K-pop group Katseye collaborates with Humberto Leon

Base camp. Thursday, 9:30 a.m.

Humberto Leon slinks round set carrying a light T-shirt that claims “Daddy” in bubble letters. He bought it at some homosexual bar some time in the past, and it really works on a number of ranges, he jokes. He’s an precise father of 10-year-old twin ladies. And he’s additionally the form of surrogate father determine of this set, of Katseye as a complete. Leon, along with his Martine Rose loafers and True Faith Denims, appears to be consistently scanning the room, strolling round along with his arms crossing his chest and his head barely cocked. He snakes across the row of chairs the place the women are getting their hair and make-up performed and makes slight changes. He’s in the course of encouraging Daniela Avanzini, a Cuban American member of Katseye, to embrace her naturally curly hair, whereas making certain that her make-up brings out the golden undertones of her pores and skin. “We’ve simply been taking part in round as a result of all of them get tired of [their hairstyles], however that is my go-to for you,” Leon tells her in a shepherding tone.

Humberto Leon wears all classic from James Veloria Los Angeles: Dirk Bikkembergs classic jacket, classic T-shirt, classic Helmut Lang pants, Martine Rose sneakers.

“He’s actually, like, mom, I don’t know how you can say it in any other case,” Lara Raj, the 18-year-old singer of Katseye who’s from L.A. and New York tells me of her and her bandmates’ relationship with Leon.

Katseye is a worldwide woman group powered by Okay-Pop leisure big Hybe and Geffen, born out of a YouTube competitors present known as “The Debut: Dream Academy,” which is the topic of a brand new Netflix documentary, out Aug. 21. The present introduced 20 younger ladies from all over the world (out of the 120,000 who despatched in submissions) to battle it out for a spot in a musical group that was destined for a Okay-pop stage of fandom whereas working in its personal realm. The winners are Katseye, a bunch made up of Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Manon Bannerman, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza and Yoonchae Jeung, members whose cultural backgrounds span Cuban American; Indian; Ghanaian, Swiss and Italian; Cantonese with Singaporean roots; Filipina; and Korean, respectively. Their music up to now — proven on their new EP, “SIS (Tender Is Sturdy)” — is a mixture of shiny Gen Z hyper pop, plus pop and R&B, punctuated by snaps, winks and crackles. The group’s first launch, aptly titled “Debut,” has an attitudinal driving pop beat with hip-hop inflections — and 4.5 million streams on Spotify. “Contact,” launched this summer time, is inching towards 9 million. Each of their releases have been paired with high-concept music movies, which showcase their classically rigorous Okay-Pop choreography coaching, that Leon was the artistic director on.

The Katseye members, ranging in age from 16 to 22, see Leon as their trend fairy godfather.

For some, Leon’s title and work will conjure the picture of a real trend and tradition insider. He’s the co-founder of the decade-defining boutique and model Opening Ceremony with longtime bestie and enterprise companion Carol Lim. He was the co-creative director of Kenzo, additionally with Lim. And his present life because the co-founder of three scorching L.A. eating places — Chifa, Monarch or Arroz & Enjoyable — nonetheless feels steeped in fashion, with a few of their visible inspiration taken from Wong Kar-wai movies. However Leon has at all times considered himself as the last word outsider — of the style world, the place he didn’t have any formal coaching or education, of the restaurant world, which he entered through the pandemic along with his household, and now of the music business. Leon was introduced on as an evaluator and artistic director to guage contestants’ performances and form their seems at first of “Dream Academy.” That was being chargeable for Katseye’s visible language as a complete, setting up the younger artists’ particular person kinds in a means that feels recognizable and private whereas pointing to a bigger story — of their cultures, of the group. A lot of the job, although, requires issues that wouldn’t be as simply specified by a LinkedIn itemizing.

