The Style of Kai: A Look in the KAI Era

Fashion can be used to make a statement. Kai articulates meaning with fashion in the most beautiful way, challenging the binary view of fashion and self.

Fashion is another form, like music and dance, of expression. As South Korean EXO member and solo artist Kai released his breathtaking “FILM: KAI” and his self titled album in late November, we were able to KAI as a performer. He brought elements of performing and music, showing how they connect. Another component to the KAI era is style. Kai was able to showcase an androgynous style in his solo debut, creating a particular mood with his outfits and the setting.

If we look at androgynous style of clothing, we can see that it is not solely or overtly masculine or feminine. We can already see how KAI expresses himself through fashion. Kai, before solo debut, implemented androgynous styling. Looking back at his photoshoots and performances, we can see that he doesn’t mind wearing things that have been viewed through the hegemonic lens of gender and gender expression.

We can see how Kai is open to other ways of expression and how it should not be fixated on the binary view of gender. Kai has been criticized in the past for wearing things like crop tops and heels, but that never stopped him. In fact, it resulted him to try different styles throughout his career, wearing heals, earrings, dresses, lace gloves, other elements of women clothing.

Leading into his album release, Kai dropped several teasers with different styles. One Kai fan intelligently noted that Kai was influenced by David Bowie who was known as a mesmerizing performer while exploring different genres and obtaining androgynous alter egos.

Kai was able to express himself through style, through fashion. Every part of “FILM: KAI” and “Mmmh”, there are different styling choices that embraces androgynous fashion.

In the “Mmmh” we can see the various styling choices. It is the hair, the lace, the hat, the way the clothes fit his body; it’s those details that matter. Kai was able to express himself as sexy but not in the images that is overly masculine or feminine.

Time and time again, looking back at other articles, KAI was an era that is one for the books for its creativity and its levels of expression. Last year, an article was written about Kai’s use of black and white photographs.

Now, looking back to it all, the album teasers were not all distant in ideas and themes. Reflecting on the fact that Kai always said he wanted to show a different side of himself. This album did show that — different sides of Kai. Not as Kai being overtly masculine as he is depicted in EXO, his respective boy group, but someone who can be a little bit of both. Masculine, feminine, all that is in between.

Looking at other fashion choices in “FILM: KAI”. In discussions with a Kai fan who helps organizing with Kai fanbases, Felicia known as godsof94 on twitter, she notes that “when he’s alone, the clothes are more looser [and] less restricting. But when he’s performing like in Reason and Ride or Die they are more buttoned up. Also during Amnesia his clothes were more bejeweled and the way the train glinted off of them, it’s almost like a spotlight but at the same time he’s shirtless, so it’s more vulnerable. The immediacy of the train tracks makes you feel like there is pressure.”

In those ways, the choice of styling and setting has meaning. Kai, cleverly, shows the relationship between isolation is freedom and vulnerability while being around others is more restricted. Vulnerability is never a bad thing thing. In fact, being a bit more vulnerable is freedom, but it can be viewed as weakness, especially since Kai is a man. Men are expected to not to be vulnerable. Kai expressed that he can. Interestingly, we can see that this is actually something he thinks. He once mentioned that vulnerability is never equated to weakness. In fact, it is good to show and let out those emotions out. It is not clear if that is the take Kai is trying to make here, but it is interesting. For example, in “Nothing on Me” the way his clothes were white and how it was looser, that sense of freedom to be vulnerable. And Kai mentioned that him dancing in white for it to result into being dirty which is symbolic for the hardships in life. The fact he worked closely with the stylist shows how influential he was in the process of his film.

It is his hair, the corset, the tie and vests, Kai’s painted nails that all show Kai in androgynous styling. Kai doesn’t stay on fixated societal norms of feminine and masculine as separate forms of expression. Each time one looks at Kai’s solo debut, you can see the amount of layering it has. For his first release of his own, Kai should be applauded. Such level of artistry and creativity needs to be acknowledged.

For Kai, fashion was never to show people but to express himself. Kai’s intent was to never challenge gender norms, even though he did. He just liked it. For the magazine Esquire Korea, Kai was able to give his views on fashion. Keeping it simple and sweet, he emphasizes that fashion is a way someone can express themselves.

In these ways, clothes are not just things you wear, it is a window of who you are and the vibe you would like to give. Kai was able to express himself in so many ways that can be seen as uncommon in the industry he is in.

Kai has an eye and a mind that is so brilliant. We only see snippets of all that is in his mind. As we watch it come to life, we see a charmer releasing his charms through the lens of music, performance, and fashion. As he is now his own artist, we hope to see more of Kai and watch his vision through his lens, simultaneously taking it in through our lens.