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If you're looking for a new crop of young style stars to give you a fresh dose of inspiration, Kit Keenan needs to be on your radar. The 20-year-old is a student, a surfer, a business owner, and the daughter of designer Cynthia Rowley. We caught up with the mother-daughter duo at this year's POPSUGAR Play/Ground, and while we've always been a fan of Rowley's clothes (those rashguards are everything), it was her relationship with her daughter, as well as Keenan's poise, business acumen, and sense of self, that really spoke to us. Plus, she's got some seriously swoon-worthy style.
First, let's talk about her clothes. Keenan started the eponymous line Kit, which to her means "keep it together." When describing the concept for the line, she explained, "We do a mix of ready-to-wear women's stuff and then the other half of it is artist collabs . . . we have contemporary artists put their work on t-shirts and sweatshirts." The line doesn't follow traditional seasons, and every drop is different, which is completely intentional. Her mom was initially surprised when Keenan said, "I don't want the drops I put out to look anything like the last drop," but at the end of the day, her daughter taught the veteran fashion designer that "you can do it your own way."
Growing up with a businesswoman as a mom no doubt influenced the way Keenan thinks about the world; now she wants to see more women taking charge, especially when it comes to the industry she loves: fashion. "The fashion industry is primarily focussed on women's clothing, but there's not that many women behind the actual business, so I hope to see more of that in the future." Her top piece of advice from Rowley? "Never take no for an answer, and only dream as big as you're willing to work." Now that's something we can definitely get behind.
As someone who's "really into pastels," her style is one for the books too. You can catch Keenan on Instagram sporting fun jeans and t-shirts, feminine dresses, and plenty of her own line. Plus, when she makes a red carpet appearance, it's in an outfit that's trend-focussed but still classic, and spoiler alert: there's plenty of pastel pink. She's also mastered the art of dressing up and dressing down, which we love. As she evolves, Keenan wants to create a brand that's inclusive, accessible, and empowering because, she says, "I think that's where the future of fashion is heading." We couldn't agree more.