Milan-based New Guards Group has tapped techno DJ Peggy Gou to launch Kirin, a woman’s streetwear label. The effort was announced with a dinner party on Tuesday (February 26, 2019) at Beefbar in Paris.
The debut line includes a big emphasis on colorful graphics including the depiction of a deer-like Korean mythical creature the line is named after. Offerings include including coordinated pajama sets along with sweaters, overalls and bodycon dresses.
Commenting on debut looks, Gou told WWD, “The thing about me is that I always want more, I always want better. When I was looking at the look book, I was like: ‘Team, we can do better next time.’ But it is the first collection, don’t be too harsh,” she told WWD in a recent exchange.
For now at least there’s no plan to include bags or footwear among offerings in part because Gou prefers offerings from better established brands including Acne, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Nike, who featured Gou recently in an Air Max 720 campaign.
Born in South Korea and Based in Berlin, Gou has said the line grew out of conversation she had with Off-White‘s Virgil Alboh at a Mytheresa.com event where she was DJ-ing. While Gou once worked for Korea Harper’s Bazaar, she doesn’t have a design background.
Brands housed under the New Guard umbrella include Off-White, Heron Preston and Marcelo Burlon. While all three brands offer women’s offerings, Kirin will be the company’s first label specifically focused on women’s streetwear.
As of now, the label hasn’t announced pricing or timing for the launch.
Check out the lookbook below.
