Kate Barton on bringing her mind-bending design aesthetic to the world of digital fashion

Barton’s is a good story. In just three years since graduating, the now 28-year-old womenswear designer became the first American to win the Mittelmoda Innovation Award at Milan Fashion Week, launched her eponymous brand, debuted her futuristic first collection this September at NYFW – nearly unheard-of for a first-season designer – and went viral with her sculptural, sheet-metal-looking designs and playful goldfish motif. She was also CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist and counts Winnie Harlow, Beyoncé, Halle Bailey, and Katy Perry as fans.

Barton’s problem-solving mind lies at the heart of her success. A triplet from Kansas City, the designer grew up far from the creative world. Originally studying business, she fell in love with fashion and landed a New York internship with a “kind of made-up resume.” She went on to grad school at SCAD, where, surrounded by peers with four plus years of experience, her lack of formal training allowed her to interpret things in her own way. Given a fabric manipulation assignment, Barton sculpted the fabric by hand – a rule-breaking approach that would become the foundation of her now-patented draping technique.

Now, the designer is turning her focus to digital fashion. We caught up with Barton to talk about her first piece of digital-physical fashion, her unique fabric sculpting technique, and building a brand from scratch.

The last three years have been busy for you. Did you have a clear vision for your path forward in fashion when you started out?

Kate Barton: I had no idea what my path ahead looked like. I knew I wanted to start my own brand, but I didn't think that was even in the realm of possibility. 

This Fashion Week was a pivotal moment for me, and an entry into the industry for the brand. Most people don't get on the calendar with their first season, so when we got the email that I was on the official NYFW calendar, I had one month to create the first collection. I hadn’t even started making a new collection, because I wasn’t anticipating it. I did the whole thing by myself. It was a challenge, but it was a good challenge because I showed myself how much I was capable of. Getting such a positive reaction at that first presentation was amazing.

When did you realize discovering and developing new materials would be a core part of your practice?

Kate Barton: I fell in love with the process in grad school. I didn’t have a traditional approach, or a technical background, or really any idea about fashion and how things should be constructed, so I always started by exploring materials that felt interesting. I love challenging myself with unexpected materials, finding ways to sculpt them, and making them work for my vision.

My process is still very intuitive. In the beginning, I’m hands-on and experimental. The fabric is a blank slate: I start by engineering the material, hand sculpting and draping it to create the shape I want. I still discover new ways to do that every day, and it’s still a huge part of my creative process. Engineering materials is maybe even more exciting for me now than when I started because I’ve built such extensive technical knowledge on engineering fabrics through experimentation.

Did you have core principles you were interested in exploring and maintaining in your design practice when you first started out?

Kate Barton: When we first launched, I knew I wanted to have a very clear point of view and establish a unique, recognizable brand DNA. I started with my (now) patented, true-to-brand sculpting and draping techniques to show what KATE BARTON is about. I went to the extreme, creating exaggerated, in-your-face versions of sculptural architectural silhouettes and red-carpet editorial pieces.

As people started recognizing our stuff, I felt confident to move into separates, sets, and ready-to-wear collections, which was always the goal. What’s cool is that, now, I can do a subtle pant with my signature draping and people notice. We were on the recent season of Emily in Paris and people watching were like: ‘Is this your look? It’s exactly like your stuff.’ So, staying true to the design DNA in every single thing we do is really important to me as a designer.

That being said, I like having fun and adding playful elements – like our little goldfish bag, which is so popular and just brings joy.

How do you want people to feel when they wear one of your pieces?

Kate Barton: I want people to wear the clothes. I want it to be out there and for everyone to have access to it. I want to make things that excite people; things they feel good and confident in. I wear my own pieces and that's something I'm constantly thinking about, especially with this upcoming season and moving more into ready-to-wear for everyday.

The way you drape and craft materials looks like magic, and you use words like illusion and surreal to describe your work. What is it about playing with perception that appeals to you?

Kate Barton: Creating elements of illusion has always come very organically and intuitively to me, and those two words – organic and intuitive – are central to my process. I don’t set out to make something that looks like something else; it happens naturally as I explore new, better ways of doing things. A lot of it comes down to problem-solving. For example, I wanted to make chrome sculpted-looking pieces that were still wearable, so I started exploring how I could create something lightweight and functional through different materials and designs. The final pieces – people think they’re 3D printed or made of hard, sharp metal, but they’re light sculpted leather, crafted in the studio.

That started spiralling ideas for me, and I think about it unintentionally now. It’s an approach that excites me in the same way sculpting fabric does. I enjoy the challenge of creating something unexpected that sparks curiosity and excitement. I talked to Nicola [Formichetti, SYKY’s Artistic Director] about creating illusion within pieces, and how I love to have these ideas of illusion that get conversations started.

I’ve noticed that when there’s this play of perception within a garment, it gets people interested and brings the community together to talk about it and wonder what it is. That excitement is something I always want to bring to everything I do.

Launching The Pierced Leather Bag in digital is an exciting moment. Why did you want to bring KATE BARTON into digital fashion?

Kate Barton: I’m excited to bring the Pierced Leather Bag into the digital space. Since being in fashion, I’ve always been drawn to innovative ways of creating, constructing, and especially sculpting unconventional shapes and materials. Exploring it further in the digital world is cool for me because it opens up unlimited possibilities for what these designs can become.

The Pierced Bag is a shape that’s been signature to the brand since the beginning. We first created it in hand-blown glass, we’ve used this form across corsetry bodices, and embellished belts. I wanted to bring the more accessible leather version into the digital world where it can take on a life of its own, tying it back to some of our more experimental early projects. Nicola and I both thought it aligned so perfectly with SYKY and the merging of our aesthetics. We had to include the little metal goldfish keychain, which is such a fun, playful element. It’s true to KATE BARTON, and I think it fits well with SYKY’s spirit too.

You’ve achieved so much in the formative years of your brand. Did this step into digital feel like the right time for KATE BARTON?

Kate Barton: Entering the digital fashion world and working with SYKY feels like the perfect next step. I’ve wanted to do it for a while and it’s something my followers and supporters have asked about. 

People on social media often think some of our photos or videos are AI-generated or that some of our looks and materials aren't real – they think they’re liquid, metal, or AI-created. We've played on that and pushed further into the world of illusion, where you can't always tell what's real and what isn’t. It’s been organic to continue that story. We just listen and see what excites people. Being able to take this step with SYKY makes it much more real. It's an amazing opportunity, and I'm excited to be along for the journey.

Shop The Pierced Leather Bag by Kate Barton from SYKY Drops 006 now.