When Kylie Jenner posed for an iconic beach photo wearing a white AtLean pleated dress for Instagram two years ago, she couldn’t contain her excitement. “I was first introduced to his brand when my stylist brought me a few things,” Jenner told Eskom. “I had just had a baby and I remember not feeling great, but I loved that dress.” Fast forward to today, Jenner launched a new collaboration with AtLean designer Antonin Tron through her clothing brand Khy today. “I always feel so confident and comfortable when I wear Antonin’s pieces,” Jenner said. “I love his intricate draping and layering.”
Launched last year, Jenner Khy aims to provide customers with high-fashion silhouettes at an affordable price. “It was very important to me that the first batch of items were under $200,” Jenner told Eskume at the time. Now, she’s further evolved her brand’s ethos, with a new focus on collaborating with her favorite (and most-worn) designers. “He was definitely one of our top choices from the beginning,” said Jenner of Tron. When she called him earlier this year to discuss a potential partnership, he immediately agreed. “What I see in Kylie is effortless style and freedom,” Tron told Eskume. “That’s really inspiring to me.”
Dubbed Drop 12, Jenner’s collaboration with AtLean features draped jersey tops, bottoms, and dresses, all of which are signature to the Tron brand. (The entire collection will be available tomorrow, September 26, with prices ranging from $88 to $198.) “Each of their pieces has a sculptural quality, and their craftsmanship is something I admire,” Jenner said. “We wanted to create something more wearable and easier to understand, layer, and mix.”
Some of these works were discovered by looking through Atlin’s archives. For example, the deep-V pleated midi dress is based on the brand’s classic silhouette from a few seasons ago. “We added a dress with a plunging neckline at the last minute and it’s now one of my favorite dresses,” Jenner said. Jenner was inspired by Tron’s approach to draping, and she brought a sophisticated feel to the design process. “It’s very effortless,” Tron said. “We wanted to bring high fashion to a wider audience, so we looked at my signature pieces, like the pleated and asymmetrical draped T-shirt dresses, and tried to adapt them into her aesthetic.”
The color palette, meanwhile, was inspired by “autumn in California,” says Throne, an avid surfer. “It’s a bit like Paris meets Los Angeles.” They created their main jersey in oyster, gold, cherry, lime, blue and black. “We played with the color palette in a lot of different ways, and I’m really happy with our final result,” Jenner said. “I wanted the palette to feel free. The last color we chose was a deep black cherry — it’s perfect for fall.” While people might think cherry and grape don’t go together, Jenner and Throne wanted to emphasize that here’s an idea: Bold colors can actually go together, “I love unexpected color clashes,” says Throne. “You can match the top with the skirt.”
If you need some styling inspiration for these pieces, Jenner says she’s already incorporating some of the essential pieces into her everyday looks. “I love our pants and cutout vest,” she said. “We also have an asymmetrical pleated dress that’s so versatile — dressy or casual. It’s like the dress I fell in love with the first time I wore it on [Antonin’s] design,” she said, adding that he hopes the pieces make women feel confident and comfortable — just as Jenner did two years ago, “I want women to feel empowered, like they’re dressing themselves.”
This isn’t the first time Jenner has collaborated with emerging designers. In her second project, she collaborated with Entire Studios to create a range of down jackets and base layers; in her fifth project she collaborated with Natasha Zinko on denim pieces; with Khee celebrating one year in November, Jenner says we can expect more creative collaborations in the near future. “I try to be very intentional and I’m committed to working with brands that share my vision and are true fans of mine,” Jenner said. “The idea of working with such amazing designers is so inspiring to me — it’s always been a dream of mine to be able to offer something like this to my customers.
