Kevin Peter Wilson11 Images
When you think of dad swag, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? High-waisted jorts and a New Balance sneaker? Vomit-stained polos and those dusty brown sandals? It’s probably not new season Lemaire and archive Comme des Garçons – but that’s where Kevin Peter Wilson comes in. Earlier this week, the 26-year-old father of one posted a TikTok at a New York playground wearing black trousers, a white shirt and holding his daughter at his hip. “POV you’re the only dad at the park wearing Comme des Garçons and Lemaire,” said the caption, which resulted in disgruntled commenters saying that Wilson was “pretentious”, “insufferable” and “dressed like a waiter”.
Despite being tongue-in-cheek, the post found its way off fashion TikTok and into the angry masses. But have they ever thought that Wilson was just deftly redefining what it means to be a dad and also have swag? A senior strategist at the NY influencer agency Fohr, Wilson began “super casually” documenting his outfits on TikTok in 2022, but only recently transitioned to the intersection between fashion and fatherhood. “I’ve realised there aren’t a ton of dads actively posting on TikTok,” he says, “especially not ones in more urban environments who are interested in high fashion the way I am.” Going purely off his TikTok, it looks like Wilson really was the only dad at the park wearing Comme des Garçons and Lemaire, so what’s the big deal anyway?
Below, we catch up with the young dad about his viral TikTok, the online reaction to his outfits, plus his archive collection and fashion holy grails.
Hey Kevin! You recently caught TikTok’s attention by being the only dad at the park wearing Comme des Garçons and Lemaire. What made you want to share the outfit?
Kevin Peter Wilson: Hello! It’s great to chat. To be honest, I didn’t put a ton of thought into it and hadn’t even planned on capturing my outfit that day. My wife and I were waiting for a reservation nearby when we took our daughter Luna to the park to play. I’d posted similar content before that people seemed interested in, so I figured they’d enjoy seeing more.
The comment section got quite heated! People were saying you were dressed like a waiter – were you expecting such a pushback?
Kevin Peter Wilson: I’m quite confident in myself and my style, so it didn’t affect me much. I found the comments comedic, to be honest. I do think the fashion crowd is known for being a bit pretentious, and that naturally annoys people. I definitely posted it as a spin on the ‘no one knows I’m wearing xyz brand at the party rn’ meme, but naturally some didn’t get the reference. As a few comments pointed out, the video got on the wrong side of TikTok.
You were clapping back quite hard at the comments, especially the homophobic ones.
Kevin Peter Wilson: There’s still a large stigma around men dressing well and automatically having their sexuality categorised, which just feels wildly disjointed. I grew up in Kentucky and was called homophobic slurs all through my childhood at school. I’d love to see people stop boxing guys into what they can wear and stop trying to use ‘gay’ as an insult. It’s such a small-minded way to think and something I truly believe holds guys back from experimenting with fashion more.
There are a lot of ‘dad creators’ who have strong audiences, but the majority I see are living suburban lifestyles and don’t dress similarly to me – Kevin Peter Wilson
You also posted an earlier TikTok saying ‘POV: You’re a dad and you don’t let toddler life ruin your style.’ In what ways has Luna threatened your ruin?
Kevin Peter Wilson: There’s always the temptation to not wear my nicer pieces when I’m out and about with my daughter due to fear of getting them dirty, but I’ve learned to just embrace it. My clothes are meant to be worn and enjoyed, and they can always be cleaned, repaired, etc.
If you saw another dad wearing Comme at the kiddy park, would you feel a sense of kinship, or fear your spot had been taken?
Kevin Peter Wilson: Without a doubt, kinship. Seeing someone wear the designers you love goes beyond sharing an aesthetic, it taps into common interests and deeper connection points.
So were you looking to redefine what the fashion world considers dad swag?
Kevin Peter Wilson: Not necessarily the high fashion world, but perhaps mainstream fashion. There are a lot of ‘dad creators’ who have strong audiences, but the majority I see on my FYP are living suburban lifestyles and don’t dress similarly to me. I’m hoping by sharing more about fatherhood and how it intersects with my interests, it can connect me to more like-minded dads – or non-dads.
You have an impressive archive of Comme, Lemaire, Margiela, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto – when did you start collecting?
Kevin Peter Wilson: I first started getting into fashion when I was around 16, largely thanks to High Fashion Twitter where I was one of the first “hftwt” accounts. I didn’t have the funds to start collecting until I was well into my 20s and began discovering my love for brands like Lemaire, which I first found at Totokaelo in 2019, and began collecting Comme and Yohji in late 2023. I know it’s corny to say, but I really do resonate with the clothes in such a way that they feel like extensions of myself, like who I am on the inside is finally being accurately represented on the outside.
What are some of your favourite pieces?
Kevin Peter Wilson: The Lemaire denim twist trousers that I was wearing at the park. I wear these on a weekly basis, and I purchased them at the old Lemaire flagship store in Paris on my 24th birthday. I also purchased my Lemaire Chinese slippers and a denim shirt there, which all feel really special, and I have to mention my Lemaire Croissant and Egg bags as well.
From there, most of my favourite pieces are my Comme blazers. The AW24 button blazer I purchased last winter, a stunning white double-breasted blazer from AW21 that was secondhand from Vestiaire, and a 1990s blazer I scored at 2nd Street in Dallas in new condition for $180. I could really go on, as I love so many of the pieces I’ve been lucky enough to stumble upon – scroll through my Instagram and you’ll see more!
Any holy grails you’re still dying to get your hands on?
Kevin Peter Wilson: I’m always on the hunt for pieces from Jil Sander’s SS20 men’s collection, which is really the perfect summer wardrobe. Also pieces from Lemaire AW21, which solidified my love for the brand. The tones and outerwear are sharp and refined and really encapsulate who Lemaire is. Also, the Lemaire Reporter bag is high on my wishlist. There were also a few Homme Plissé Issey Miyake pieces from AW24 made in collaboration with artist Roman Bouroullec that I could never track down for sale, and I would love to have.
I saw that you recently moved to New York. Where were you before, and what’s your opinion on the fashion scene?
Kevin Peter Wilson: I was in Dallas from 2019 until mid-2024. I moved to New York in June of 2024 after having dreamed about it for almost 10 years. I think I’m still getting a grasp on the fashion scene. There’s a large number of people who are interested in fashion, but not a large number of people I’ve connected with who resonate with the same brands as me. That’s not because I don’t think they’re here, but I just haven’t crossed paths with them yet.
Inevitably, I think those interested in Lemaire and Japanese designers are a little more low-key and tend to stay under the radar. I do think it’s growing though, with shops like Ven. Space popping up – and I get DMs all the time from guys saying they’ve started purchasing Lemaire.