EXCLUSIVE: Celebrity Stylists Jamie Mizrahi and Simone Harouche Launch Intimates Brand The KiT
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Celebrity stylists Jamie Mizrahi and Simone Harouche are masters of polishing off a look.
Their job descriptions entail making the likes of the Kardashians, Katy Perry, Nicole Richie, Jessica Alba and Miley Cyrus red-carpet-ready. But it’s more than just picking out the right outfit for an event. They need to remember things like nipple covers, adhesive tape, the proper panties and other unmentionables.
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“Basically, if you don’t feel good with what’s happening underneath your clothes, you’re not presenting your best self,” Harouche told WWD.
Now the duo and longtime friends have decided to make that expertise available to the masses with the launch of their own intimates apparel brand, The KiT.
“We work with so many different women and different body types and we’ve seen what our clients go through, what our friends go through,” Harouche said. “Women always ask us, ‘What do you use for that? How do you get this look?’ We felt that the transition from styling to undergarments is the foundation of getting dressed.”
In fact, Harouche and Mizrahi, former creative director of Juicy Couture, have been planning out their intimates collection, which launches Sunday at thekitundergarments.com, for the last two years.
Boxed sets with cute names like “Cozy Kit,” “Strapless Black-tie Kit,” “Under Packer Kit,” and “Over Packer Kit” will be available. But shoppers can purchase pieces à la carte, too. Things like wireless triangle bras, molded balconette brassiere, long-sleeve and spaghetti-strapped bodysuits and underwear constitute the assortment.
The inaugural collection comes in 16 pieces, seven shades and two fabrics, bamboo cotton or a lightweight nylon-spandex blend. But Mizrahi said they’ll be adding pieces and styles over time.
In addition, The KiT will also offer accessories, including breast tape, pasties and bra extenders. Prices range from $12 for accessories to $88 for the long-sleeve bodysuit. Kits range from $82 to $330.
“It’s all the things we use in our kit when styling,” Harouche said.
The pair’s styling tips and tricks will also be available on the web site by way of informational videos, such as suggestions of which bra works best for different shapes. Or, how to use breast tape to hold boobs in place when wearing a bra isn’t an option.
“We’re helping set the foundation for everything that you may be wearing,” Mizrahi said. “Undergarments are your second skin. They kind of set the tone. It’s the first thing you put on and it’s the last thing you take off.”
Moving from celebrity stylist to fashion designer is no easy task — especially when the space is already cluttered with so many existing players. But Mizrahi and Harouche, both of whom are based in Los Angeles, said that’s exactly what sets them apart.
“We’re really approaching this from the perspective of stylists,” Mizrahi said. “Having worked with countless celebrities, styling them for all occasions and dressing opportunities, we have the insight and expertise to simplify the process of getting dressed. We’re addressing that hole in the market for intimates-based foundational pieces that every woman needs under one brand.
“I think the things that people are going to find the most interesting are the things they don’t really know about,” Mizrahi continued. “Like the adhesive thongs, our pasties, our nude illusion body stockings; things that you haven’t really seen before. Hopefully, people will start to understand how to use these things at home, people who don’t have a stylist.”
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