KHAITE

Sofia Richie wearing Khaite to her wedding weekend as she became Sofia Richie Grainge ^ 

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In honor of my overflowing wishlist that has truly 6 things from this brand on it, and the fact that I’m currently wearing my Khaite jean jacket (that I got for my birthday last year and still wear weekly)… I’d like to tell you the story of Khaite. 

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Designer Catherine Holstein‘s first label failed.

Her second one has a rumored $400m valuation, celeb fans, 9-fig sales, and comparisons to The Row and Phoebe Philo‘s Celine.

Here’s how KHAITE became an American Luxury DARLING…

Minimalist, CFDA-award-winning brand Khaite is beloved by celebs like Kaia Gerber & Meghan Markle. It’s also a lesson in building a luxury brand using good instincts…and a little Katie Holmes-fueled viral moment. It’s also a reminder that second-time founders are wise as fuck. 

First: flash back to 2006: a forgotten chapter of Holstein’s journey. She was a 22-year-old student at Parsons. Her classmate Victoria Traina (left, aka Danielle Steel’s It-girl daughter) asked if she could wear Holstein’s (right) designs to some NY fashion shows.

Teen Vogue editor Kimball Hastings took notice of Traina’s outfits, and he invited Holstein to drop by the Teen Vogue offices with more samples. Soon enough, Barneys bought her junior thesis designs, and Holstein dropped out of Parsons to launch an eponymous brand.

This is Misha Barton wearing it. The OC’s finest. 

The line was a success, at first. Editors fought to get into shows. Her designs were sold at dozens of stores, like Saks Fifth Avenue & Kirna Zabête. But after the recession, Holstein decided to shutter it rather than let it die slow. And she went to work in mainstream fashion.

After working in design & consulting at The Gap and J. Crew, Holstein started again—despite some doubts about the market. Khaite debuted in 2016, with an investment from Assembled Brands—fronted by Adam Prtizker and Vanessa Traina, sister of Victoria, CH’s old Parsons classmate!

Holstein had a grown-up vision of luxury for Khaite, building-block pieces like denim and knitwear that could build a wearer’s identity. But she also had business chops, both her own and Assembled Brands”. They secured e-commerce early—Net-a-Porter has sold Khaite since 2017.

2 years in, Khaite hit 400% of their sales projections, and had 50 stockists. They were already beloved by internet-breaking stars, like Emily Ratajkowski. And then, in 2019, Katie Holmes hailed a taxi. And because she did it looking like THIS, everything changed. 

“[The photo] changed our business.” Holstein later said. The cashmere bra & cardigan, which Katie Holmes had bought online on her own, was dubbed the “bra-digan.” The set sold out in an hour. When they restocked, it sold out again. Khaite was everywhere, from Vogue to Page Six.

At Sofia Richie’s blockbuster wedding in Antibes last year, she wore nonstop Khaite (when she wasn’t wearing Chanel). I literally don’t have room to list all the other celebs who love Khaite: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Beyonce, Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Selena Gomez…

OBVIOUSLY, Khaite has gone stratospheric. But it hasn’t lost its elite, stealthy-wealthy, cool girl appeal. And IMO, they would’ve succeeded with or without that viral moment. Why? Because they’ve always been focused on what matters in the luxury business. Let me elaborate

Often compared to The Row for their focus on high-quality materials and fit (not to mention the NYC connection), Khaite has carved out its own niche. Their customer is slightly younger. 

Her artistic sensibility has extended—and evolved—to the brand’s visual identity, too. In collaboration with photographer Hanna Tveite, Khaite’s sense of edge and mystery has deepened over the years. This first image: Khaite’s first lookbook (2016) This middle and third image: Khaite’s Fall 2024.

Just like the Olsens, Holstein knows what you AREN’T as a brand is just as important as what you ARE. And she has conviction about it. In fact, she even had to fight for the very bralette set that would later become famous on Katie Holmes.

Khaite sales passed 9 figures in 2022. Last year, Stripes invested $150m+. They’re owning the stealth wealth craze. Former Tory Burch pres Brigitte Kleine is the new CEO, with Holstein as Creative Director. For my money, all this massive success…might be just the start.

P.S. My friend Kate and I are obsessed with Khaite so I call her Khaite not Kate. Just needed you to know that. Hi Khaite!