About
Robyn Bonner never thought he would work in fashion. He built a career as a strategic sourcing leader for Fortune 500 companies. The thought of clothing, specifically designs, patterns and imagery never crossed his mind. Until it did. Frustrated with limited clothing options featuring the range of skin tones and hair textures found in the diaspora of Black heritage, Robyn decided to create a line of apparel that would celebrate Black and Brown children with a nod to fatherhood. Inspired by his two young daughters, Kay Rose was born.Kay Rose is a apparel company committed to curating positive BLACK imagery, sourcing exclusively premium materials, and being an intentional force for good within the culture.
Vision
“Kay Rose originated from my own experiences as a father watching my daughters rapidly approaching the age where they can appreciate differences in hair textures, skin colors, and personal style,” says founder and creative director Robyn Bonner. “I was dissatisfied with what was available for brown girls and boys like my children - cheaply made clothing with graphics that didn’t center my children as the ‘default’.
I wanted options that made our children not feel like ‘the other’, or a one off exception in a collection of images- and that’s when I realized I needed to create that brand, a line that was intentional about catering to black youth through comfortable cloth and unique designs.”From the onset, Bonner knew he wanted to work specifically with black artists to curate clothing designs.
He worked with artist Humphrey Kaye to develop an initial concept and refined it over months until his co-conspirators in the brand's inception liked the final product.“It was really important to me that my daughters like the designs, how things fit and the feel of the material,” says Bonner. “I know when my daughters look good, they feel good and I want to make sure all kids have that option.”In curating the collection of apparel, Bonner didn’t want to click a few buttons on Photoshop and mass produce a low quality product.
His desire is that every garment double as wearable art that makes a subtle statement about familial love and celebration of black artistry. Kay Rose features options for men, women and children with sizes ranging from 2T to 7 and S to XXL, respectively.
About the founder
Robyn Bonner is a native Detroiter and champion of the city. He attended Detroit Public Schools and graduated from Cass Tech High School before attending Michigan State University. As the founder and creative director of Kay Rose, Bonner designs, in collaboration with minority artists and vendors, every piece within the apparel collection with his two daughters in mind. Beyond being the inspiration for the endeavor, Kay Rose is named after the girls (Reagan Kaya & Milan Rose Bonner).
