The Tamesis
Khaite is on the brink of two milestones. The brand will celebrate its 10th birthday this year, and at some point in the future, if business continues in its current direction, its sales will reach $500 million. “We’ve had higher increases than any other year, so we’re definitely hitting our target,” designer Cate Holstein reported during a showroom appointment. “When I was pitching, I was selling a lofty brand to investors, but when you actually started to make it happen, I was kind of blown away by it.”
In an interview with Vogue Runway in February 2017, Holstein described what she was doing at the emerging brand as “a new take on American sportswear.” It usually consists of a status jacket made of polished leather or perhaps faux fur, and a skirt or dress that’s as delicate (and often sheer) as the sturdy tunic. Chunky knitted sweaters and jeans are also stand-by items from the brand. In 2027, her talking points haven’t changed. “Nostalgic American sportswear has always been a big influence on us,” she said of her new collection, which is themed around the 1970s and 1990s with some 1920s touches.
A lace-trimmed lingerie half-skirt embroidered with Holstein’s initials will be popular. They’re low-hip and have a ’90s feel, like most of the bottoms in the collection, which include a wide petal skirt with rich seersucker and a narrow velvet skirt that flares out at the hem thanks to embedded pleating guidewires. Among the various jackets and coats, her favorite is the waist-length, Basque-trimmed equestrian style.
Now, a row of shoes and boots takes up an entire room in Kate’s headquarters. Holstein designed pumps with graphic cutaway uppers, “almost like Anne Klein in New York in the ’80s,” she said, repeating the inspiration. Meanwhile, the best-selling Nevada boot has received a platform update.
