Yonetté Combines History and Modern Sensibilities

Kenisha Young launches her first collection for her brand Yonetté which provides a modern and inclusive take on historical fashions.

Kenisha Young, the designer of Yonetté

Image by Shanyn Fiske

When I spoke to Kenisha Young in early March, she was still busy at work on her first collection. She would be presenting her first collection on May 21st at Philly Fashion Week, as a part of her school the Made Institute’s fashion show. The mission of her brand Yonetté is one motivated by personal experience and her ancestry. Overall, her brand’s premiere collection plays off combining history with modern sensibilities.

Do you have any experience in the fashion industry so far?

Kenisha Yonetté Young: So, before I even enrolled in school, I had no work history in fashion at all. I got into fashion because it’s just something I wanted to do…and me being a thicker curvier woman, I wanted to make clothes for like women of my size. My grandmom did sew, so I used to sit down next to her when I was a little kid and watch her, and the interest (grew) from there…after I started school, (and) I gained those skills…how to create garments, tech flats, and everything like that, I started to reach out to certain jobs. I started working for a woman in North Philadelphia for a little bit, but I was sewing for her, doing her orders, and stuff like that. I also did order packing and operations for another company as well. They are very small scale. They ran like Etsy shops and stuff like that, but that was only temporary. So, that’s kind of like the only work history I have in fashion.

The first one, Pink Royalty, she kind of did like kid’s clothes, it was very like costume-y. She made like little boxing outfits for kids for birthday photoshoots or like Halloween and stuff…And I would do the heat transfer press for her logos on top of the clothes. The second one is Ashley’s Kloset…I think on Instagram it’s called ALM Collection. Basically, what I was doing for her was making the garments. So basically, I was at the sewing machine all day. It’s nice to get that like, like not only with the fashion stuff but how they ran their business. So, I’m glad like I got that experience as well, you know, so I could put toward my business. So, I’m grateful.

These are looks from Yonetté's presentation at Philly Fashion Week on September 24th, 2022, as part of Made Institute's graduate collections.

Images by Brenda Franco

What is the story behind your brand’s name?

KYY: So, my middle name is Yonetté, and it was passed down through three generations of my family. So, we all have like the same middle name. To me, that kind of represented inclusivity, and unity, and I really wanted to transform that into the mission for my business as well. I want to be a complete 100% made-to-measure company. So, basically what that means is I am making garments based off each person’s measurements, and it’s not just some universal size small or large. You know, it’s custom-tailored to whatever that person’s bust, waist, hip, whatever measurements are. So, to me, that’s a way to be inclusive, as far as size, which was a problem that I was…that we all see in the fashion industry. So, tying that to Yonetté, I felt like I just wanted to give someone the same feeling, that I felt when I hear my name, see it, or write it.

I just want to touch base on that the made-to-measure part…so I feel like this can also assist me with being sustainable as well. I want to try my hardest to be sustainable. I know a lot of people just think, right now, that it is just like a trend or whatever, but it is something that I really take an interest in…I definitely want to cater more towards that as well. So, by making these made-to-measure garments it will cut back on waste. (With) me buying excess fabric that just goes to these landfills and everything like that…and I really feel that will help. That will be a way that I can support the sustainable industry as well.

“I felt like I just wanted to give someone the same feeling, that I feel when I hear my name, see it, or write it .” - Kenisha Young

What would you say is the concept for your brand on an artistic level?

KYY: I would say, basically I just want to create a new experience. So, the concept would be just to give people a more personal shopping experience. With that being a made-a-measure, I will probably talk to them one-on-one, and we can just sit down and talk about whether they have a custom design idea or if they want one of my pieces customized to them…I feel like it adds to the value when you know you are the only one with this piece like it was actually created for you.

What are the inspirations behind your first collection?

KYY: This collection my inspo the undergarments and lingerie pieces from the Victorian era, and I just wanted to combine that with modern-day silhouettes. So, the underlining and everything with the corsets, bustles, and petticoats that they used to wear during that era, I kind of took that and just wanted to remake that into something that was more modern. I was intrigued, at first, because we were doing an assignment in class where we were going down fashion history… I really took toward this era, because everything was like puffy…I didn’t really understand what made the cinched-in waist and puffy backsides and everything like that. Honestly, I started first on Pinterest where I was just like scrolling through for hours and hours. (I was) researching the undergarments... So, I wanted to take that aspect and put that into my garments now. Most of my pieces have (a) corset and boning in them, just to give a shape and accentuate a woman’s curves. So, that was the inspo as far as the construction. I am also doing a lot of hand sewing, which they used to do a lot as well. My color palette is from that time as well. A big misconception (that) I had was that back during that era that they only wore dark earthy tones, but that’s not the case at all.

What are your plans for the brand as it grows?

KYY: As it grows, I want to hire an AI designer, because I want to basically give the whole care (and) shopping experience. Basically, I want to amplify it…I want them to have their own 3D avatars and it will be like their own personal mini-me. So, when they log onto the website, and they are ready to shop for new pieces, their mini-me can try on the clothes as well. It will look just like them (with) their exact measurements…It will be a split-screen (with) them in a little dressing room, and on the other side will be like my actual website with the available pieces. If they click it…(they) can try it on, but that’s how many years down the line?... Then maybe open a potential (physical) store.

The interview was condensed. Trendscends magazine was the first publication that published this article.

Brittany Furber is also a writer for DerShar Myers' blog and website, Thee Ethereal. See her other post about Yonetté here.