This week we celebrated the launch of KULE x Bergdorf Goodman’s exclusive limited-edition collection! Bergdorf Goodman (affectionately known as BG to locals) happens to be only five blocks from the KULE office, and the storied retailer holds a special place in Nikki’s heart. As a native New Yorker, BG is a place that has been in her life since she can remember and brings back special memories with her mother as a kid. Two New York City Icons coming together is a match made in… well… NYC 💜!
The collection consists of 13 pieces: women’s, men’s, kid’s, and accessories. It includes the silhouettes and styles for which KULE is known and loved, each featuring Bergdorf Goodman’s lilac and purple color motifs and iconic logos.
Modern T-Shirt
Rugby
Kap
Oversized Sweatshirt
Sweatpants
Mortiz Balaclava
Dress Sock
Kid's Charley T-shirt
Men's Rugby
Men's Raleigh Sweatshirt
Modern Striped T-Shirt
Striped Onesie
Tote
Nikki’s own mother loved BG so much and often took Nikki there when she was a young girl living in NYC. As Nikki said, “The Kule name alongside the Bergdorf Goodman name would have made my parents really proud, but especially my mom who always saw it as the pinnacle of retail.”
NIkki’s mother, Arlene Kule’s Bergdorf Goodman credit card from the 1970’s.
The collaboration was a no-brainer. Bergdorf’s is one of our retail partners in NYC and also has a very kule customer. Those who love KULE also love BG. That, coupled with Nikki’s NYC upbringing and love for and history with the store, we knew this was perfect.
We love this collection so much because, like all KULE collections, it styles perfectly with KULE staples like our button-up shirts, blazers and jackets, cardigans, and stripes of course.
The Hutton Shirt
The Monica Cardigan
The Nelson Blazer
The Rox Trench
The Russell Cardigan
The Hutton Shirt
The Cosmo Jacket
Twinning behind the scenes walking the 5 blocks from the KULE offie over to Bergdorf Goodman
It was shot by photographer Beth Sacca right outside the iconic Bergdorf Goodman store on 5th Avenue. It was modeled by friends of KULE, Alisha Bandsal, and Fred Castelberry. They both happen to look great in lilac 💜.
Most of the collection sold out in 36 hours, but we still have some coveted pieces available in-store or online exclusively at KULE and Bergdorf Goodman. And be sure to sign up for restock notifications 🙂
KULE Rockefeller Center 610 5th Avenue New York, NY 10020
Bergdorf Goodman 5th Floor 754 5th Avenue New York, NY 10019
With the unofficial end of summer behind us, it is full speed ahead into Fall. Here at KULE, we’ve been excited for this season since we photographed the collection and got our first peek into Fall 👀, several months ago. It’s filled with colorful stripes, collegiate knits, and tons of cozy layers. And yes, pasta and corn are on the menu 🍝 🌽. Read on below for a behind-the-scenes look into the making of KULE Fall.
In characteristically KULE style, we’re knee-deep in stripes this Fall
Before every shoot, we do a “style-out” at our office where Nikki conceptualizes looks to then be perfected on set. We get even more excited about the clothes and ways to wear them, too
The Bryce
The Rox Trench
The Hutton Button-Down Shirt
Miu Miu Loafers
Officine Générale Trouser
Photographer Mei Tao brings the energy on set with our megaphone prop 📣
The set is always carefully considered in our shoots. We choose a location (this one was in Brooklyn) and build the rest from there. This is the backdrop for our pasta-themed group 🍝 designed by Cecilia Elguero
Model Nadine Ammeraal catching the light in striped silk at our KULE “Trattoria”
The Modern Cacio e Pepe T-Shirt
The Striped Ponza Silk Shirt
The Cacio e Pepe Kap
The Elba Pareo Silk Wrap
Sleeper Shearling Slides
Nikki designed the pink group long before she knew pink would be on the cover of nearly every magazine. This multi-pocket colorblock fleece was a bestseller last Fall, so we brought it back in two different colorways for 2022
The Beanie Fleece Colorblock Jacket
The Modern Striped T-Shirt
The Yale Sweater
The Striped Rugby
The Capucine Cardigan
The Alvise Vest
The Russell Cardigan
The Darcy Vest
The Patch Rugby
The Rugby
The Joey Polo Knit
Models Nadine and Jelixza twinning on set. We loved pairing our models together to show how the same item can look two different ways
Our pink color palette and Nadine’s natural beauty are magnified by Summer Tran and Susie Lee’s makeup
More twinning! This time in checks, which are sprinkled throughout the Fall collection. We love patterns! And here, it’s perfectly paired with our new puffer wrap scarf
Here we style-out another chock-full-o-checker look in the KULE office kitchen (note the fridge) 😂
The socks also come in one of our feature colors for September: Forest Green. They’re styled here with our new jacket, which is a hybrid between a trench and a peacoat and perfect for layering
The Smile and Stripe Knee High Sock
The Smile and Stripe Knee High Sock
The Cosmo Peacoat
The Russell Cardigan
The Patch Rugby
And finally: it’s corn! Nikki used corn as a theme in the Fall collection, coincidentally designed long before the viral Corn Kid 🌽.
