Dancewear Spotlight
KD New York
Co-founder David Lee
KD New York is a premium dance and athleisure knit collection. It was co-founded in California in 1980 by David Lee and Tricia Kaye, former partners at Oakland Ballet. A chance meeting with DTH Co-founder Karel Shook, led Mr. Lee to become a student, friend and collaborator with DTH. This lifelong relationship led to the opening of a KD New York store in the DTH lobby pictured below. Learn more about KD New York during our interview with Mr. Lee below:
What is your relationship and history with Dance Theatre of Harlem?
In the early 1980’s, I was visiting [New York] from California where I was dancing at the time. I was having breakfast at a diner in Midtown and was wearing a t-shirt from the Oakland Ballet. It just happens that Karel Shook was sitting at the counter across from me. He asked me if I was a dancer. Then, he invited me to come up to DTH and when I did they offered me a scholarship for the summer, that was an amazing stroke of luck. Later, when I moved back to New York and had started KD, making warm ups for dancers, I would come up [to DTH] with big bags of our creations. The dancers were thrilled. We became lifelong friends and collaborators. I used Dance Theatre of Harlem dancers in many photo shoots and fashion shows over the years. After we closed our store Downtown in Noho, I had a meeting with Anna Glass, DTH’s Executive Director, who asked if we would be interested in opening a store in the space in the lobby of the DTH building. All of this happened from that chance meeting with Karel Shook. I think it speaks to what we can do as dancers, and as Black dancers and entrepreneurs given the opportunity.
David Lee and Boutique Manager Ann Cruz in the KD New York Store at DTH
Photo by Cherylynn Tsushima
For those who may not be familiar with it, what is KD New York and why was it created?
Tricia Kaye, my former partner and I started KD in California in 1980. We were both with the Oakland Ballet. We made beautiful knitwear for dancers. I was also practicing yoga, so our knits had both the qualities of the beauty of dance and the lightness of yoga. We used a lot of natural fibers and the designs were really fashion forward, but functional and comfortable. I went around to all the dance studios and visiting companies when they came to the Bay area and sold our knits. I sold leg warmers to Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey when they were touring with their companies in Berkeley. We had this cool kind of organic growth. We moved to New York in 1983 and began to develop a fashion following beyond our considerable dance clientele. It was really athleisure before that was trending.
What is the mission of KD New York?
My mission for KD New York now is to be a force in sustainable plant based, environmentally friendly fibers and technology in knits for dance, activewear, and fashion. It is the natural progression of everything that has proceeded me in this journey, values, experience, esthetics, and business choices. I see us being a positive spirit for this community, for Black designers and entrepreneurs, and for the dance world in all its various forms.
Is there any news or upcoming promotions you would like to share?
I have been working on a plant based alternative to cashmere called Vegetable Cashmere™ for a number of years and am ready to make a big push to launch it. I am really excited because plant based anything is a huge trend now. We have been in front of this trend and are prepared to capitalize on it with this new luxurious fiber. I am in the final stages of raising funds and plan to do a major campaign around it.
You can follow KD New York on Facebook @KDdance, Twitter @KD_NewYork, Instagram and Pinterest @KDNewYork. Visit the website at kdnewyork.com
You can also shop the DTH Store.