His profile is striking, with his bald pate, carefully manicured beard and constant smile.
Kev Couture laughs quite a bit as well. Casually dressed for informal events, and dapper in his suits when the occasion requires, Kev is a wardrobe stylist and personal shopper. And, unlike most of his competitors, he does not live in Los Angeles or New York, but in Grand Rapids. His client list covers a wide range of celebrities, from Eric Benet in music, to Charlie Villanueva in sports, to Aida Rodriquez in Hollywood.
The beginning
Dressing well and dressing others well started early in Kev’s life. A transplant to West Michigan from Queens, New York, he moved here with his family so his father could take a job at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel as a chef. As a child with limited means, he started off in thrift stores.
"Growing up, I didn’t have the best of clothes. I would find clothes that would make me happy. When I put them on, they made me feel like a whole new person," says Kev. "I always knew that I wanted to do something with fashion, I just didn't know what it was."
Kev is animated when he talks, moving his hands around and looking into space as he describes his start with style.
"My friends would always ask, 'what am I wearing, does this look good?’"
His passion for style led him to the
International Academy of Design and Technology in Chicago where he received his B.A. He then went on to be a buyer for local retailers, working in that position for eight years.
From buyer to stylist
"People always want to dress well -- sometimes for other people, sometimes for themselves," Kev says.
As Kev became more and more involved with the retail angle of fashion and style, he found himself less and less rewarded buying for a store. “I wanted to have more one on one interaction with my clients," Kev says. "I wanted to go from buying and choosing to working with people on on one. It gives me more satisfaction to buy one or two pieces then to buy one hundred and put them on a wall. I wanted to build people’s wardrobe from scratch."
It took over a year for him to transition out of buying and into styling. One of his early and key influences was
Sabra Temple, another Grand Rapidian who now works in costuming and wardrobe in Hollywood.
"She taught me a lot of stuff that I didn’t know. Buying is different from styling. I really appreciate what she did," Kev recalls.
Stylist to stars
Now Kev’s picks are on the red carpet, in television interviews and anywhere else that his clients appear to the public.
"Fashion is all about self expression and the confidence that people have when they feel like they're dressed the best," he says.
It takes a lot of work to stay on top of trends and styles, to find the retailers that have the right clothes in the right sizes. Quality style is time intensive, and finding great pieces comes with hassles and an investment of time, which Kev handles on behalf of his clients.
"Some clients come to me and they want to put a look together for an event.
Eric Benet had the Grammies. He was going to be on the red carpet, and because of all of his touring, he didn't have them time to put a look together. So, I put together three looks, gave him my opinion on each look and ultimately [left it up to him]. The trick to being a quality stylist is to dress clients in a manner that incorporates their overall identity."
For example, when a professional athlete makes public appearances, it helps to put the best foot forward in appearance, but it’s hard to put it together in the middle of a season. Kev takes the legwork out of the process, making it as simple as possible for his busy clients.
"I am your concierge fashion stylist," says Kev. "For my clients, I set up a look, we have a consultation and I figure out what overall look they are trying to achieve -- what colors they like and don't like, what brands they’re drawn to, things like that. I bring the fashions and clothes to them, at their doorstep or office, so they don't have to go look, shop, or visit retailers out of state."
It wasn’t always as easy as it sounds, however. Being from Grand Rapids makes being a stylist difficult at times. Fashion can be very political, in many ways like a club, and being from Grand Rapids, many people perceive limited fashion in this area. But Kev disagrees. “Fashion is universal, it has no boundaries, you don’t need to be in New York or Miami to understand it."
The local connection
And for those that do think you need to be in New York or Miami to be on the cutting edge of fashion? Well, they're wrong. Wolverine World Wide in Rockford has a legacy with Hush Puppies, Merill and their 1000 Mile Shoes, sold only in premium boutiques around the country. Grand Rapids native Pamella Roland is experiencing great success with her evening wear. Leigh’s and AK Rikk’s both have a national reputation as leading retailers of current styles, in some cases having clothing available in larger markets.
"Fashion in Grand Rapids has progressed in the last five years. We've had more runway shows, we've seen Style Battle grow and grow.
Fashion Has Heart, a great non-profit, is based here," Kev says, citing a few examples. And more great fashion is on the way.
Kendall School of Art and Design has teamed up with the
Fashion Institute of Technology in New York to share programming, bringing Kendall students to New York to study.
"That's going to be big. Five to ten years down the road, we're going to see more designers, more merchandisers -- people coming from Grand Rapids into the world. I think that this is huge. With the teaming up of Kendall and FIT, we'll see more of an emergence of fashion in Grand Rapids. Kendal didn't need more credibility as a design school, but for emerging students who love design and fashion, Kendall is going to become a place to be."
Of course, for Kev Couture, it already is.
Adam Bird is the Managing Photographer of Rapid Growth Media.
PHOTOS:
Kev Couture, with a little bit of the lots of clothing that he uses for styling in downtown Grand Rapids.
Photography by
ADAM BIRD