After Yoonchae is finished with hair and make-up, Leon checks in along with her. At 16, Yoonchae, from South Korea, is the youngest member of the group. “You drained, Yoonchae? Do you want espresso? What do you want?” Leon coos in a realizing tone — it was an early name time as we speak, in a pair years of early name instances. Nonetheless, Yoonchae insists she’s OK. “You desire a chair?” He runs to get one whereas Yoochae seems at a photograph of the outfit she’ll be getting photographed in as we speak. It’s a Junya Watanabe set from spring 2005 ready-to-wear— a black eyelet high and skirt with silver snap button closures that Leon labored with stylist Aly Cooper to decide on. “You want your outfit?” Leon has a novel understanding of how the micro makes up the macro. His one-on-ones with the women are punctuated by his signature giggle, they usually appear to be an essential a part of the method.

Leon has at all times had a novel obsession with placing individuals on to what’s new, or previous, or fascinating, or particular. The medium might change, however the story stays the identical: It’s at all times been about discovery. “At Opening Ceremony, I at all times handled training as essentially the most thrilling factor,” he says. “Even with these ladies, we’re giving them a crash course on trend, trend historical past and why issues are essential. You want this look now, however that got here from this. Even for lots of the video shoots, we’re going to archive homes. As an alternative of going and seeing what the [current] Y2K look is, we’re going to the archives and discovering what the actual stuff is.” The members, ranging in age from 16 to 22, see Leon as their trend fairy godfather. “He developed most of my style in trend,” Daniela says.

El Floridita. Thursday, 11:15 a.m.

Daniela wears Maison Martin Margiela high by way of James Veloria, classic denims, Gia Borghini x Fai Khadra sneakers.

We’re on the best way to El Floridita in Hollywood when Daniela FaceTimes her mother from the van with no headphones. She tells her that she’s on her approach to get photographed at a Cuban restaurant recognized for its ropa vieja and salsa nights. Daniela’s mom is Cuban and was an award-winning ballroom dancer, which is a path she would comply with as effectively. Daniela is wearing a fringed Margiela shirt, which reminds her of the ballroom costumes she wore as a child — at one level going viral for her look on “America’s Received Expertise” as a 7-year-old, when she iconically advised her dancing companion, one other little boy, that he wanted a tan earlier than she’d take into account relationship him once they grew up. She has an clearly snug relationship with the digital camera, having been a performer since she was younger, and the shirt sways with each transfer she makes. She wonders if Leon had her ballroom background in thoughts when he labored with Cooper on the look. “He already will get it. He already is aware of precisely what to place me in,” she says.

After the pandemic, when he moved again to his hometown of L.A., Leon started to mirror on what he’d performed in his 30-plus-year profession and what he wished to do subsequent. His trend business resume was huge, beginning his profession at Hole as a teen, when Hole was that woman, then shifting to Burberry and finally launching Opening Ceremony in 2002, which shifted the tradition in early to mid-aughts New York. However anybody paying consideration knew that it was by no means nearly trend. Opening Ceremony was concerning the area itself, concerning the people who walked via its doorways, Leon jogs my memory, and fewer concerning the gross sales. For Kenzo’s spring 2018 ready-to-wear present in Paris, the most important takeaway was that Leon and Lim had put collectively an all-Asian forged of fashions. There are moments like this all through his profession.

“He already will get it,” Daniela says about working with Leon. “He already is aware of precisely what to place me in.”

“I used to be consistently making an attempt to inform a narrative about one thing apart from trend,” he says. “Regardless that trend was my medium, it wasn’t actually my artwork. If [I] had a museum and confirmed [you my] work, it wouldn’t be the clothes. I would come with individuals. I would come with discoveries. I would come with reminiscences. I would come with the issues that impressed me. Every thing I used to be doing was actually doing one thing for tradition. After I was in a position to unlock that, I assumed, ‘If I used to be actually making an attempt to place myself to contribute to tradition, why do I’ve to restrict myself to 1 medium?’”

Leon is rarely not artistic directing. Whereas Daniela is getting photographed at El Floridita, he will get some pictures on his telephone, in a Kris Jenner-, “you’re doing nice sweetie”-style. At one level, he crouches right down to the bottom to regulate the purple curtain getting used as a backdrop for the shoot in order that Daniela can dance to “Pasarela” by Daddy Yankee for a behind-the-scenes video his group is taking pictures. He’s guiding a group member from Hybe on how you can shoot the BTS: “Simply go a bit back and front, transfer along with her and twist.” Leon reaches for his personal telephone to do it himself. “I push individuals to their limits,” he teases, his snigger rapidly changing into the unofficial soundtrack of the day.

