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Kid Condo is the music-inspired Melbourne label fusing streetwear and statement pieces

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELLIE PHAN

WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT

“From the very start, Kid Condo has been influenced by the relationship between the fashion and music industries.”

When I saw Melbourne R&B artist Pania open for Kehlani recently, I was transfixed. By the dreamy vocals and bouncy DJ set, yes – but also by Pania’s outfit; a metallic blue, rhinestone-covered strappy belt with custom lettering. It was the work of fellow Westside-born creative, Stephanie Cassano. Her brand, Kid Condo, has been behind the outfits of local artists like Kye, Kinder Sounds, Wiigz and Amy Taylor (of Amyl and the Sniffers fame, obviously).


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Outside of custom for-hire looks with design elements like “PVC, rhinestone mesh, eyelets and lacing”, Kid Condo also creates ready-to-wear pieces, with a focus on high-quality fabrications and relaxed silhouettes. Stephanie is passionate about both sides of her label, blending the two sides of her personality – ‘chill and not-so-chill’. Below, she tells the story of the Kid Condo journey so far.

Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?

 

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Hi! My name is Stephanie Cassano. I’m a fashion designer from Westside Melbourne. I studied Fashion Design at RMIT and graduated with honours in 2018. Since then, I’ve been working as a stylist, photoshoot director and most recently, a model agent. But Kid Condo has always been happening in the background. I spend my nights and weekends designing, sewing customs, packing orders and doing photoshoots!

Fashion has always been a big part of my life. It’s a way for me to express myself through design, streetwear and performance-wear. Most of my inspiration comes from music… for my graduate collection in 2018, I made a playlist titled ‘RTWAFFF’ or ‘Ready To Wear and Feel Fucking Fabulous’. This playlist had a lot of ’90s female rap and hip-hop, which I think you can see through the designs. There is a lot of attitude and spice!

How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.

 

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It all started from the graduate collection while I was at RMIT. Kid Condo received a lot of attention from female musicians such as Kitty Cash, Jungle Pussy, Andrea Valle and TK Maidza. After that, Kid Condo went on to feature in publications such as Nylon magazine and Highsnobiety.

From the very start, Kid Condo has been influenced by the relationship between the fashion and music industries. All I wanted to do was create insane pieces for musicians to wear on stage and in film clips. This is how the rental collections were born. My graduate collection had been out for a while and I wanted to make something fresh for the industry.

 

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The next rental collection I dropped was Mini Mini, which featured bikini tops, leather chaps, cut-out skirts and a lot of mini-mini dresses. After this, I dropped my third rental collection, Drop 3, which features PVC corsets, cargos and one of Kid Condo’s most popular pieces – the Diva Fever Mini Skirt, inspired by the Diva Fever Bra.

The rental collections form the narrative and personality behind Kid Condo. However, as the years went on, I wanted to cater to those who liked my work but didn’t want to wear a PVC mini dress on a regular basis, which I totally get. This is why I created the ready-to-wear [clothing], it still has the same personality and branding, but it focuses on the customer being able to keep the product in their wardrobes for years to come.

What were you trying to achieve from the project at the time? How has this evolved and what are you trying to communicate through the brand now?

 

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A few years back, it was never in my intention to have a brand. I was just loving making customs for Melbourne creatives and musicians. I was super busy sewing one-off pieces, designing new collections and sending out a lot of products for photoshoots and film clips. Over time I finetuned my aesthetic, and it was only during the pandemic [that] I transitioned from full-time to part-time work… I had the time to focus on building a brand.

… I’m just trying to have fun and release unique products. I want people to really love the product and wear it season after season. Kid Condo only releases small drops with small units; I don’t agree with mass production. I’d also never drop anything I’m not fully happy with just to get it out to market.

 

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For example, the Crunch Tee and Crunch Jumper took around a year and a half to be market ready. There was so much back and forth with the fit of the pattern… and fabric suppliers. The Rocky Shirt also took two years to make. I want to get the fit, fabric and pattern absolutely spot on. I know I can be very picky, but I feel like that contributes to the longevity of a great brand!

How would you describe Kid Condo to someone who’s never seen it before?

There are two sides to Kid Condo. The first is ready-to-wear garments, designed to be worn every day. The other is bespoke pieces, made to rent for industry creatives. The two are very different.

The made-to-rent garments are mostly performance-wear, electric and elevated. These collections have a lot of attitude and flare, I guess this is why a lot of artists love to wear the pieces. I am currently working on my next collection, which I have finished designing and am now in the pattern-making and sourcing phase. This one is super exciting and includes some of my staple design elements such as PVC, rhinestone mesh, eyelets and lacing.

