When Kelly Ekardt stopped running and let things just come and go, she finally found her true self.

Category: People

_PFW x Kelly Ekardt Frankfurt, Germany Category: People

There’s something special about the calm, self-aware way presence of fashion stylist and designer Kelly Ekardt.

Kelly is a freelance fashion designer, fashion stylist and co-founder of Frankford edit, an English blog in and about Frankfurt. Kelly is originally American, raised in Springfield, Missouri. She studied interior architecture and fashion design at the University of Missouri, Columbia and in London. This is where she met her German husband, after a year of longdistance relationship they got married and lived in London. During this time, she had three different businesses, an online shop blog and her own women's and children's fashion labels. And not to forget her daughter Eden. After 10 years in London Kelly and her husband moved to Frankfurt in July 2013.

We talked about her inner journey, the magic of stillness and listening to oneself, how we can stop running and trust our intuition, what happens to your anger and anxiety, when you get to know your inner-self and why people have to learn to listen to each other again.

This portrait is part of People Of A Future World, a project by non-profit media and public life initiative ESSENCY. Find out more about the initiative at the end of this story.

Listen to Audio Podcast

November, 30, 2020

"It's been such a transformation because you have to dig deep and sometimes digging deep is really hard. But until you dig deep and really find that person that's been in there this whole time. You keep shoving that person down because you think you should be doing this or you shouldn't be that way. Or, you know, society's taught me this way or my family says this. And until you awaken that inside of you, you're never going to know that essence of yourself."

Daley is an eloquent speaker, not just in conversation, but in the communication of his sartorial work. The eight collections he has produced under his own name label encapsulate expressions of uniformity and identity. The 29-year-old’s narrative-driven approach is fueled by his painstaking research into his family’s musical history, his longing to create meaningful garments that never cease to tell a story, and his sense of craftsmanship using high-quality fabrics. This combination has led him to collaborate with numerous musicians of various genres for his fashion week presentations as well as partnering with brands including Adidas and Fred Perry. It also gained him support from the British Fashion Council under their NewGen initiative along with a nomination for the International Woolmark Prize. Daley’s designs are imbued with personal memories and musical references, which often stir an emotional response for those wearing his clothes. For his Autumn/Winter 2018 collection, he was so enamored with the burnt orange color on Freddie Hubbard’s record sleeve for Red Clay, he named the collection after it. “Music is an amazing way of expressing my ideas or my beliefs; music and fashion are so intertwined. One enforces the other,” he says.

"You've got to do inner work, but I think you also have to set yourself guidelines. I'm going to meditate for 15 minutes. I'm going to go on my run. I'm going to journal. I'm going to get it all out, and then I'm going to move on with my day because there's other things I have to do. I still have to function as a human in society, whether it's work, being a mother, student. I think people can take it too far and then they become this self-absorbed, egotistical human, but then that doesn't work."

Daley composes his collections by immersing in sonic structures. The rhythm of tracks played during presentations not only enforces the shows—to Daley, it also reinforces his seasonal designs. The very creation of which, Daley thinks, requires a vibe or rhythmic pace. “Mine’s from a product and garment perspective, but then some of the musicians I collaborate with look at snares, high hats, and kick drums. I look at jackets, sleeves and hedge rolls and fusing and handmade shoes and hats,” Daley says, who is wearing one of his signature headwear pieces. “Got too much high hat here, so maybe I need to do something else. You’re like, ‘how much do I put this in, does this really tell the story?’” The analogy doesn’t end there. While you can come up with a great idea, the editing phase determines whether it communicates well. Looking back and forward from either perspective, fabric or music, high hats or kick drums, or whether you want more delay—once you master it, you experience accomplishment and most likely, relief. “Hopefully at that point, it tells something really strong and positive and truthful—real people and characters, where the fabric is from, how it’s made, all these things are what I’m trying to put together.”

Kelly Ekardt is a Frankfurt-based fashion stylist and designer whose creations thrive on diversity and Kelly’s personal histories. He has just launched his newest collection, Astro Black.

The People Of A Future World series is a project by the non-profit media and public life initiative ESSENCY. The series features stories of people, experts and original wisdom.

Text: Ulrike Engel, Andrea Friedrich for ESSENCY Productions
Photography: Nele Martensen
Video: ESSENCY Productions, Flemming Post