Lili Wigs. Thursday, 2:27 p.m.

Manon wears Comme des Garçons high, Hodakova pants, Prada sneakers, classic jewellery.

In selecting this shoot location for Manon, Leon wished an L.A. spot that felt essential for Black feminine performers all through historical past — the truth that it was owned by a Korean girl and shared a thread with the group’s Okay-pop roots felt like an additional cherry. On the wall of headshots at Lili’s, there may be one in every of a younger Angela Bassett, and, Leon reminds us, Beyoncé shot a part of her “Formation” video right here. (He requests that whoever is manning the transportable speaker play “Formation,” naturally.)

Manon, whose father is Ghanaian and mom is Swiss-Italian, has lengthy boho braids and waist beads that she bought in Ghana, which she wears with each look as a nod to her tradition. “We’re a worldwide woman group so we need to make it possible for everybody can symbolize their heritage, the place they’re from,” Manon says. “For me, I actually take satisfaction in my hair. I like to change up my hair. I believe that’s the attractive factor about Black tradition. Braids, I’ve locs generally. Humberto is at all times like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ He’s at all times asking if I’ve new concepts. He actually embraces that, which is truthfully, sadly, a primary for me. Lots of people, particularly the place I’m from, wouldn’t care as a lot.”

“We’re a worldwide woman group so we need to make it possible for everybody can symbolize their heritage, the place they’re from,” Manon says. “For me, I actually take satisfaction in my hair. I like to change up my hair. I believe that’s the attractive factor about Black tradition.”

Leon bought the decision from Geffen as a result of it was clear that he understood one thing concerning the subculture that’s younger womanhood. He grew up near his mother and two older sisters, who infused his world with what he calls “woman vitality” and formed his style early on. “I used to be each this child who liked different music, however I additionally grew up being queer, so I couldn’t assist but in addition love a bit Kylie Minogue again then. Madonna. Additionally the alt ladies: Alanis, Fiona, the listing goes on.” (He named one in every of his daughters, Mazzy, after cult dream pop band Mazzy Star.) In terms of working with Katseye, Leon says: “I really feel like I can actually relate to all of them.” Manon tells me that Katseye has month-to-month dinners with Leon the place he checks in with them about how they’re feeling. “There’s some tea generally, you realize, chit-chat,” says Manon. “We belief him lots.”

When he got here again to L.A. and was working along with his household to get Chifa off the bottom, an L.A. woman group known as the Linda Lindas was popping off for his or her sleeper hit, “Racist, Sexist Boy,” and Leon invited them to come back have dinner on the restaurant. Whereas he was taking their order, he talked about that he’d like to direct a music video for his or her track “Rising Up,” and pitched them an idea off the cuff. The outcome was a contemplation on the “stunning disappointment” of leaving residence for the primary time, via the angle of the band members’ cats. “I used to be enthusiastic about it as a result of I actually simply did it out of my very own instinct,” Leon says. “They have been simply beginning out. There was no cash concerned. There was no something. It was nearly doing one thing that felt good.”

The video bought the eye of Geffen, which pitched the thought for the “Dream Academy” to Leon. “What excited me essentially the most is that it didn’t really feel like something that had ever existed,” Leon says about artistic directing the contestants, after which Katseye. “An American firm, a Korean firm got here collectively to create this new venture. There was this nervousness to it. I do know issues are good once I can really feel nervous.”

On set, Manon is asking Leon if she will be able to have her eyebrows straighter. He pulls up an image in his telephone of previous days displaying once they have been perhaps too straight: He reveals why one thing might look higher as an alternative of simply saying no. “I’m making an attempt to investigate it so it doesn’t get again to there,” he says. Leon tells me he has a form of photographic reminiscence relating to his artistic choices. “I prefer to commit.” After the shoot is finished, and the crew is loading up en path to the following location, I see Leon standing in the course of Crenshaw, directing Manon in a single final BTS shoot in entrance of Lili Wigs.

Korean Pavilion. Thursday, 4:26 p.m.

Yoonchae wears Junya Watanabe high and skirt, Prada sneakers.

