Kim West is a latex designer extraordinaire. Her rubber clothing line started in 1984. At the outset Kim’s fashion were trend setting with big name publishers and celebrities wearing her designs like: Helena Bonham Carter, Janet Street-Porter, Kylie Minogue, Isabella Rosselini, Samantha Fox, Elle magazine and Skin Two magazine.
She had a successful career constantly innovating and pushing the boundaries of what could be done with latex clothing. Kim was the first designer to print on latex and introduced Western wear in rubber. By 1994 she had married and decided to take time off and focus on her family, raising two children and moving to L.A. from the UK.
After 7 years, Kim decided it was time to reenter the fashion world. As of late she has been back at it creating amazing fashions, art, and delved into mixing latex with furniture. Some of her latest creations included latex fashions for weddings. Find inspiration for your own designs by visiting her website at: http://www.kimwest.co.uk.
The mention of Western wear in rubber caught my attention, it’s such an unexpected crossover and shows how far she pushed latex beyond the usual fetish aesthetic.
Seeing names like Kylie Minogue and Isabella Rossellini tied to her designs really highlights how mainstream her work became during that early period.
I didn’t realize Kim West was the first to print on latex, that’s a huge shift for the material and explains why her early work stood out in magazines like Skin Two.
Latex wedding fashion is such a bold concept, but given her history of innovation it makes sense she’d explore that space now.
It’s interesting how she stepped away in 1994 to focus on family and then came back after seven years with even broader ideas like latex furniture.
Moving from the UK to L.A. and then reentering fashion later seems like it gave her a fresh perspective, especially with mixing art, clothing, and furniture.