KE7H3R (pronounced KEH-THER), a gender neutral and ethical clothing brand based in Los Angeles, launches today with its direct to consumer limited run business model. Janelle Corpuz Heathcoat is KE7H3R’s founding designer and CEO. “KE7H3R is a name I learned about in my study of hermetic qabalah. It appealed to me because it represents the individual’s alignment with the universe in the divine source of creation. I envision Kether as a ball of white light that sits right above our heads. I feel like it’s that divine power that gives us our best ideas, leads us to do our highest good and guides us to our purpose.”
Janelle explains KE7H3R’s motto “- IS +” (less is more): “As a brand we stand for minimalist design and capsule wardrobe. We feel that it’s more important to have a few finely made pieces that you can wear forever than to have a million poorly made pieces that you are going to throw away at the end of a season.” The 15-year fashion veteran is passionate about the slow fashion movement as a means of counteracting the negative effect of mass fashion companies abusive working conditions and pollution of the environment. “I got sick of hearing, ‘This is fashion, we’re not saving lives.’ So I decided to create a brand that gives back to our global community.” KE7H3R partners with waterislife.com to donate one water filtration straw for every unit of clothing sold. This provides children who live without clean water supply in third world and developing countries with clean water for up to two years.
Janelle credits a creative connection with nature and inner peace as the inspiration behind KE7H3R’s season I, having drafted and cut each style in the garden of her childhood home. “I have this love for kaftans, karate pants, kimonos; things that are sort of columnar and free-flowing. The inspiration was the feeling of freedom, the feeling of knowing yourself, and the feeling of an inner strength. I borrowed these silhouettes from ancient cultures, some from fighting uniforms, some from holy garb. The unifying unisex edge comes from the need for all of us to be “human”. Why do males and females have to dress differently? Why do women need to wear tight form-fitting things that show off their body and men do not? I guess for me, it’s an act of feminism. We all have the right to feel confident and beautiful in what we wear.”
The garments from KE7H3R’s debut collection range from $125 to $180 and are made of hand dyed vegan silk (tencel) and 100% cotton Japanese ikat. Each style is made in limited quantity and produced in Los Angeles.
Visit KE7H3R.com
Follow @KE7H3R for updates
All images appear courtesy of Janelle Corpuz Hethcoat
Photos by Diane Abapo
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