Whereas the opposite members eat clouds of cotton sweet Leon purchased for them off a road vendor, Yoonchae poses gracefully beneath a gazebo that includes conventional Korean structure. Yoonchae is within the strategy of studying English. The tradition and ambiance in L.A. have been wildly totally different from Korea, she says. “I’ve actually seen her come out of her shell,” Leon says. “I believe she was far more timid and comes from a distinct tradition, and I’m very very like, ‘What do you assume? How do you are feeling?’ I don’t know that she’s been requested that each one her life. So we’ve got a distinct relationship, the place I get to be like, ‘I believe you look so good. Do you are feeling good?’ And she or he’s like, ‘Yessss.’”

When Leon formally began the job, he requested to fulfill with every “Dream Academy” contestant one-on-one. The women got here in with Pinterest boards, inspo images. “I believe they have been like, ‘This man is the artistic director,’ he’s going to provide us recommendation on dressing, our hair and make-up.’ [But] I wished to get to know them. Any info I can get about what they went via in life permits me to get to know them higher, and to know what they like, what they don’t like.”

At 16, Yoonchae is the youngest member of the group from South Korea. She’s discovered about L.A. tradition via Leon.

The visible language of Katseye doesn’t really feel archetypal or reductive, as most woman teams all through trendy music historical past have — there isn’t any one single sporty one, nobody single shy one, nobody single edgy one. Daniela, Lara, Manon, Megan, Sophia and Yoonchae are many issues directly. They put on knee-high Tabis and classic John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier. So far as inspiration goes, Leon prefers to attract from locations apart from the supply materials: If he’s working in music, he prefers to not look solely to music for his references however slightly artwork, movie and trend. He’s taken inspiration from younger Devon Aoki, early Milla Jovovich, child rocker Shakira. “We’ve tried to embed the best way the women costume with a bit little bit of their background, for certain, with out it being heavy-handed or tokenizing them,” says Katseye’s visible director, João Moraes, whom Leon has been working with since his Kenzo days. “Id is an extremely complicated factor. They aren’t simply their ethnicities or their background. They’re a lot greater than that. However then, additionally, it’s an unbelievable platform for us to tell apart kinds.”

The video for his or her newest single, “Contact,” is chock filled with deep-cut symbolism that’s particular person to every member. The tone feels mystic, mysterious and surreal — a path of context clues that takes us deeper into Katseye’s universe. Manon reads Nietzsche in a single scene the place the women are mendacity on a classic sofa, whereas Lara wipes a tear from her eye whereas searching a bed room window towards a body of a glowing moon. At the start, there’s a shot of a newspaper whose headline publicizes that Yoonchae is lacking. “She was final seen ‘holding her fortunate shell,’” the faux copy reads. Every member has a appeal, or image, that’s been assigned to them. Yoonchae’s is the soothing shell, which was referenced in an idea picture shoot the place Leon styled her to appear to be Haenyeo, which in Korean interprets to “sea girl” and represents the tradition of South Korean feminine divers.

“Having intentionality and having that one-on-one dialog with them at each level for every part we do … It’s not simply as soon as. It’s each time we do something,” Leon says. “We make it possible for as a result of there’s six distinctive ladies from all over the world, and all six are completely totally different, that we don’t simply wash over them with one gesture.”

Lasita. Friday, noon-ish.

Sophia is carrying a Nicolas Ghesquière-era Balenciaga shirt with a camo Junya Watanabe skirt and KNWLS boots at Filipino-favorite Lasita in Chinatown. She’s been singing since she was 3 (she’s 21 now) and appears to be at all times on the precipice of performing, oftentimes breaking out in track or working towards a pared-down model of her choreography within the make-up chair or between pictures. “I’m grateful that it was so private,” she says concerning the location, being that she was born and raised in Manila. Leon is tweaking one thing as seemingly small as how a lot hair is falling in entrance of her shoulders versus cascading down her again whereas she poses above Lasita’s signature dishes: hen inasal, vegetable atchara and garlic fried rice. However in actuality, it’s not small — Sophia’s lengthy black hair is her factor, her dream, which is one thing she communicated to Leon early on. “The very last thing he desires to do is make us into any individual that we’re not,” she says.

