much as I love presentations…you don’t really get to create the emotion that a show does. You don’t get to show the full picture. So it was really special, and it felt like it was time to get that full world.”
Hundley’s resort line showcased elegant separates and eveningwear for today’s women, with flowing dresses, jackets and skirts in black, brown, scarlet and maroon hues accented by allover sequins, corset-like ties and gleaming metal beads.
Though the designer’s pieces were modern, they also recalled her core inspiration of the strong women within the 1920s surrealist movement.
Hundley also emphasized the clothes’ impact with a range of dark heeled sandals and pumps loaned by Spanish footwear label Inez, which is creative directed by her good friend Hannah Spinelli. It’s one of the collaborative parts of the show, along with the Wythe, that Hundley expressed gratitude for — especially as discussions have arisen in recent weeks on how the fashion community can support designers in an increasingly expensive industry.
“I think the hard resources of a venue, photography, production — the kinds of things that are a bit more fixed — that are hard to find if you don’t already know those people, or you haven’t done it before [and] you’re not in that world,” Hundley shared. “Once you find them, you’re great, but it’s all quite costly. If there was a bit more structure around that, I think it could be a big help.”
Hundley’s show notably follows a whirlwind year for the designer, whose pieces have virally appeared on stars like Katie Holmes, Maye Musk and Sam Smith — who borrowed and then purchased one of Hundley’s signature lace-up shirt dresses.
“Obviously, you want people to love it, and you hope that exciting people that you like will like it, but it really gives beautiful texture to the clothes,” Hundley said of her star moments. “It comes alive on people like that, like Sam Smith and that shirt.”
As for the future, Hundley is already creating her next fall collection and expanding her handbag offerings — as well as looking towards potential collaborations or partnerships, based on her background in accessories design (her designs can be found on her website and Instagram).
“I definitely want to find a way to do a shoe partnership — I think that feels like a good next step,” Hundley said. “My background in accessories has been a huge strength for me, and there are a few new bag shapes this season…bags are super important to me, and that’ll keep growing. We’re building a foundation.”
About the Author:
Aaron Royce is the Assistant Digital Editor for Footwear News, where he writes stories on celebrity style, brand collaborations and in-depth profile interviews. Prior to joining Footwear News, Royce wrote and interned for publications including PAPER, Grazia and the Daily Front Row. He currently holds a B.S. in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University.
