With Vivet’s debut, Kai Cenat is making his case as a designer even as critics question his influences, prices & rapid rise in the industry.
Earlier this year, Kai Cenat announced his pivot from streaming to fashion, and this weekend, the viral Twitch streamer’s fashion brand, Vivet, debuted its first collection at New York Fashion Week.
“When it’s all said and done, I just want people to take away that I actually tried, and I actually committed and went to depths of actually trying to figure out how this actually works and I was actually a part of the entire process, and was able to bring this off the ground,” Cenat said, reflecting on his journey.
Kai Cenat says that no matter if his clothing brand VIVET succeeds or fails, he just wants people to acknowledge that he actually tried and fully committed ❤️ pic.twitter.com/7cvk6BrDvb
According to Cenat, Vivet means “he, she, or it will live forever” and is a world he’s been building for the last three years and a process he intentionally showcased during the runway debut of the brand’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection. Dividing the show into three acts, Cenat began the show with unrefined pieces like his Beginner Hoodie, representing his early stages in fashion. Throughout the show’s progression, attendees saw Cenat’s evolution as a designer as act two unveiled heavy leather, overcoats, denim, and structured boots each leaning into a variety of fashion references before ultimately concluding with act three, which featured more refined silhouettes and designs.
“Act three [is] ultimately where you outshine your past self and you shed into this new life and new beginnings,” he told GQ.
Throughout the collection, Vivet distinguishes itself through its leather designs, cultural references to Cenat’s Haitian and Trinidadian heritage and background as a streamer with a stylish streamer backpack that marries his love for fashion and streaming. Though Cenat documented his journey traveling Europe to study fashion and speaking to established names in the industry like Law Roach, social media users couldn’t help but notice the similarities and references to other brands like Yeezy, Rick Owens, and other popular streetwear designers, while other critics called out the collection’s price point.
“Nothing original- just copy and paste,” on user wrote on Instagram.
Every new VIVET pic makes it worse 😭 this is literally YEEZY Season cosplay with influencer pricing…… https://t.co/834h5j2i4K pic.twitter.com/GEYuWpRYcc
Unpopular opinion:
Kai Cenat Vivet fashion show exposed how much impact the people wearing clothes is vs the people who made it
Kai is LARGER than the fashion world and recruited/had so many big names in attendance because of it
To the point where his brand was the talk of… https://t.co/98BpUXihYp
vivet does not look bad. it’s getting weird and a tad bit #antiblack
vivet looks like a lot of first shows, especially in ny. i think people are mad it’s such a big show with celebrity presence
In addition to critics pointing out the familiar designs, some people who have studied fashion have called the streamer’s pivot into fashion and NYFW debiut within less than a year of announcing his brand “a slap in the face.”
Having spent years in the digital spotlight, Cenat is no stanger to online criticism. In fact, in a vlog documenting the journey to NYFW, the Vivet creator acknowledged the backlash in a conversation with KidSuper creator Colm Dillane.
“I already have the short end of the stick,” Cenat admitted. “One, because I’m a creator and I’m a streamer. So, everybody, not everybody, but some people who really have a passion for fashion, they’re doubting me. They’re doubting me, which I don’t blame them for because a lot of people have came into the clothing world and just slapped their name on the brand, got paid, and just left.”
However, while critics have labeled Vivet as “unoriginal,” other members of the fashion world are giving Cenat his flowers and spotlighting the larger conversation some of the industry reactions to Cenat’s Vivet spotlights.
“Kai Cenat still has a lot to learn and has a long way to go in fashion – he’s barely been a fully fledged fashion fanatic for a year. He’s not the best designer in the world, and no one should expect that from him. He will definitely improve significantly with time (like everyone else), and considering the fashion professionals he has around him, like Law Roach & Demna, it’s only a matter of time,” fashion journalist Ayọ̀ Òjó, aka Fashion Roadman, wrote on Instagram. “On the flip side, I don’t know why so many people think Kai Cenat is taking the ‘spot’ of emerging designers.”
A post shared by Ayọ̀ Òjó 🇬🇧🇳🇬 (@fashionroadman)
everybody’s being very weird about Kai Cenat & Vivet. Not liking it is one thing but I don’t think it warrants this level of dramatics. Also something something something about Black people in fashion that are overly preoccupied with gatekeeping pic.twitter.com/yDTx9Ic9up
Regardless of whether or not social media users love the brand, as Cenat said himself he tried, committed and brought a creative idea to life, which is often the hardest feat.
Check out the collection below
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