Corn and checks: I can’t imagine a more beautiful thing 🌽 🎶
We even scored ajumbo corn stool, seen here in tow on the way to the photoshoot. We actually did a call out on Instagram to see who had one to lend just days before, and the KULE community came through 🌽
And if you haven’t seen our Corn video yet… you’re welcome.
The Corny Raleigh Sweatshirt
The Corny Sock
Third Drawer Down Giant Corn Stool
Check out the full KULE Fall collection at KULE.com or any of our three stores to experience it in person 🍝 🌽 🏁 🍂.
We asked Brooklyn-based wardrobe stylist Shelley Young (and her adorable two-year-old daughter Penny), who styles many of KULE’s photoshoots, to put together some stripe-filled outfits to inspire your summer dressing. Peep below for some fun looks courtesy of Shelley and little Penny 🙂☀️.
Shelley is a master at styling proportions. She pairs sweatpants with a crochet bra, or terry shorts with a striped tee and blazer. She also happens to have an adorable two-year-old daughter, Penny, whose style is enviable.
“So far, Penny lets me dress her and isn’t picky about any of it yet. I try to explain why we pair certain pieces together, why things work or don’t work, and I’ll give her choices to pick from. She likes clothing that she can talk about, so I try to call out all the details in order to win her over. All of this is purely a selfish effort to keep her happy while I continue to dress her in everything cute.” – Shelley
I always love the way Shelley mixes vintage and contemporary clothing. Her KULE terry shorts look so cool with our spaghetti tank + her bright green vintage blazer and sandals.
“I am a vintage junkie. I get a major thrill when I find something special for dirt cheap. Of course, that is nearly impossible in NYC, so I get my treasure hunting kicks when I travel. I love supporting small businesses, both locally (like KULE!) and online (Etsy and The RealReal are my happy place), and I try to do my part to heal our planet by buying used. Penny also wears a lot of vintage (mostly mine from when I was little, but also from Parachute, a wonderful little shop in Brooklyn) mixed with her favorite NYC brands, like KULE.” – Shelley
Shelley is wearing KULE Spaghetti Tank and Terry Venus Shorts, vintage blazer, and vintage Valentino peep toe flats; Penny is wearing a vintage swimsuit
The Terry Venus – Lemon
The Terry Venus – Poppy
The Terry Venus – Blue
The Terry Venus – Pink
The Terry Venus – Cream
Shelley goes for cotton and silks for summer. She says she likes flowy, breezy, and slinky. Muumuus, or tiny tops with loose high-rise shorts, and a crisp oxford or oversized blazer as a layer on everything for daytime.
“I am totally into the late 90’s early 00’s fashion that has come back around. Always lots of gold jewelry and tiny belts. And perfect sandals/slides and vintage baguettes à la SATC Season 2 + 3. Plus, most important of all, a summertime tan.” – Shelley
Shelley is wearing KULE Terry Venus shorts, red St. John knit blazer, vintage silk tee, and vintage Fendi ballet flats; Penny is wearing KULE Riley tee, Soor Ploom shorts, Parachute Brooklyn straw hat, and Salt Water sandals
With her two jobs – mom and stylist – her “to-go bag” looks very different day-to-day. As a mom, snacks are always in tow. “This child love to eat,” she told me. Also a portable plastic toilet and natural cream or salve (Penny likes to rub it on herself and her dolls).
“I have to set boundaries for myself and outside of those boundaries I have to let go of control. Which isn’t easy to do. I feel guilty for choosing myself or Penny over work. Before having Penny, working was so easy – the hustle, the dedication, the focus. Now not so much. At the end of the day I want to be proud of the choices I made, and that looks a lot different as a mom.” – Shelley
Shelley is wearing KULE Terry Venus shorts, vintage Gianni Versace cropped tee, By Malene Birger tan blazer, and Chanel slides; Penny is wearing KULE Charley tee, vintage handmade brown pants (made by Shelley’s grandma when she was a toddler), Capezio ballet shoes, and vintage barrette
As a stylist, Shelley always has bras, double-sided tape, all sorts of scissors and snips, a billion safety pins, lint rollers… so many things that she says her main kit bag weighs 70 pounds.
Shelley loves to cook and says it’s a meditation for her. She enjoys making tamales, her aunt’s red rice and tomatillo salsa, and her mom’s guacamole. She always makes southern black eyed peas and collards and cornbread for New Year’s Day (a tradition she carries with her from growing up in Texas). On days when she has less time to cook, she makes a lot of salads. Penny loves tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, charcuterie plates (chic!), peas, broccoli, fruit, and bread. She also adores smoothies.
