Is Kai Cenat’s VIVET good fashion or great marketing? What is New York Fashion Week actually selling? Was Stephen Kolb just a figurehead for a wack organization? Is it worth paying attention to fashion made after the year 2007? Sol and Michael welcome creative director Cody Parks back to Pair of Kings Podcast to talk menswear, vintage clothing and fashion culture in 2026.
The trio dig into the state of New York fashion, NYFW Spring/Summer 2027 runway shows, influencer access, GRWM content and the growing distance between loving clothes and wanting to be seen loving clothes. Sol questions whether VIVET’s fashion coverage is chasing Kai Cenat’s audience; Cody shares his experience working with Kai and asks how we would judge the collection without the celebrity name attached. They debate creative direction versus design, fashion-school gatekeeping, and the difference between a compelling brand world and clothes that actually deliver.
This conversation gets to the heart of our season’s “integrated fashion” thesis: brands are trying (and sometimes suceeding) at building worlds around music, books, subcultures and lifestyle, while consumers want their clothes to reflect their interests and identities. Is that an actual cultural connection, clever marketing, or both? The boys compare Enfants Riches Déprimés (ERD), Miu Miu’s book clubs, ERD’s Anti Public Library, Heaven by Marc Jacobs and Online Ceramics. From The Brian Jonestown Massacre and Christiane F. to Tumblr nostalgia, hardcore and Hedi Slimane’s Saint Laurent Surf Sound era, they explore how references become a reason to buy—and why a logo can feel like belonging.
On the runway side, there’s love for Kozaburo’s compact presentation and EVISU collaboration, N.HOOLYWOOD’s changing seasonal approach, and Eckhaus Latta’s willingness to push things forward. They unpack Thom Browne’s caterpillar heels, house codes, whimsical brand universe and unusual place within NYFW, then revisit Anna Sui and Marc Jacobs as examples of fashion that stays curious about music, queer culture and New York club life. Aaron Esh at AllSaints prompts a conversation about giving younger designers room to reinterpret familiar brands for a new generation.
What happened to places where fashion fans could actually participate? Cody looks back at Fashion’s Night Out, while the trio discuss the CFDA, Steven Kolb, the COS runway protest and PETA’s demonstrations at COS and H&M. The conversation moves through show invitations, fashion-week spectators, runway security, animal welfare, ethical wool and Grindr’s gay-sheep wool project. They also disagree on The Devil Wears Prada 2, fashion-media consolidation, the death of print, costume authenticity and whether runway reviews need stronger opinions.
Cody has plenty of those opinions. His beef with Eugene Rabkin and StyleZeitgeist opens a broader argument about fashion criticism, commercial success and keeping a brand’s lights on. Can good design coexist with good marketing? When does reverence for Martin Margiela, Cristóbal Balenciaga or an earlier fashion era become resistance to a changing audience? Sol, Michael and Cody debate heritage menswear, 1950s aesthetics and the responsibility of understanding the history behind the clothes you admire.
Finally, Cody talks about having roughly 800 pieces of clothing while wearing around 30, selling off much of his vintage T-shirt collection, and finding relief in letting things go. They discuss vintage band tees, The Blair Witch Project merch, fashion content creators, Michael’s Rick Owens persona, and why your collection does not have to become your entire personality. Cody explains why he kept meaningful Raf Simons, Calvin Klein, Comme des Garçons, Helmut Lang, Dsquared2 and Balenciaga pieces—and how a new suit can make more sense for your life than another shirt in storage.
The archive-focused conversation gets into Raf Simons’ Riot Riot Riot bomber, Richey Edwards and Manic Street Preachers, and what happens when cultural significance gets buried under resale prices.
Plus: vintage Levi’s selvedge denim, Russell Gold Tag T-shirts, soft tailoring versus structured suits, Vetements x Zegna, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, Prada, men’s manicures and JINsoon, Crystal Castles, Shakira, Spin Doctors and Underworld. They close with a critical conversation about Bode, Dimes Square, Hester Street, Café Forgot, Susan Alexandra and BRUT—and whether vintage aesthetics can ever be separated from their historical context.
Questions answered and debated:
What is integrated fashion?
Pair of Kings Podcast uses “integrated fashion” to describe the relationship between brands expanding beyond clothes and consumers bringing their hobbies, cultural interests and lifestyles into personal style. This episode explores that relationship through books, music, retail communities and brand identity.
Do you need an invitation to New York Fashion Week?
Pair of Kings Podcast explains that NYFW consists of separate events with their own access arrangements, rather than one festival you buy a ticket to. Michael discusses why showing up in New York does not automatically get you into a runway show.
Is Kai Cenat’s VIVET good fashion?
Sol criticizes the clothes and audience-driven coverage, while Cody brings his experience working with Kai Cenat to a debate about celebrity influence, creative direction and judging the designs on their own merits.
Why sell a vintage T-shirt collection?
Cody Parks describes how downsizing clothes he rarely wore gave him more freedom and changed his relationship with collecting. His takeaway: you can appreciate fashion without needing to own everything you like.
What makes a fashion store a community?
Sol, Michael and Cody point to Komune’s consistent curation, independent designers and relationships with its audience. They contrast that approach with stores built around resale markups and familiar hype.
How does resale change archive fashion?
Cody argues that repeated resale can turn an important garment into a price story. His Raf Simons Riot bomber example asks what gets lost when the conversation stops being about the music and culture behind the piece.
We hope you enjoy just as much as we did recording! Lots of love! Sol
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Season sponsor: Scent Split
We hope you enjoy listening as much as we did recording!
Lots of love,
Sol
Sol Thompson and Michael Smith explore the world and subcultures of fashion, interviewing creators, personalities, and industry insiders to highlight the new vanguard of the fashion world. Subscribe for weekly uploads of the podcast, and don’t forgot to follow us on our social channels for additional content, and join our discord to access what we’ve dubbed “the happiest place in fashion”.
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