When Katseye takes the stage, it’s never just a musical performance. The six-member girl group, whose members hail from every corner of the world, treat every performance as a way to showcase their personal style.
“For Katseye’s fashion, I’ve been really excited to be inspired by the members themselves and bringing their individual culture into the conversation,” says the group’s creative director, Humberto Leon. “We have a very unique group, and they are truly global, so the inspiration is inherent.” Four years in, he still treats every cycle like a reset—digging into new designers, pulling vintage, and tracking down wild, one-off pieces for every single performance.
Rahul Bhatt
Backstage at Lollapalooza last weekend, he tells Coveteur that each member of Katseye moves through clothes differently. Manon makes everything she slips into look “effortless.” Megan has an “ultra cool” ease that lets the clothes speak for themselves, and Lara is more “experimental” with her fashion choices. Sophia is “chic,” gravitating toward sharp tailoring and clean silhouettes, yet somehow making them feel modern, not stiff. Yoonchae is “fresh,” all about emerging designers and new ideas. And Daniela? She’s “daring,” open to bolder silhouettes.
Humberto, who was previously the former creative director of Kenzo and co-founder of Opening Ceremony, has known the girls since the trainee days of Dream Academy, which means he’s in on all the inside jokes, silhouettes they gravitate toward, and the kind of shorthand that only comes from watching someone grow up in front of you. “They’re so game to try new things,” he says. “I just have to listen to the vibes they’re into and take it all to the next level.”
Rahul Bhatt
The rack of designers he pulls from reads like a mix between a high-fantasy runway lineup and a fashion nerd's archival collection: Patrycja Pagas, Ottolinger, Raga Malak, Laura Gerte, Martine Rose, Luar, Connor Ives, Duran Lantinkyo, Fanci Club, and Datt, alongside vintage Nicolas Ghesquière-era Balenciaga, Tom Ford’s Gucci and YSL, Galliano for Dior, Norma Kamali, Prada, and Maison Margiela's Artisanal. Beyond the major houses, supporting young designers is “the backbone” of his work—he’s constantly scouting emerging names from across the globe. “I love breaking all the rules,” he says. “But I like setting up my own guardrails, so every cycle we have a consistent energy and vibe.”
Many of the pieces he sources have their own lore, such as Lara’s Abra shopping bag heels from a concept shoot (which were personally insured), which he paired with a latex sari. Or, the time Manon stepped out in this Plein Sud dress from the '90s for the “Touch” music video, turning a quick styling choice into a multi-decade history lesson for fans. “I’m obsessed with the origins of fashion,” he says. “Putting Katseye in vintage is super fun.”
Rahul Bhatt
When it comes to defining the group’s aesthetic, Manon describes it best: “diverse, cunty, and hot.” There's undoubtedly a late-'90s and Y2K energy the group exudes, exhibited by their cami tanks, baby tees, and low-rise pants. For this, Humberto taps into that era’s cultural zeitgeist for inspiration, drawing from style icons like Devon Aoki and Chloë Sevigny and the films of Gregg Araki and Sofia Coppola that capture that unmistakable turn-of-the-millennium energy.
“We’re lucky to have six unique individuals, so we get to build a world where they are the muse,” he says. “We take their style and culture into consideration when we create looks for them. Ultimately, we always make sure it’s part of the Katseye vibe.”
Rahul Bhatt
Among their creative triumphs, their 2nd EP, "Beautiful Chaos," holds a special place in their collective discography. “It’s built on the idea of them and their authenticity,” Humberto says. “Believe it or not, that to me feels so fresh and can only be Katseye.” That same ethos guided their recent Lollapalooza looks, custom-made by UK designer Patrycja Pagas. The pieces were dreamt up alongside stylist Kyle Luu and built to withstand choreography, heat, and the festival’s anything-can-happen energy (did you catch their first-ever “M.I.A” performance?).
“We created looks that can take us through this journey,” Humberto says. “Kelly Page also helped design the opening jacket with Planeta, a local Los Angeles designer, and we had hats made by Gladys Tamez Millinery.”
Preparation for those outfits began the moment the Lollapalooza booking was confirmed. “It’s such an amazing festival, so we wanted the looks to be extra special,” Humberto says. The result was a synchronized vision with enough individuality for each member to shine. “This is probably my favorite look we’ve worn on stage,” Megan says backstage. “They’re so extra and flashy—and so Katseye.”
Rahul Bhatt
And what do the girls wear when they’re not onstage? “Really comfortable clothes like sweatpants with big t-shirts,” Yoonchae laughs. Sophia agrees: “I think one closet essential we’re all bringing on tour is a hoodie.”
For Katseye, the clothes aren’t just costumes—they’re visual storytelling, woven from threads that stretch across cultures and decades. In one setlist, they might move from a futuristic Ottolinger jumpsuit to a 1970s YSL archive piece, the throughline being how "right now" it all feels to each individual member. “Fashion is about telling a story,” Humberto says. “With Katseye, the story is always theirs.”
Photographs: Rahul Bhatt