“On the days that I don’t work, we spend most of our time outdoors or on the go. Usually breakfast at home…and then we are off to Brooklyn Bridge Park or Governor’s Island (NYC’s best kept secret), the Rockaways, or a nearby playground. We will picnic or eat somewhere with an outdoor space. We try to get out of town as much as possible. We are going to do a little roadtrip in California this month to see all our friends (my husband Ross and I lived in San Francisco before moving to NYC).” – Shelley
“I believe it is very important to take care of your clothing, so our house is always soaking something (everything) to get Penny’s stains out.” – Shelley
Inspired by Shelley and Penny? Shop their outfits! And don’t forget to make a smoothie in honor of Penny this week 🙂.
The KULE tote is an oversized canvas bag, made in the USA, that has been a staple and favorite of schleppers alike for years. You will always find Nikki carrying one, if not two of these around. As Chloe Fineman said, “It’s very sturdy and a little cheeky and a little funny…It can carry a shocking amount of stuff.” We asked some of our kulest friends to spill their totes for a little insight into just how much baggage they carry 😉.
You will never not see me with a giant tote, I am always schlepping samples back and forth from my apartment to the office. It is also handy for groceries, or any other last minute purchases. And, for the summer, it is the best travel beach tote. I basically can’t live with out it.
Lore Laporte, Graphic Designer, Needle Felt Artist, based in Belgium
I use my KULE totes all the time. They are beautiful, are the right size, and can carry a lot of weight. Sometimes I even carry our baby Frankie in it. I almost always take: my vintage Delvaux wallet, my KULE face mask, perfume, cookies, clip-on sunglasses, some wool and needles, an Eddie Wollie newspaper, and something I’m working on. We are remodeling our house, so lately I am always walking around with material samples as well.
I never leave the house in summer without my Megababe thigh rescue, a hair clip to put my hair up in case I get hot, my AG1 to keep my immune system booster and my hand sani! I also like to bring a bright lip (this one is Cle de Pea) bc I don’t wear much make up in the summer (I just sweat it off!), and I like to bring a book in case I get stuck waiting somewhere and I don’t want to endlessly scroll!
I always carry a lot of stuff. Wallet, phone, airpods, and things for my lips are always with me. Today, I also have my sunnies and an umbrella due to the highly unpredictable weather.
I use my tote as my purse and carry-all for the day. I put all my essentials in a smaller bag so I can get to it quickly (glasses, hand cream, mask, eye drops, chapstick, keys, wallet, pen, notepad, earbuds and portable phone battery). If I pick up things along the day, I already have a bag to put it all in. No more collecting unnecessary bags!
Jim Kuerschner, President of KULE, based in Brooklyn and Bellport, NY
I’m always schlepping back and forth between Brooklyn and Bellport, and these totes are the perfect things to carry all my s#!t. My husband and I normally have a tote for our stuff, and a tote for the dogs. And then of course a tote to store my ever-growing collection of totes 🙂
It was a dream of KULE’s to work with a home brand and what’s better than West Elm? West Elm’s timeless design paired with KULE’s playful and colorful aesthetic is the perfect combination. We’re taking you behind the scenes of the making of the happiest home collection, with product and a full set and team chock full of smiles and stripes.
Photographer Mei Tao — who photographs all of KULE’s editorials — shot the campaign. We wanted the imagery to mirror the playfulness and creativity of our fashion shoots.
We built a clothes line using the KULE x West Elm Smile Bath Mat, Beach Towels, and added some of our classic KULE product, too.
A welcome mat, with a KULE saying
Square Smile Bath Mat
Have a Nice Day Beach Towel
O HEY Doormat
O HEY Beach Towel
O HEY Border Bath Mat
We’ve added our signature stripes, smiles, and colors to this limited edition KULE x West Elm collection, all in the spirit of bringing more joy to your home (or the beach) 🙂 (Photographed by Mei Tao)
The making of the set — furniture fully wrapped in KULE fabric
Accompanied by a KULE wardrobe of stripes
We took the team and some happy towels to the roof to get the shot (Photographed by Mei Tao)
Towels and bucket hats complimented perfectly by the NYC sky (and apple boxes)
And an extra set of hands
A KULE pillow mountain (Photographed by Mei Tao)
The “pillow mountain” set involved 20+ pillows.
Did you spot the person in the middle? It’s Prarna, from the KULE team!
Have a Nice Day Pillow Cover
Stripe Round Floor Cushion
Reversible Stripe Pillow
Stripe Round Floor Cushion
O HEY Pillow
Nikki Kule in fully striped room, where else? (Photographed by Mei Tao)
For Nikki’s KULE x West Elm “living room” set, the team transformed the space in stripes and wrapped West Elm vases and furniture in KULE fabric to accompany the product.
We wanted to create the kulest version of your home, a happy place where your new KULE x West Elm will live. As we say: classic clothes — and now home accessories — with a happy wink 😉
The Class of KULE x West Elm 2022 🙂. We made sure everyone went home in KULE striped tee.
Shop the full KULE x West Elm collection here and read Nikki’s interview about the collab here.
You know us for our signature poppy and royal blue, but every season we have a signature color that really pops. This season, that color is lemon 🍋. With lemon, you can dress head-to-toe citrus, or add pops of color to your outfit. Read on to see how to add some lemonade to your life and wardrobe.
