Né Uduebor, more widely known by his social media handle “Wisdom Kaye”, is a Nigerian-American influencer and model who uses fashion as his outlet for creativity. Social media platforms and influencers have been the rising generation of everyday creatives. When I was thinking of who to choose to write this post about, I came across one of Wisdom Kaye’s videos of him putting together outfits from every era, and since taking this class instead of liking it and continuing to scroll, I realized how much of a creative he is. Every post on Wisdom Kaye’s platforms is all creative work, every detail in an outfit or accessory. Just as a 23-year-old, he has various designer brands sending pieces for him to use his creativity and style in his unique way.
In an interview with Max Bellinger, a writer for Mr Porter blog of fashion journals, Né Uduebor admits that growing up he never had much exposure to fashion and only started to tap into this creative outlet in high school by making small tweaks to outfits where he could stand out. He talked about his gaining fame on TikTok and how most of his posts are based on comments from viewers; he likes the “porous, interactive and collaborative nature of TikTok”. Wisdom Kaye started in 2020 when the COVID-19 shutdowns were in full swing and doing college from a Zoom screen and had all the time on his hands to produce content into this creative outlet.
“I’ve always been a creative person who likes to make stuff,” he says. “Getting introduced to TikTok gave me an opportunity to think, ‘OK, now I have a place to broadcast this.’”
With millions of comments and suggestions coming in, Wisdom Kaye pulls inspiration for new looks, but the main part of his creative process is being open-minded, and versatile through his trial-and-error method. He says, “When I get a new Garment, I will literally try on every single combination, every single one.” Trying every combination of pieces till he gets it just right is how he ends up as with fashion catalog-worthy looks. Some of his most popular posts are him putting together looks that add up to a pretty penny of $100,000, or bringing favorite cartoon characters to life by recreating their looks. His versatility and flexibility all while remaining true to his personality has gotten him opportunities with a slew of designer and household brands.
https://www.mrporter.com/en-us/journal/fashion/wisdom-kaye-tiktok-style-influencer-interview-5076974
I've seen a lot of this guys content and his fits are always extremely interesting. In addition to his posts where he makes super expensive outfits I've seen him create outfits on sort of a price spectrum from super expensive to relatively cheap. You would expect the more expensive outfits to be the best considering there are no limitations yet even when limited by budget he creates outfits that are on par with his expensive ones. Doing something like that where he creates something from almost nothing definitely takes a creative mind.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an important perspective, especially as the US congress votes to ban TikTok. TikTok has become a platform where it is easier for people to share their creativity and their desire to create. There is not the expense of having to pay for fancy equipment or studio space. TikTok has been demonized by older generations, but it has brought together so many people in younger generations, not only to share creativity but to educate and entertain. It is important to recognize that there is creativity everywhere, but there are not platforms everywhere that are accessible. Having a place where creatives can share their art to a wider audience is incredibly important as a way to continue encouraging people to create.
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