Social media has changed the way we consume media and merged local and digital communities over the past decade. Mobile devices have taken over and Instagram has become a central source of news for those whose parents turn to newspapers. Becoming an expert on trends can be done with the search of a hashtag and an exploration of a timeline. That process of discovering the coolest shoes and finest clothing has landed KicksTQ a major social media following.

TQ is a native of Kuwait and an avid sneaker collector, which is apparent when visiting his Instagram page, @KicksTQ. From owning every Yeezy shoe ever released, to a Jordan collection that can break backboards, and with designer sneakers that would make Lagerfeld smile, TQ’s shoe collection is certainly one of the best – if not the best in the world. The community which surrounds pages like @Outfitgrid, @Simple.Fits, @JordanDepot, have all gravitated towards TQ’s feed.

Despite collecting for years and always having heat on his feet, TQ’s first recognition as an influencer came when @Outfitgrid posted his picture. “It wasn’t until Outfitgrid that people were attracted to my style.” His online persona began to develop as a fashion influencer after being recognized by the bigger fashion social media pages and websites. People turned into fans as KicksTQ uploaded grail after grail, and it wasn’t just his shoes. Folks follow TQ because he has the ability to acquire some of the most sought after items and put them together in a well-executed outfit.

As a brand, we have known TQ for about a year and we were instantly drawn to the style and aesthetic expressed on his Instagram page. His style melds the most desirable, notable, and obscure cult brands from around the world. TQ has established a persona which embodies only the best in fashion. We’re honored to collaborate with him on his first capsule collection.

We met TQ for the first time in May 2016, when he flew to Los Angeles to visit friends. We spent the day developing the capsule, selecting fabrics and washes, and showing him around downtown LA.

We asked him to reflect back on the trip and he replied,

“The weather and overall vibe was great. I discovered DTLA for the first time and saw how fast it’s developing. What surprised me about LA was that it’s more than what you see on television. There is a great deal of culture that varies throughout the city that makes it an even more desirable place to visit.”

We started the collection by asking the question, what is essential?

For TQ, essentials are “the must have pieces you should have in your wardrobe. The style of an essential piece should be timeless, simple, and versatile, which is directly reflected in the pieces I chose to go with in the capsule.”

The first piece we decided to create was inspired by TQ’s favorite jacket, a classic Levi’s denim trucker jacket. Jackets are a great piece for guys to express their fashion character and this timeless fashion staple laid the perfect foundation to form the rest of the outfit. We selected a 9.5-oz white denim fabric from Cone Mills in Greensboro, North Carolina, decided on a light stone and enzyme wash to loosen the fabric and provide character, and added distressing to the right arm for a light touch of detail.

Much like how we dress, color played a key role in deciding the rest of the outfit. We noticed that a minimal aesthetic and simple colors characterized his Instagram and wardrobe, which is built around letting his shoes shine. TQ will accessorize with a Rolex watch or Saint Laurent jacket, but the focus for him is the shoes. It’s difficult to come up with a better way to feature your shoes than dressing the body in neutral colors. TQ says you “can’t go wrong with jet black” and black jeans were the perfect choice for the second piece due to their extreme versatility and ability to coordinate with almost anything. We decided on a skinny fit made from a fine twill 98% cotton 2% spandex fabric with slight stretch for comfort, similar to what TQ typically wears.

TQ elected to keep the black color for the shirt and picked our hi-lo hem shirt for the silhouette. We asked our fabric suppliers for the best possible fabric to use and we selected a 100% modal fabric that had been compacted in a special machine to thicken the fabric more than typical modal so your skin doesn’t show through. Modal has a silky soft hand and is typically used by expensive high-end brands.

The hat was the final piece to top off the outfit and we decided on a black embroidered dad hat to commemorate the experience and coordinate with the black and white color scheme.

Every piece of this collection is great by itself, but put it all together and you have a versatile outfit that can be easily worn with a wide variety of shoes and will complement your wardrobe. The entire capsule collection was made in Los Angeles, California, USA, and Entity is proud to present the KicksTQ Essential Collection to you.

This collaboration is a testament to the power of the internet to globally unite diverse people through a shared love of fashion.

BL

10/20/16