Meet the Founder
Kyle is an American fashion designer & entrepreneur. Born in Chicago on Feb 25th, 1992 & raised in Rota, Spain.
Kyle began his pursuits in creative arts while living in Tampa, FL. In 2015, he produced his debut ready-to-wear collection, which led to his first “best designer of the bay” award. He established himself in the business of fashion in 2018 by opening Downtown Tampa’s first designer showroom. In 2020, business slowed due to Covid, allowing Kyle the opportunity to reimagine the Kilgore brand. After a brief sabbatical, Kyle decided to pivot to an online model, create for the love of craft and art, and return to where his story began, Chicago!
MEET THE
BRAND
KILGORE IS AN INDEPENDENT, QUEER, & BLACK-OWNED FASHION BRAND. WE PRODUCE MASCULINE LINGERIE, LEATHER GOODS, MADE-TO-MEASURE GOWNS, AND COSTUMES.
THE KILGORE BRAND STARTED IN LATE 2015 WITH KYLE KILGORE AND TWO PARTNERED INVESTORS OPERATING OUT OF KYLE’S HOME STUDIO. WE RELEASED OUR DEBUT READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION WHICH LEAD TO OUR FIRST “BEST DESIGNER OF THE BAY” AWARD THAT SAME YEAR. THIS COLLECTION WAS SOLD EXCLUSIVELY VIA ROUTINE POP-UP SHOPS.
IN 2018 WE OPENED THE FIRST PERMANENT KILGORE RETAIL LOCATION IN THE HEART OF TAMPA’S DOWNTOWN DISTRICT. THIS LOCATION WAS ALSO DOWNTOWN TAMPA’S FIRST DESIGNER STUDIO & SHOWROOM. LATER THAT YEAR KYLE EXPANDED THE CONCEPT TO HOUSE A PUBLIC PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO USED TO CULTIVATE AND SUPPORT THE LOCAL FASHION INDUSTRY.
THE FOLLOWING YEAR (2019) THE BRAND EXPANDED TO A BIGGER LOCATION IN TAMPA’S HISTORIC/ART DISTRICT (YBOR CITY). PRESENT-DAY WE HAVE BECOME EMPLOYEE-OWNED, WE CLOSED THE TAMPA LOCATION, TRANSITIONED SOLELY ONLINE, AND ARE NOW BASED IN CHICAGO, IL.
