Jonny Cota, Cassidy Haley & Katie Kay didn’t set out to be fashion designers.  As world-class travelling circus performers, their desire to costume themselves in a way that was edgy & opulent eventually got the better of them.  They started making their first custom pieces for friends & colleagues in 2005, before deciding to embark on ready-to-wear in 2007.

Skingraft’s debut at LA Fashion Week in March 2009 made a sizeable impact.  Girls paraded down the catwalk wearing antlers, & the show opened with a dramatic dance performance.
They opened their flagship store in downtown Los Angeles a month later, & their pieces have already been seen on the likes of Fergie, Will.I.Am, Marilyn Manson, Juliette Lewis & Margaret Cho.

Their Spring 2010 collection is completely sublime.  The range is mostly constructed from euphorically soft leather in black, grey, white & a shockingly vivid royal blue.  The colours are crisp & decisive, complementing the designs wonderfully.  It’s a palette which commands attention, & is quite a departure from last season’s collection, which was primarily green, grey & cream.  “I’m so sick of earth tones!”, Katie laughed.

Inspiration was garnered from vintage military uniforms & one of Katie’s long-time heroines, Amelia Earhart.  The references are clear, & can be seen in Skingraft’s fitted leather jackets with epaulettes & studded detail, canvas trousers with leather patches & fabulous holsters.  Their pieces are functional but luxurious at the same time; hedonistically utilitarian.  Cross the sensibilities of a Luftwaffe pilot with the decadence of Karl Lagerfeld & you’re getting the idea.

Sold in multiple locations across the United States, Canada & Japan, Katie explains that the growth of Skingraft has been totally organic.  The trio’s engagement with & devotion to the arts scene has meant that word of mouth has been their most successful weapon — & has also kept them connected with their original customer base.

Skingraft’s fusion of Victorian tight-lacing with a punk rock ethos & an enslavement to luxury has resulted in clothing that is a wonderful exploration of all that is dark & beautiful.

Words by Gala Darling, Photos by Skingraft