Sophia wears Balenciaga high, Junya Watanabe skirt, KNWLS sneakers.

Sophia explains how the whole expertise, from being in “Dream Academy” to now being within the woman group, has challenged notions of who she thought she was and what she thought her look needs to be. There have been moments the place she’s unsure of a sure outfit or coiffure, however when she seems again, she will be able to see that Leon has been deliberately telling a narrative with every magnificence or trend second. All of it clicks in context. “He’s at all times very a lot, ‘You’ll thank me later’ vitality with out having to say it,” she says. At one in every of their latest group dinners, she requested him what he’s making an attempt to perform along with her look. “The most important factor now that I’m hooked on is that he stated, ‘I do know that you just love these tremendous elegant, very elegant, very stylish outfits. Particularly along with your efficiency outfits, we need to form of break that a bit bit.’ That’s why I’ll have this cute ruffle high with a bag, then I’ll put on a sports activities jacket. It brings us to a different stage, and it blends all of us collectively.”

Chinatown Plaza. Friday, 1:07 p.m.

Megan wears Miu Miu costume by way of Package Studios, Beeombi pants, classic necklace.

On a short lunch break, Leon takes the crew to a Chinese language restaurant that he grew up going to the place I fortunately eat scorching, oily, spicy beef noodle soup on an 85-degree day. Leon tells me he was born within the hospital across the nook. Leon’s mom, Wendy Leon — who has been the inspiration behind Humberto’s work for years, from being in Kenzo campaigns to serving because the inspiration for the household eating places — walked herself there in lively labor from the sweatshop she was working at close by. Leon has expertise with bringing his personal Peruvian-Chinese language tradition into his work, facets of which he shares with Megan, who’s Cantonese. “He truly actually helps me lots relating to my very own tradition and having the ability to embrace that and present it off,” she says. “It’s very nice to have somebody that I can relate to and depend on relating to that.”

“He truly actually helps me lots relating to my very own tradition and having the ability to embrace that and present it off,” Megan says of Leon.

Megan joined “Dream Academy” when she was 16 (she’s 18 now) — quite a lot of this course of has been about determining who she is, rising up in actual time. The issues all of us undergo as youngsters — from a psychological well being journey she’s performed her greatest to destigmatize by truly speaking about it, to her altering style in make-up. Dramatic eyeliner has been changed by a refined, toned-down look beneath Leon’s steerage. Her hair has gone via a number of colour iterations, from her pure darkish brown, to a deep burgundy, and now, in what has develop into her signature, a heat light copper. Leon taught her that much less is extra. “That was a tough lesson for me to be taught as a result of I wished to be a baddie on a regular basis,” Megan admits. “It took maturing and quite a lot of progress for me to lastly embrace the easy look.”

On the shoot, Megan is posing with a large stance — saggy Beeombi pants with a Miu Miu costume on high — on Broadway in Chinatown. “I like this outfit,” Leon tells her. She agrees. Buyers, locals and vacationers stroll by her mid-shot however she doesn’t appear fazed. It’s clear all through the shoot that Megan and Leon have a specific bond, or that he may even see one thing of himself in her. “She’s evolving, however she at all times form of knew who she was, and he or she has a extremely robust work ethic,” Leon says. “There’s this duality to her that I believe could be very obvious. She is available in, she has this skater boy fashion, after which she goes onstage, and she will be able to flip into this intense female performer. It looks like she’s at all times form of recognized herself.” All the women have grown proper earlier than his eyes, Leon says. However for those who look carefully, you’ll be able to see Leon’s personal progress course of mirrored in theirs as effectively.

Pijja Palace. Friday, 3:04 p.m.

Lara wears Tigra Tigra costume, Versace sneakers by way of Package Studios.

At Indian sports activities bar Pijja Palace, Leon is working round a desk within the restaurant, shifting a cup two inches backwards and forwards till he’s glad. He’s shifting the flowers within the bouquet till it aligns along with his inside aesthetic compass. “You’re seeing my loopy,” he tells me, laughing, as he notices me watching him do that and writing one thing down on my Notes app. That is all in service of Lara. In all of the places he selected for the women, he did so as a result of they served as vessels for a narrative.

