Interview with Killigraphy Media Director Lily Valour

Lily Valour makes running a fashion brand look easy. As the Operations & Media Director for Killigraphy, she runs the business with Founder, Spencer Seigle out of Pittsburgh, PA. The streetwear brand launched not so long ago with their first collection “The Gallows”. Their apparel was well-received not only by their community but also had a wide reach through the internet.

Lily is one of the coolest women you’ll ever meet. Her sincerity and passion for Killigraphy have taken the brand from something good into something great. Lily took the time to give us some insight into how it all began, and you’ll notice that it’s not quite as easy as it seems. Here’s what she had to say.

What inspired you to create Killigraphy?

To be totally honest, we just wanted to wear cool clothes and couldn’t find them, so we made them. Other people fucking with the vision is a bonus, but we created this really for ourselves.

 

What were some challenges that you had to overcome?

It had only been several months after I had attempted to take my own life when I met Spencer at a local coffee shop, so this all sort of happened during a time where I wasn’t sure who I was and had no direction. I had also freshly dropped out of college and was struggling with feeling lost, insecure, and out of place.

He asked me to model the next line of clothing because he had specific visions for it and trusted that I could carry it through, and of course, I said yes – even though I entirely lacked the necessary confidence or willingness to step outside of my comfort zone. Overcoming this huge hurdle was difficult but Spencer guided me through, and it encouraged exponential growth and maturity for me. He saw my potential right off the bat, and I’m thankful he never gave up on me. Self-doubt is probably the #1 destroyer of success for anyone doing anything.

 

What is your process like when starting a new collection?

Usually, we try to forecast what is likely to be interesting and innovative in the upcoming seasons by observing social media, which is incredibly influential in this day and age. Though doing this doesn’t immediately impact the designing process necessarily, it helps me to develop an eye for trends and provide the best insight I can. Spencer often gets waves of inspiration and just sits down really at any time, and designs will come pouring out of his mind. Without hesitation, he gets his visions drawn out and ready to be experimented with.

I’m pretty absent during the preliminary stages of the process but will revisit the concept when he’s done. From there, we pick apart the ideas and finalize positions for every graphic and other physical alterations to the garment. I think we have found a lot of success in understanding the role that the other plays and letting them do their thing. Being able to effectively bounce creative energy back and forth at the same time is absolutely vital in crafting a collection we are both excited about and proud of.

 

Who are some designers that you look up to?

For me, I find a lot of inspiration from Yohji Yamamoto’s work, especially the recent sneak peek of his Y-3 Fall/Winter 2019 Collection in Paris. Yamamoto steps out of his famously black color set and uses brilliantly bold colors such as neon orange, blue, and red to contrast with the dark and in addition to his classic white accents. We incorporate this concept of modernized colorways a lot into many of our existing pieces, as well as other ideas we are bringing to the table, with strong, bright red or orange accents in juxtaposition with an otherwise too muted or neutral garment.

Spencer looks at the work of Raf Simons (of Adidas) when he feels the need for inspiration. Simons incorporates a lot of intricate and unusual details in his pieces that set them apart from other designs, with unique color blocking and other miscellaneous accents (metal O-rings, safety pins, or more recently, plastic 6-pack rings). We try to take these concepts and apply them in our own way.

 

Can you describe the Killigraphy aesthetic?

The Killigraphy aesthetic consists of relaxed street and urban vibes, with a lot of our inspiration coming from New York and LA, where casual streetwear is prominent. Bold statement graphics and modern colorways are two things that are often incorporated into our pieces. Instead of tossing together a ton of components onto a piece of fabric and creating a visually noisy piece, we keep the graphics to one or two colors and thoughtfully place them on the garment, thus creating a seemingly effortless but deliberately clean-cut look.

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Blur all the lines. . “Grinn” mask available now

A post shared by – K L G R P H Y – (@klgrphy) on Oct 26, 2018 at 12:32pm PDT

 

What would you consider a wardrobe staple and why?

Layering pieces are an absolute necessity. On lazy days when you don’t feel like putting together a whole fit, tossing on a long tee under a crewneck or hoodie is so simple but stylish enough that it looks like maybe you put a little effort in today, even if you didn’t! Wearing multiple layers with straight cut hems makes the overall silhouette a little too boxy for my taste, so I’m a huge advocate for crispy asymmetric hems, split seams, or some distressing on and around the bottom.

 

What is the Killigraphy customer like?

Anyone, really! I’ve seen a lot of unique customers across the board, but it’s mostly young guys in the creative scene, and they all style the items differently and in their own way. It’s pretty dope! We have had some music artists wear the gear as well, such as Lil Xan, Caskey, and Forget Brennan. They each have iconically eclectic styles of their own, so it’s definitely hard to try and generalize.

 

What role do you think social media play in upcoming streetwear brands today?

