Interview with a Punk Streetwear fusion Designer

Kasiah Harrison, Having always been an entrepreneurial spirit, Kasiah started their design journey by screen printing T-shirts in high school. Today, they are building out DELIRIUM DREAMING to create a safe space for everyone to embrace and experiment with their style, especially if it goes against trends.

“If you don’t do what you’re dreaming about, who will? You can make anything possible.” – Kasiah Harrison

HELLO KASIAH, WELCOME TO ABOUT INSIDER! SO HOW DID YOU GET INTO DESIGN?
I got into design by first finding Supreme in high-school. Then I started falling in love with designers like Yohji Yamamoto, Junya Watanabe, and Vivienne Westwood. I had always sketched clothes, so when I started creating, it was like second nature.

CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHERE YOU PULL INSPIRATION FROM?
I pull inspiration for my collections from emotions I’ve felt and my interests in human behavior. So I make silhouettes that are somewhat common with my own spin and the prints reflect what I want the collection to be about. 

I READ THAT YOU’VE ALWAYS BEEN INTO FASHION BECAUSE OF YOUR FASHIONABLE GRANDMOTHER. WHAT LESSONS AND/OR STYLE TIPS DID SHE PASS ON TO YOU THAT YOU STILL PRACTICE TODAY IN CREATING YOUR PRODUCTS AND BUILDING OUT YOUR COMPANY?
So my grandma always taught me to dress to impress… You want it to stand out there, but it’s not too far out there. And that’s what my whole brand has been about… creating something that is different but not too far out there where people are outside their comfort zone. You want to be comfortable yet fashionable and make a statement. And my grandmother has always made a statement for clothes. She’ll go to the grocery store [in her] trench coat and some like Velour sweats with a gold herringbone chain… No matter where she’s going, she always looks great. So when I created my brand, I wanted to create things that people would be comfortable in and wear every day and always feel like they look great.

YOU CREATED DELIRIUM DREAMING TO REFLECT YOUR UNIQUE STYLE. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE MOST SALIENT ELEMENT OF YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?
The most salient part of my design style is basically the punk element because I’ve always been like a punk kind of, like rocker kind of kid… One of my first favorite bands was Linkin Park. Kid Cudi, who is already kind of out there and kind of punk, was one of the first people I added on my iPod. So [I’ve] always been this punk kind of, out-there person. So one of the most salient parts of my brand is the punk element, but still that different twist to it that represents who I am as a person and me being different and creating different things. So definitely the punk element and the out-there kind of like “Space Dreamgirl” kind of stuff that I had…

WHAT IS ONE FASHION “RULE” OR TREND THAT YOU HAD TO DO AWAY WITH?
I won’t toot my own horn, but I usually am ahead of trends like in high school, freshman year of high school — 2014, I was wearing corsets and then in 2019, the whole corset trend kind of picked up. So I’ve always been ahead of the trends… [I’ve] admired people like Yohji Yamamoto, who created “anti-fashion”. They didn’t go with the trends… I don’t really like to follow what other people do when it comes [to design] because then I feel like I lose myself as a designer. So the trend I’ve done away with is following trends…

WHAT LEGACY DO YOU HOPE DELIRIUM DREAMING TO HAVE ON STREETWEAR AND FASHION AT LARGE?
I would like DELIRIUM DREAMING to become something on its own, not necessarily being like in stores, wholesale, or boutiques and stuff, but to eventually have its own brick-and-mortar store where it’s a unique place… like “Hot Topic before Hot Topic” became mainstream… [It] could be a staple for people who say, “Oh, I’m tired of seeing the same T-shirt in the mall or the same hoodie in the mall. And I’m going to this store because they have such different things.” And I want DELIRIUM DREAMING to leave the legacy that people who are the misfits because they dress differently in high school or in elementary or middle school, or whatever you’re in or college and you feel like you’re a misfit, you feel like you’re uncomfortable with your style. I want them to embrace their style and to wear stuff that’s different and open their mind. And even if people do not like to wear, things are different, maybe open them up to different pieces and different mindset of fashion and style…

WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL STYLE, YOU MENTIONED THE PUNK ELEMENT [OF YOUR BRAND] AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU HAD ONE SONG THAT YOU THINK DESCRIBED YOUR BRAND OR YOUR STYLE?
[It’s] not really like a punk song, but it’s a song that does describe my journey as a brand. It’s called “Rose Golden” by Kid Cudi on Passion, Pain and Demon Slayer. There’s these lyrics:
Oh, since I was young, been grooving to my own drum
Ain’t that many teachers show me my potential
Felt like a failure, momma said you know better
[The] whole story is about him being different and people telling him he’s not going to be anything or he’s not going to do well, or “You’re weird,” basically. But his mother always told him, “You move to your own drum. You are a creative. You are a force. Just keep it up.” And that’s always been with me ever since I heard that song, and I actually did listen to that song [when] I was running my T-shirt brand, and then all the way through, I’m running my brand now. I listen to that album and “Rose Golden” always speaks to me. [It’s] always been my favorite song.