Featuring his unapologetically genderless line W.E.T. (With Exceptional Taste)
Photo Credits: Norman E Jones
On September 15, 2025, all eyes in fashion turned toward a designer whose influence has spanned more than three decades and redressed the very idea of modern glamour. Celebrity designer Kenny “Kas” Flanagan unveils his latest work, the Welcome Black Collection—a bold manifesto of heritage, strength, and unapologetic luxury.
Kas has never been one to whisper through design. His work declares itself—confident, commanding, unforgettable. From Rihanna’s stage dominance to Alicia Keys’s effortless elegance, from Snoop Dogg’s cool to Toni Braxton’s sensuality, from The Rock’s towering charisma to Kevin Hart’s magnetic charm, Kas has shaped moments where fashion becomes memory. His designs have not just clothed celebrities; they’ve defined eras.
This season, his narrative grows sharper. Alongside Welcome Black, Kas introduces W.E.T. (With Exceptional Taste), a boundary-breaking line dismantling fashion’s outdated binaries. “Fashion should never be confined by gender,” Kas insists. “W.E.T. is built on attitude, not anatomy—it’s about giving anyone who wears it the power to feel daring, exceptional, and unapologetic.”
The Welcome Black Collection itself is couture sharpened with edge—sumptuous fabrics cut into audacious silhouettes, textures layered like stories, each garment pulsing with legacy and defiance. It’s luxury with intent: a wardrobe designed not to blend, but to dominate.
Kas’s ascent to this moment is legend. A protégé of Yves Saint Laurent, he became the first African American male couture designer featured at Saks Fifth Avenue. His pieces have graced magazine covers, film screens, and global stages, earning him honors such as America’s Prince of Fashion Award, the Career Achievement Award in Fashion, and even a State of Maryland Proclamation for his impact on culture. New York Fashion Week runways have long borne witness to his artistry, and nominations like the CFDA Breakthrough Designer Award mark him not only as a maker of clothes but as a mover of culture.
Now, with the support of Hungerford Management Group, Kas steps into a new era of visibility. “Kas has always been a visionary,” says Co-CEO Dana Hicks-Hungerford. “The Welcome Black Collection is more than fashion—it’s a declaration. He’s redefining what luxury and inclusivity look like on the world stage.”
And as Kas himself affirms, this is about more than garments: “It’s a Lifestyle… KasLifestyle.”
With Welcome Black and W.E.T., Kenny Kas isn’t just showing a collection—he’s rewriting the script of couture. In his hands, fashion doesn’t merely adorn; it empowers, provokes, and commands the room.