In this era of technology, social media plays a significant role in upcoming streetwear brands. We are all constantly consuming media everywhere we go. By taking into consideration the influence that social media can have – through celebrities, bloggers, and even small communities of local friend groups – you can figure out ways to take advantage of it.

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i remember when i told you i tried to kill myself, & you said “i’m glad you didn’t.” **** i’m truly blessed to be here today. i wasn’t planning on it, but living past 19 has been an incredible roller coaster & i actually look forward to seeing where this life will take us. crazy to think that at the time, i had no idea who i was going to become or the multitude of feelings i was going to experience by continuing to live, but i’m so grateful for the obstacles i’ve faced that brought me here. i have the best friends in the world & i hope i make you all proud. together we can accomplish anything. here’s to 23 years & counting. thank you for being you & surrounding me with your positive vibes. ??

A post shared by ? (@lilyvalour) on Jan 14, 2019 at 9:52pm PST

With everything in existence having some sort of digital profile, it’s definitely essential as a streetwear brand to develop and contribute to the online community, to create shareable content across everyone’s phone and computer screens. Additionally, it’s so much easier to get visibility in the modern age, not to mention connections or collaborations can be made much more quickly and frequently than in the past when it wasn’t always as easy to reach out to someone you’re interested in working with.

 

What can we look forward to this year from Killigraphy?

Spencer’s style of designing and coming up with ideas is typically spontaneous and random. Our patrons can expect even bolder decisions as we plan on going heavy into unique aesthetics, not just with the graphics but also with the garments themselves. Additionally, a significant shift in focus towards expanding alludes to our efforts in advancing in the direction of making Killigraphy a household name in the streetwear industry.

 

What are some common misconceptions about owning your own brand?

People expect a lot of free shit once you start gaining traction because they think suddenly you’re rich. We’re just two streetwear kids from Pittsburgh who don’t want to work a 9-5. We’re not backed by a larger company. It’s literally just me and Spencer. I feel like everyone should research starting a company with the intention of simply understanding how it works. There’s a misconception that anyone can start a company and own a brand, that it’s easy and that things just kind of work out somewhere along the line, but it’s so much more than that. I love Killigraphy to death but we have also definitely lost a lot of sleep over it.

 

Can you give 3 pieces of advice for aspiring designers?

1. You have to finish pieces, even if you end up scrapping it. I know too many people who have started a design and then halfway through, they’re like “ah, fuck this.” The only way you can measure your growth and improvement is by practicing your craft constantly. If you start creating something, and it’s ehh, that’s totally fine. You did it – sick, now make something else. Once you get to the fourth, fifth, sixth, and so on, you can look back on that first idea and see what you might’ve missed. Then you can look at your tenth concept and see how much better it is than the first, and that feels way better. How are you going to execute all these extravagant ideas when you can’t even complete one?

2. Study. Learn the relevant terminology; understand what words best express what it is you’re trying to communicate or you’ll be clueless forever. Recognize where you stand with your work, and understand your relationship to the space where someone else is standing. People who are better than you are just as much your mentors as they are your competition, whether you realize it or not. Studying someone else’s work and seeing things from their perspective will help you to see outside your own mind, but you also can’t take influence from any one person or you’ll lose originality. Compare with the intention to critique and improve, not to criticize. Too much of any one thing will destroy you, but it’s important to study the work of someone whose shoes you’d someday like to – not step in – but stand next to.

3. Don’t rely purely on motivation to get shit done. If you wait specifically until you feel motivated to do something in order to do it, then you’ll never get it done. If I wait until I randomly feel motivated to put myself in the studio and get work done, then I’d only be in there probably once a week. I’m a human; I get lazy and procrastinate. No – I have to realize that there’s shit that needs to be done, and then just do it. Besides, once you get over the first 15 minutes of trying to focus, you remember that this is your passion, this is what you love, and this is what you’re gonna do. Determine the goal, set your mind to it, then do it. Or don’t. Up to you.

 

What is something that you definitely want to achieve this year?

Setting up more pop-ups, not just in Pittsburgh but others as well. In my travels, I usually only pack Killigraphy clothes and shoot as many fits as I can, but it would be sick to have a pop-up shop for a few days in a couple different places. Killigraphy is versatile and has no limits when it comes to who can wear it, so I think it would be really interesting and insightful to see our audience or demographic in person as opposed to Instagram or Facebook. Even though I spoke so highly of being involved and active in social media, having a physical presence, whether for a few days or months, is a milestone for sure. Continuing to watch the numbers grow is also always on our agenda, so if that means many more sleepless nights then let’s get it.

I really enjoyed sitting down and truly thinking about what all Killigraphy means to me and how it has impacted my life thus far. I hope you find these responses positive, insightful, and helpful to others pursuing the same dream.