Lotus Kay On Fashion, Music And Finding the Confidence To Shine

Fashion and music have always had a way of influencing how we express ourselves. For singer-songwriter and designer Lotus Kay, the two go hand in hand. Whether she's creating a collection, writing a song or stepping onto a stage, storytelling is at the centre of what she does.

Her latest fashion collection, Shine On, presented during New York Fashion Week at SLATE NYC, explores a particularly personal story: the journey from shyness to confidence. Developed in collaboration with designer Richie Rich, the 25-look collection draws inspiration from moon phases, butterflies, crystals and the idea of gradually finding your own light.

We caught up with Lotus to talk about the creative process behind Shine On, her love of combining fashion and music, and what's next for her.

Interview with Lotus Kay

You work across both fashion and music. How do these two creative worlds influence each other, and do you approach them differently?

The music and fashion worlds intersect more than I originally thought they would. It turns out storytelling can happen through both music and clothes, and learning to tell stories through each medium helps inspire what I do in the other. Putting together a fashion collection and finding the story it can tell has gotten me thinking about creating albums that tell stories.

Though they're different mediums, both a great outfit and a great song can affect your attitude and mood, so I like using both to evoke feelings of power, fun and beauty.

I also love finding ways to bring the two worlds together, whether it's designing clothes to perform in or wear in my videos, creating fashion shows that feel like full productions, or incorporating my own music and performances into a show. I think there are so many exciting possibilities when fashion and music come together! In fact, I have a song called “Shine On” that I'm excited to incorporate into my next fashion show in February!

The 'Shine On' collection explores a journey from shyness to confidence. What inspired this theme, and does it reflect a personal experience or a particular stage in your life?

I was lucky to get to work with designer Richie Rich on this collection, and he helped me discover the story I wanted to tell through it. He talked about stories he'd told through his own collections, including one inspired by his journey from where he grew up to moving to the city. As soon as he said that, I thought my equivalent would definitely be the journey from shyness to confidence, which is something I've experienced in my own life.

We also happened to have several of our fashion meetings, where we were sketching out the clothes, during different phases of the moon, including full moons. One day, I was wearing a necklace representing the moon phase I was born under, the waxing gibbous moon, which is when the moon is becoming brighter, and that gave me an idea. Just as the moon starts out unseen and gradually becomes more visible, the collection could reflect that same journey of coming out of your shell and finding your own light.

And we actually finished sketching the collection on a Leo full moon, which was especially fun because Leo is both my moon sign and Richie's!

Ultimately, that's what Shine On is about to me: finding your own light, letting it shine and sharing it with the world.

Butterflies and the phases of the moon play an important role in the collection. What do these symbols mean to you, and how did you translate them into fashion?

For my first fashion collection, Astro Couture, I based the designs on the astrological signs, so connecting fashion with different signs and symbols was something I was already used to doing and wanted to continue exploring.

Richie and I brainstormed all sorts of different ideas, writing down symbols and inspirations on paper and a whiteboard, and then finding ways to incorporate them into the clothes. To me, butterflies represent transformation, while the phases of the moon reflect how we grow and change, gradually revealing different parts of ourselves. We created pieces like pants with half moons, a dress with butterflies, and designs inspired by some of my favorite flowers. Sometimes the inspiration came from something as simple as a jacket I was wearing that day or a necklace. I think inspiration can come from anywhere if you're paying attention!

For Astro Couture, I also wrote a spoken-word piece to open the show, so I wanted to do something similar for Shine On. I wrote a new piece incorporating the different symbols and the journey from darkness to light. I talked about how a seed starts in darkness before growing into a flower, how the moon gradually becomes more visible, and how crystals form underground before being discovered. I loved connecting all these examples from nature to our own journeys of growth and self-expression.

The collection moves from darkness toward light. How did you use color, silhouettes and textures to communicate that transformation across the 25 looks?

I had the idea for the collection to start with lighter, more pastel-like colors and gradually move toward brighter, more intense colors as the show went along. For example, the very first dress is a light baby blue, with a softer, more innocent feeling, while one of the last dresses is a deep royal-blue gown with real lapis lazuli crystals incorporated into it. It has a much more dramatic and powerful feeling.

