It was 6 PM on a Tuesday night when I received a call asking if I was free to attend the KidSuper Fall 2024 shoot with founder and designer Colm Dillane, and rapper Jim Jones in Brooklyn. The following evening, I headed over to KidSuper’s Brooklyn storefront, where I was greeted by an intimidatingly beautiful black Doberman in a massive gold chain. I was in the right place.
The space — with podcast rooms furnished with treehouses, recording studios, art studios, screen printing rooms and even a rooftop soccer field in construction — was adorned with large-scale paintings (the first iterations of the prints seen on his clothing). As a long-time fan of the brand, I was excited to see the entire process of what goes into the world of KidSuper, which Dillane has curated as a niche of his own in this industry.
On set, the KidSuper team had a genuine love for the work that had been created. There was a special sense of community and love radiating from each person on the team. Once Jim Jones arrived, there was instant chemistry between him and Dillane. Below, the two tell PAPER the story behind their friendship and what led to the first of many collaborations.
You and Jim have a special relationship. Tell me about what initially drew you to him, and why you decided to cast him for this collection.
Colm Dillane: Well one, obviously I’m from New York, and I’m into fashion, so I feel like he is the president of that. Two, I had him at the last show for this collection, and that was a great experience. We had a blast. The funny thing is it all ended with our moms at the club and the afterparty. When we had that moment, I was like, “Man, this is amazing.”
They were hitting it off.
Colm: It couldn’t have gone better, him bringing his mom and me bringing my mom. It was like four in the morning. We looked around, and our moms were dancing together.
Is that how you first met?
Jim Jones: I reached out to him because I wanted a jacket [laughs]. He had some fly puffer jackets, and I was like, “Let me hit him and see if I can get his attention.” He hit me back and said, “Yeah, that ain’t nothing. Let me send you a jacket.” That kind of sparked the banter back and forth, and then he was like, “How do you feel about coming out to Paris to do the fashion show?” I’m like, “Shit, okay.”
Had you ever walked in a show before?
Jim: I did Virgil’s show the year he passed, so it was a little sad, although it was a great time. This time around, I got the full-on experience of what Paris Fashion Week is all about.
What about Jim embodies KidSuper as a brand?
Colm: The fearlessness. We all dress like him. Everyone tries to be him. But also just being yourself completely. I mean, when you get reached out to by Jim Jones on Instagram, you’re like, “Holy shit I made it. Like this is crazy.” It’s funny to hear his perspective, because from my perspective, I was texting my group chat like, “Guess who just reached out.” Even the collaborative nature of what we did in Paris was amazing. He made a song as well.
Jim: Yeah we walked the runway to the record. That was dope.
Colm: Also the cool thing was that the show was called “String Theory,” so there were a lot of violins, which is a different beat than he’s used to. It was one of those moments where I was like, “Damn, I don’t know if this could have gone better.”
Jim: It was very organic, and I think it was the beginning of everything. It was a great experience for me to be out there. But as far as creativity in this fashion world, when you see a person who finds their niche in it, that’s what I consider fashion. There’s a lot of fashion that jumps on the backs of other people, but you find someone that has that thing that you could separate from the rest. You had people like Virgil, and you know whose clothes it was when you saw Virgil’s. And then you look at KidSuper, and you know who’s clothes it is when you see KidSuper. That’s what I respected the most about him: He found his niche, and on top of that, he’s a dope person who’s got some fly shit.
Colm: Damn, interview done. But no, I can’t stress enough. I mean obviously the fashion show wasn’t that long ago, but reminiscing on it, it was such a beautiful time, really organic creativity and very collaborative. Those are the kind of moments you dream of when you start this. Everyone felt very respected.
Jim: It definitely wasn’t as bougie as I thought it was going to be. It was a good feeling though.
Colm: That’s another thing, KidSuper is at Paris Fashion Week competing against Dior and Louis Vuitton and winning, so it’s cool that he got to see that behind the scenes, it’s just me and all of my friends.
Jim: It was definitely a good time behind the scenes. I mean it’s a bit hectic when you first come in, and you see them running around and making sure the show goes correct. There’s a lot that goes into an actual fashion show that I didn’t really take into mind when you look at people creating fashion. Then when you get there and see how much goes into making this 15-minute show actually happen, there’s a lot of work that goes into it. I definitely took my hat off to Kid and all of the other designers out there who’ve been working day in and day out for years trying to perfect their craft.
Colm: It is funny to work so hard for 15 minutes, and then you’re like, “Well, it’s over.” Also you can’t just have a hit fashion show. It can be good for the moment, but then everyone’s like, “What’s your next one?” I’m like, “Just watch the other one again, like that one is iconic.” It’s funny when you realize that you’re just always a rat race with fashion. The cool thing about it though is that it’s one of the best arts to connect with people, like him just wanting a jacket, and now we’re best friends.
The “String Theory,” just like the title of your collection.
Colm: Exactly. It’s amazing, even him coming today. Obviously it made a lot of sense with the collection since he walked in the show, but also just amazing that he’s here. He came to the opening [of the KidSuper HQ], and I showed him the whole building. We are building a recording studio, and he loved the producer that I worked with for the show so maybe one day they can record here. Kind of how I mapped it out to be, and it worked.
Jim: Dope.
Creative Direction: Colm Dillane
Photography: Ryan Schostak
Styling: Maurice Diallo
Styling assistant: Cecilia Lizarraga
Hair and makeup: Brittany McGovern
Hair and makeup assistant: Mel Velovic
Talent: Jim Jones, Wonda Clyatt and The Doberman Krew
