Hey Kitsch Kitty – Fashion as a Form of Empowerment

‘I’m a total magpie. I’m very attracted to anything shiny or sparkly . . . I hope that everyone that wears my things feels sassy & amazing in them’

We caught up with Louisa Wild, creator of Hey Kitsch Kitty to talk fun fashion, mental health & raging feminism.

💖 What inspired you to start up Hey Kitsch Kitty & what’s the brand all about?

It just sort of happened! 

In the early days of Hey Kitsch Kitty I was making cutesy polymer clay charms & jewellery. One day I randomly went in to my local bead shop & bought some oven bake clay & fastenings to make myself something for fun. I enjoyed playing around with it so much, that I started making jewellery for my friends. Around that time (2013ish) I found out about the selling website, Etsy. So after some persuasion from my mates, I thought I’d open a shop.

Hey Kitsch Kitty was born 💕

I loved that for a long time. But slowly, my taste changed & it didn’t bring me as much joy. Around that time I started making more burlesque & performance costumes for people with my day job as a seamstress. I was also going to more parties & festivals, so I was making myself snazzy sparkly things to wear & experimenting with making fun headdress. That’s how Kitsch Kitty became a fun party wear brand. 

Now I mainly make sparkly bomber jackets, colourful neck ruffs . . .

& of course fun head gear 💕

💖 What inspires your creations?

Everything colourful! The brighter the better.

I love clashy colours & prints. I love clowns! I’d like to dress like a clown everyday. Everything from their multi-coloured clothes to their over the top make up! I adore them & I think that shows in the items I make.

There’s a fair amount of iridescent materials & glitter used in my creations. I just love dressing in anything that makes you a walking mirror ball. So I tend to make things as an extension of that!


I’m a total magpie. I’m very attracted to anything shiny or sparkly.

💖 I know you do a lot of work around feminism & ethical fashion. Does that influence Hey Kitsch Kitty in any way?

Those topics are always present in my mind. I have to say that apart from being a raging feminist, & that I hope my lovely customers wearing my creations would identify as feminists – I don’t think feminism really presents in the things that I make.

I hope that everyone that wears my things feels sassy & amazing in them though, I’m not sure that really counts as feminism, lol! (KNM edit: it does 💖)

In terms of ethical fashion, I think it’s important for us all as consumers to start thinking about slow fashion. How to shop more thoughtfully & not to frivolously buy. We can all make small changes to shop a little more ethically. 

I am always looking at ways I can make better decisions for my brand. I make everything by hand in my little Brighton based studio. I also recycle all my fabric scraps at local textile waste points. 

💖 What other brands do you love? 

Gosh there are so many! 

Ok, so first off I adore the very talented Jodie behind the brand Fumbalinas. She so talented!

I also love Born to thread. They make amazing leather jackets. Everything that Sophie Cochevelou makes is utter magic & I can waste hours of my life musing at her work!

Some of my best friends have truly awesome brands too. Definitely check out Emperors Old Clothes, their dungarees are a must! Curious Alice studio for beautiful hand dyed silk scarfs, Ruby Ruth Dolls & of course Blufruit Clothing

💖 What about the person behind the fashion? If you could describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be?

Eccentric, compassionate & patient. That was really hard! Had to ask my partner for help. 

💖 What does fashion mean to you?

Fashion to me is a way of expression.

I don’t really follow the shop fashions. I haven’t shopped in mainstream shops for years, I mainly buy second hand or make my own clothes. So I can be as bold & clashy as I want.

It brings me so much joy to experiment with the way I look. I’ve always struggled with my mental health so if I’m having a shitty down day, then wearing something bright & colourful can really improve my mood.

I think it often makes people feel like they can spark up conversations with me. I’ve had fun coloured hair for years now & people often comment on it. & quite honestly it’s made me new friends & even got me work!  

I love that fashion can mean different things & look different to different people.

It brings me so much joy to experiment with the way I look. I’ve always struggled with my mental health so if I’m having a shitty down day, then wearing something bright & colourful can really improve my mood.

💖 Where can we find you?

You can follow me on instagram @Heykitschkitty or go to my Etsy shop www.heykitschkitty.co.uk

Also for the whole of July I will be guest maker at Flock in Brighton. 

This has been fun, thank you 💕

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