CONVERSATIONS I KYRON WARRICK
At ADAPTURE, we are driven by both technology and creativity, and are curious as to how these elements push brands to new levels of innovation. We strive to make connections with like minded people who share the pursuit of these ideals. In our next CONVERSATION series, we spoke with Kyron Warrick.
Kyron is a creative and stylist based in Montreal. He is also known for his social channel Gotsweige where he shares his knowledge of fashion to educate about how to dress according to specific body types and also shares ways to develop a unique and sustainable wardrobe.
We met with Kyron in Montreal to discuss his collaboration with Adapture, and how creating a product would resonate with his own distinctive style. We developed a pair of pants as they can be a tool that really elevates and changes a look. For this project we used our Standard Fit Chino pants and worked together to reconstruct the chino to create a new shape and design tailored to Kyron’s ideal pants
Interview: Shane Long
Photography: Shane Long
The best way I can answer that question is that there's no true way of conquering it. As a professional, I try to educate people with the videos that I create. I try to help them find their own style and encourage them to not be afraid to go through their unique fashion journey.
It’s all about being honest, transparent and self aware. I feel like the best thing about finding your style is the early stages, where you’re able to copy and paste from art, music, or design scenes that influence you at the time. Then eventually once you get comfortable with your own personal proportions, and find certain things you gravitate towards, it becomes less of just copy and pasting other people and identifying what your personal style is. I find as years go on, you kind of refine it down more and more every year. There’s no end point because I feel like people in their 50’s are still developing what they deem as their personal style.
THAT'S AWESOME. HOW WAS THE JOURNEY FOR YOU? HOW DID IT START OFF?
My dad and mom always mentioned that the first thing people judge about you is your appearance, this was what made me start caring about my personal style. I realized you always have to upkeep your appearance, especially if you are a black male in Canada or the United States, as people are very judgemental. So always make sure that you’re projecting to the best of your abilities.
Then, my own personal interest in skateboarding and BMX led me to liking the style of those subcultures. Whether it was skate or BMX brands I found a groove between what my parents projected onto me and the influences of those subcultures. I was able to find the things I enjoyed and also mixed it with the music and culture at the time. Those were the moments where I started to really figure out what I enjoyed, style-wise, and finding the people within specific niches that I really idolized. I picked out what they were wearing, and what would resonate with me. Eventually I was able to figure out what my preferences of color or silhouette were, and how it would fit my body better.
Also I started pretty early at the age of 14. Some people start developing their interests for fashion a little later as they mature, but my interest started near the tail end of high school. It kind of gave me an advantage as a lot of people that were going to my fashion school had different interests and I had a set vision of what I wanted to pursue. So I guess that was kind of my fashion journey.
I guess a big part of that would be the youth today and their raw urge for knowledge, because everyone is so eager to learn. I saw a lot more of that during the peak of COVID. That's exactly when my channel started to bubble up and grow. People had a lot of excess time and put more effort into learning about interests. There were a bunch of creators on TikTok or Youtube that were getting a lot more attention as people had more free time to invest in what they have been putting on the back burner. Style is one of those things. People were questioning their insecurities, and exploring what makes them feel good and happy to get up in the morning. People gravitated towards the internet and were able to find themselves. I feel like that's what a lot of people ended up enjoying from being content creators.
HOW IMPORTANT IS UNDERSTANDING YOUR BODY SHAPE AND SILHOUETTE WITH STYLING? HOW DOES IT AFFECT AN OUTFIT?
I would say it’s one of the most important parts of fashion, because it's what you're taught from a design perspective in any design course. In fashion, they teach you the importance of the perfect shoulder or how to pleat a skirt at the waist, and that all relates to how a garment fits on the body.
I feel like the main idea for clothing is for it to fit the best way possible, no matter what the outfit is worth. Not to isolate people that are on the heavier set or on the skinnier side, because there is no ultimate grand master plan for everything to fit everyone. It's how you feel at the end of the day, how comfortable you are in your clothes, and how to maximize the proportions that you are given. That is something I talked about in one of my most recent videos that I’m the most proud of. I created this video with my good friend/roommate Louie. He's more on the heavyset side and I’m more on the moderate build side. It was a great video as my viewers were able to relate. They might be worried about whether they can wear certain pants, because they have wider thighs. But I have those certain insecurities too. For Louie there’s certain T-shirt cuts that don't flatter him the best but others bite.
That's all the things you would have to cover and address when you're building up your personal style. It's about being honest and transparent. At the same time finding those things that really make you thrive in your own personal fashion and finding that balance. That's when you really get to enjoy clothes the most. The beauty of fashion is mastering your own personal style and what fits you perfectly to feel confident when you step out.
AS WE WORKED ON OUR PROJECT TOGETHER, THERE SEEMED TO BE AN IDEAL SHAPE THAT YOU LIKED FOR YOURSELF. WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT FIT IS AND WHY DOES IT WORK FOR YOU?
There’s two that I gravitate towards right now, relaxed and flared. I feel that they maximize all body types. For example, I have wider thighs, so if I wear a flare pant or a wide pant it masks my thighs and also accentuates my legs. Also the wider opening falls nicely on shoes. Although these are attributes that I personally like, they will look just as nice on a heavyset or slender person. Relaxed and flared are universally adaptable, whereas a slim or straight fit might not flatter every single person. It works for your brand, ADAPTURE, because it covers a lot of bases. That’s what I like to do with the products I create. I want to make an item for your wardrobe that is very versatile and would get a lot of different wear, as I know that investing in fashion is such a daunting thing. No one has an endless amount of income to just dish out, so having staples you can wear with some of your favorite pieces is really important.
AT ADAPTURE, WE BELIEVE THAT ADAPTING MEANS TO BE SELF EXPRESSIVE IN EVERYDAY ENVIRONMENT AND BEING COMFORTABLE IN YOUR OWN SKIN DOING IT. WHAT DOES “ADAPT” MEAN TO YOU?
Adapt means to be versatile and a chameleon of sorts. I find myself to be a person that adapted because of the variety in my closet. I don't really like it if someone asks me what my style is. I wouldn't be able to put it on paper, because I'm still figuring that out right now. Looking at my wardrobe, it adapts based on the situation at hand. Whether it be weather, an event I'm going to, or just day to day life, it really fluctuates. I wouldn't consider myself to have a uniform style, as much as I would want to, because I just enjoy too many things. I would consider “adapting” to being versatile and a chameleon of your environment.
SHOP THE KYRON COLLABORATION PANT HERE