For Leon, opening eating places along with his household was a reminder that vitality can switch. That he may strive a brand new medium however that his particular factor — telling tales — would at all times will its approach to the floor. Chifa, the primary restaurant his household opened in Eagle Rock, was an homage to their mom, who owned a restaurant of the identical title 45 years prior in Lima, Peru. When Chifa first opened, as a result of it was a household enterprise and it was early in COVID years, Leon took on the function as server. Then, like now, there was a willingness to be a newbie — a desire for it, truly. It’s develop into Leon’s tremendous energy in a way: getting into an area not absolutely realizing the principles and having the ability to create his personal. “I come from a brilliant outsider’s viewpoint,” he says. “I don’t even know what it means to be within the music business, to be fairly trustworthy, and I like protecting it that means.”

“The most important factor that I’ve discovered is having the ability to mould who I’m and mould into totally different ideas,” Lara says. “Changing into extra open and multifaceted in my artistry and the best way I current myself.”

Being a solo artist was Lara’s dream since she was a toddler — she liked woman teams, in fact, the Pussycat Dolls have been her life — however she by no means thought she could be a part of an ensemble. She wasn’t a dancer, and for years she was largely targeted on singing and producing. However when the chance to check out for “Dream Academy” arose, it felt proper, Lara says, even when the dream appeared totally different than how she thought. “The most important factor that I’ve discovered is having the ability to mould who I’m and mould into totally different ideas,” Lara says. “Changing into extra open and multifaceted in my artistry and the best way I current myself.” Provides Leon: “Somebody like Lara, I believe, she got here in form of like laying all of it down — like, that is what it’s all about,” remembers Leon. “She was 17 once I met her and was like, ‘That is me. That is how I’m.’ However then we’ve had this superb development.”

On the finish of a shoot day, when everyone seems to be exhausted, scorching and able to name it, Leon and group name Katseye over to share some information: In a pair weeks, they’re going to be on “Good Morning America,” performing their new single, “Contact.” It was the scream of pleasure heard round Koreatown, a refrain of vitality reverberating from every one in every of them. There was a definite feeling that this was the start of one thing, and the place it will find yourself none of us may know, nevertheless it was a reminder that the possibility for one thing new may occur at any second.

From left to proper: Megan wears Maison Martin Margiela high, SC103 pants, Y-3 sneakers; Sophia wears Sophia wears Mimchik jacket, classic skirt, Miu Miu sneakers; Daniela wears Maison Martin Margiela high by way of James Veloria, Helmut Lang sneakers, classic pants; Lara wears Maison Martin Margiela high by way of James Veloria, classic pants, Package Studios sneakers, classic bracelets; Yoonchae wears Gumi high and skirt, Maison Martin Margiela belts, Prada sneakers; Manon wears Tigra Tigra jacket, Ann Demeulemeester high, Bottega Veneta sneakers, classic pants.

Once you’re 17, and even 49, there’s a pure temptation to assume that you’re absolutely fashioned — that no matter you’ve performed or thought you need to do up till that time is what you’ll do eternally. When you would’ve requested Leon at any level in his profession whether or not he thought he’d be artistic directing a worldwide woman group, the reply would in all probability be no. However: “The factor that excites me essentially the most is that it’s a studying curve for everybody,” he says. During the last two days on this shoot, and usually during the last two years, Leon has someway been ready to attract from all of his worlds — from trend to meals and past — and create a very new one for six younger ladies. And someway this makes essentially the most sense of all.

Images Andy Jackson
Styling Aly Cooper
Artistic course Humberto Leon
Visible course João Moraes
Manufacturing Mere Studios
Picture assistant Austin Durant
Styling assistant Caroline Clark
Prop stylist Kailah Armand
Make-up Valerie Vonprisk
Make-up assistant Selena Ruiz
Hair Sully Layo
Hair assistants Cassandra Normil, Joseph Torres
Manufacturing assistants June Kim, Mark Millner
Set dresser Tay Ruiz
Picture post-production Alberto Maro
Areas Arroz & Enjoyable, El Floridita, Lili Wigs, Korean Pavillion, Lasita, Chinatown Plaza, Pijja Palace
Lettering Zoe-Zoe