What do you get when you mash up Kilomet109 designs with improvisational dance at a nightclub on New York’s Lower East Side? An evening of spontaneous theatrics…

Imagine an improvisational dance performance where rather than following the tempo created by a band’s drummer or bassist, the band takes its cues from the dancers and freestyles a riff to match their movements. Now imagine these same dancers are decked out head to toe in the latest Kilomet109 clothes and that their movements are inspired by videos projected on the nightclub’s walls — edited to match beat and tempo — of the mesmerizing rhythmic processes of H’mong and Nùng An textile artisans: spinning yarn, stirring an indigo vat, or rock polishing hemp with their feet. If that sounds way out there on the spectrum of creative expression, even for a cultural hub like New York, we agree. But it’s exactly what transpired on a steamy July night in 2018 at NuBlu club on Manhattan’s famed Lower East Side. The idea blossomed out of a phone call with LayeRhythm founder Mai Lê, a French Vietnamese choreographer living in NYC, who reached out to Kilomet109 to propose a collaboration that would link together elements from our distinct creative worlds, namely, club music, street dance, and contemporary Vietnamese fashion. After a few planning sessions, a flight around the world, and a fitting with the dancers, all the stars aligned and the event went off without a hitch. 

Choreographer Mai Lê wearing our Yam Root dyed Bolero Jacket and Panel Wrapped Trousers during the LayeRhythm performance. Photographs by @still1 

“Imagine an improv comedy show where dancing, not laughs, is the currency. Then imagine a musicians’ jam session where the band is compelled to keep the dancers’ pace instead of the other way around.”