 

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When I started Kid Condo, I wanted to make something more wearable for the customer. The RTW pieces focus on overall quality, box-fits, tasty fabrics and clean finishes. First, I released the Cooks Not Krooks Totes and Trucker Hats, which have the Kid Condo vibe, but are a little easier to style with everyday fits. The Crunch collection was next. I spent months looking for the perfect crunchy fabric.

I wanted to make a heavyweight box-fit tee and jumper for customers to have in their wardrobe as a solid staple. Recently, I dropped the Rocky Button Down Shirt. This item is inspired by [my] Italian childhood… watching Rocky movies and eating pasta with my parents, Silvio and Grazia. Kid Condo will be releasing more pieces like this! The statement shirt was pattern-made, printed and made in Melbourne, something I’m really proud of and would like to do more of going forward…

What do you wish you knew when you started?

 

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Persistence. Building any sort of brand or business takes time, and you truly need to love it and be obsessed with it! I love working on Kid Condo… it’s a creative outlet for me. Getting a few hours of sewing in, packing orders, having fittings and setting up photoshoots is something I absolutely love.

I think if you don’t have that passion for your project, you simply won’t have the drive. Lastly, you must believe in what you are creating, you need to visualise the outcome. I’ve always had a super strong vision for Kid Condo. All the ideas are in my mind… you will have to wait and see!

Who do you think is most exciting in the Australian/NZ creatives scene right now?

 

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There is so much happening in Australia and New Zealand right now, it’s an exciting time to be amongst it all. First up would have to be Pania, an insane R&B artist from Westside Melbourne. I have known Pania for years, she has always worn Kid Condo pieces for photoshoots and film clips. She recently supported Kehlani on tour, which is so huge. She is going to blow up for sure.

… Second would be my friends Kara and Nat. Kara is insanely creative, she builds keyboards from scratch. Everything from the base to the keys, coming up with the dreamiest designs and colourways. They are so satisfying to type on and they make you feel super important.

 

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…  Nat has been teaching herself Blender for a while now and has just nailed the whole 3D art movement. Using real life as her inspiration, she creates the sickest 3D art. I love the GCDS x Bratz gold heart-shaped mini bag she put together. She also designs objects from scratch like my Kid Condo logo, which I will always love. They are also style kweenz.

What about the Australian/NZ creative scene needs to change?

We need more homegrown collaborations! There is such an inspiring and talented community of creatives in Australia and New Zealand. Working with local designers, stylists, musicians, photographers, producers [and] directors… is so rewarding. Even though it’s a smaller community relative to the global scene, there are so many immensely talented creatives from a super diverse range of backgrounds.

Dream Australian/NZ collaborators?

 

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Loving Jungles Jungles and Double Rainbouu. But if I had to pick, I would love to collaborate with Poppy Lissiman on something real out there – it would have to be a highlight piece for sure, like a super quirky bag. I think Kid Condo and Poppy Lissiman would release a super fresh editorial for the product collaboration. My mind is already ticking over, thinking of all the cool stuff we could create together!

It would also be an absolute dream to do some sort of collaboration with female sneaker store Finesse. I love everything they stand for… I also love how Melbourne has a stand-alone store for female streetwear. Kid Condo and Finesse would most definitely create some fire looks!

Who is in your wardrobe right now?

 

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I am loving my wardrobe right now, I am buying less and investing in pieces that I know I can cherish for years to come. I am loving my Aries x Umbro collaboration soccer top, Ganni Knot Mini Bag, vintage cargo pants, Kid Condo Rocky Button Down Shirt and my Aleali May Air Jordan 14s.

Something I also came across recently was the Me Link Collection by Pandora, I have been loving all the link chains they have and the cute styling double links they have as add-ons. Excited to style up all my Pandora links! I am also thinking about all the Kid Condo drops soon. Those will be a highlight in my wardrobe for sure!

How can we buy one of your pieces?

 

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They can be purchased at kidcondo.com.au. If you have any questions regarding any of the products, please send me an email at ciao@kidcondo.com.au or DM me. For custom designs, reach out to the same email or via DM… designing and sewing customs is a large part of Kid Condo, it allows me to collaborate with creatives and to really push certain design elements. Having customers love their customs and ready-to-wear pieces is a highlight of the business, for sure!

Browse the Kid Condo collection here.

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