Some of the later looks also mirror earlier ones, using similar colors or design elements but expressing them in a new way. I liked the idea of showing how something can evolve and transform while still having a connection to where it began.

When you design a collection, do you begin with a story, a feeling, a visual reference or a specific garment? What did your creative process look like for Shine On?

There was a plan, and in a way there wasn't one too, which I think is sometimes the best way for creativity to take off. You have an idea of what you're doing, but you don't completely know where it's going to lead until it's done. That's how it felt with Shine On.

We had the overall story and some ideas we wanted to explore, but there was also a lot of room for inspiration and new ideas to emerge along the way. Looking back now, the whole process almost feels like a blur! It's kind of amazing to step back afterward and think, wow, we actually created all of that!

You also designed and hand-beaded the necklaces and bracelets featured in the collection. Why was it important to create these accessories yourself, and how do they complete the overall vision?

I actually started designing jewelry inspired by my first fashion collection, Astro Couture. I created necklaces for each of the astrological signs, as well as custom necklaces featuring the birthstones associated with your big three — your sun, moon and rising signs. Those are available on my website, Designed by Lotus, if anyone is interested!

So when I started working on Shine On, I knew I wanted to incorporate jewelry and crystals again, and I ended up doing that in two different ways. One was designing and hand-beading necklaces and bracelets with different crystals to complement some of the looks. The other was an idea I was really excited about: incorporating real crystals directly into some of the clothing!

I think real crystals make the designs shine in a special way, and I love the idea that they can also enhance the clothes through the different properties associated with each stone. It was a way to bring together my love of fashion, jewelry and crystals, and make them all part of the same collection. The Shine On necklaces are also available for purchase on my website!

Showing Shine On during New York Fashion Week at SLATE NYC was an important moment for the collection. What did presenting your work in that setting mean to you?

SLATE NYC is a really cool place. I'd actually love to go back sometime just to explore it more, because whenever I've been there, I've been so busy in fashion show mode that I haven't had a chance to really check everything out!

I presented my first fashion collection there in 2025, opening for Richie Rich, so getting to return this year with my own show was really special. It was nice to be in a familiar place, but also to be doing something new and exciting. And getting to show my designs during New York Fashion Week is always a dream come true!

Fashion can be a powerful way to express an identity that might not always come across in everyday life. What role does clothing play in how you express yourself and build confidence?

What you wear definitely affects how you feel. I like to think about two things when it comes to clothing: how confident you feel wearing something because of its style, and also how comfortable it is. I think both are really important because it's easier to feel good about yourself when you feel good in what you're wearing.

That's something I love about so many of the looks in Shine On. A lot of the clothes are actually really comfortable! We have several pairs of what look like jeans, but they're more like jeggings, and there are also lots of soft, silky textures. I love the idea that clothes can make you feel beautiful and expressive while also being comfortable to wear.

As a singer-songwriter as well as a designer, how does performing or making music influence the way you think about personal style, stage presence and visual storytelling?

When I'm making music or performing, I think about the whole experience, not just the song itself. What I'm wearing can be an important part of that, especially in music videos, where the clothes can help tell the story and create a certain feeling or mood.

I put thought into what I wear in my videos and how the different looks connect to the music. I've even designed and worn a dress specifically for one of my music videos, which was a really fun way to bring my fashion and music together.

I think personal style is another way of expressing yourself as an artist, and I love being able to use fashion to help bring the stories in my songs to life.

Looking ahead, what creative ideas are you most excited to explore next, whether in fashion, music or somewhere the two intersect?

I'm really excited about working on more fashion and music! I'm also working on my next collection for New York Fashion Week in February 2027, which will build on the story of Shine On in some new and exciting ways. I'm also coming up with new ideas for future collections!

And I'd love to keep growing Designed by Lotus and eventually have my clothes, jewelry and other products available in stores so more people can find and buy them!

There are so many things I still want to create, and I'm excited to see where it all goes!

Discover more from Lotus Kay at Designed by Lotus.