Kit Keenan, daughter of Cynthia Rowley, launching her own line

Kit Keenan is following in the family footsteps.

Keenan, the daughter of fashion designer Cynthia Rowley and interior designer Bill Keenan, is launching her own fashion line, Kit, at the end of the month. The idea for the line is rooted in the fashion habits of the 19-year-old and her peers.

“What people my age want and need is reinvention, and thinking about the trends and what people wear right now. Especially with young people, our style is changing with trends all the time, so I wanted to have a freer form of what a brand meant,� she says. “The idea for the brand is every single time I do a launch, it completely changes. I want it to be for the girl whose style is always changing, because one day I’m wearing a dress, and the next day I’m wearing pants and a bucket hat. And I wanted to challenge myself to really reinvent clothing every time I design it.�

Hitting that note, her first collection taps into a frilly, ultrafeminine aesthetic incorporating reds and whites while the second collection will be streetwear-centric.

“I think that you see it a lot with lower-end huge brands like Zara, who’s doing so well because they’re changing all the time with what people want, rather than getting stuck in, ‘well, my brand is all preppy, and that’s not what kids want now, so I’m not selling,’� Keenan adds.

Her first collection will be six pieces, released in quantities of 150 for each style, and the follow-up will consist of three T-shirts and two sweatshirts. The collection launches June 30 and will retail online with a focus on selling through Instagram.

“I was at the Instagram offices the other day and they were like, in the next few years, Instagram is going to become the biggest way to sell goods,� Keenan adds. “And I want to get in on that as fast as possible.