10 Times Nigerian American Model and Stylist Wisdom Kaye Outdid Himself

The 23-year-old has styled a number of iconic looks all drawn from the most unpredictable inspirations.

Wisdom Kaye arrives for the 2024 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2024, in New York.

Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images.

Wisdom Kaye knows fashion. The 23-year-old Nigerian American stylist and model has made a name for himself on social media for his boundary-pushing and eclectic approach to style. For the most part, Kaye’s allure is not solely in the fact that he can pair and combine outfits intelligently, it is also in his ability to offer a different perspective on otherwise underappreciated fashion items.

Whether it be skinny jeans or Timberlands, Kaye’s style goes beyond the demands of modern fashion or what is presumed to be in vogue or not. There is also the cinematic quality of his videos — mostly drawing inspiration from his comment section, often averaging thousands of comments along with millions of views and likes — that sees Kaye experiment and reinterpret a diverse range of ideas and themes. From reinterpreting famous animation characters to, as with his recent post, visually representing countries, Kaye does the good work of bringing these ideas and themes to life.

In honor of Kaye’s ingenuity and sharp personal style, here are 10 of his most notable looks.

Styling African countries in the “High Fashion Olympics”

@wisdm8
Replying to @alabasterindistries The High Fashion Olympics: the first 15/25 teams. China The blazer underneath the coat is worn with the collar up to parallel a Tanghuang, a traditional Chinese jacket which features the mandarin collar which originated in imperial china, as early as 200BC, the texture and material of the outer coat is to represent the dragon, which is the fifth animal in the Chinese zodiac cycle, which corresponds to the year 2024, the Wood Dragon and the year of the recent Olympic Games, the star brooches also representing the starts on the flag. USA The classic red white and blue, with classic denim. The look itself is “Made in America” as it features American icons such as Ralph Lauren, and nephew Greg Lauren, as well as one of the most iconic American brands, Coach. The look also contains accessories from Chrome Hearts as well as a hint of the Brooklyn Based streetwear brand Kidsuper. Japan Inspired by the original leaders of the avant-garde movement in fashion this look takes inspiration from Japanese designers like Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo in a way that utilizes the flags colors and design. Palestine Initially I was solely going to create a look drawing inspiration from a traditional Palestinian garment called a Thawb, and upon my research I discovered hundreds of Palestinian athletes had been killed recently amongst the atrocities ongoing in Gaza. Understanding the strength and courage it would take to perform at a world stage given a genocide in your own own country, I wanted to make a look that feels like a human embodiment of the flag itself but most importantly, I wanted something that felt beautiful and free. Canada Consisting of popular Canadian brands Dquared2 and Canada goose, this look takes direct inspiration of the Canadian flag design, down to the squared brooch in the center of the vest. Stylistically, something you’d want to wear during a Canadian winter. Spain This look features a cropped jacket and slim trousers, in the Spanish colors and takes direct inspiration from the “traje de luces”, which are the traditional garments that Spanish bullfighters wear in action. Great Britain The inspiration for this look is the layering of the colors in the Union Jack. Red at the core with white to follow moving out, and blue surrounding them both, thus was the instruction for the layering. The look also features a crown brooch, a royal touch. France This look Features French Fashion giants Balmain, Louis Vuitton, and Hermès, the latter responsible for arguably the most popular designer bag of all time, the Birkin. This look Features the iconic Haut à Courroies 50 in Crocodile, one of the most coveted and financially consuming bags from the legendary french house. South Korea This look follows the design of the South Korean flag and takes inspiration from modern Korean fashion. Germany There’s a lot more black than I would have preferred to use for this look, but those from the capital city, Berlin, are known for wearing said color. I wanted this look to have a more structured shape to reference Bauhaus design which originated in Germany. The look also mostly consists of Rick Owens, a designer who references Bauhaus in his work. Ireland This look is inspired by traditional Irish’s formal wear styled in the flags colors. Ukraine Following the design of the Ukrainian flag, this look features a sunflower brooch, the sunflower being the national flower of Ukraine. Australia Inspired from the design of the Australian flag Pakistan Inspired by the design of the Pakistan flag Nigeria Inspired by the colors of the Nigerian flag, stylistically, the volume of this look takes inspiration from the Agbada, which is traditional male attire worn amongst the Yoruba men in Nigeria.

As it often happens with Kaye, it started with a comment. “Style the whole world,” the comment read; to which Kaye responded by creating 3o looks, up from the 25 he initially planned to do. With countries like China, Palestine, the United Kingdom and four African countries (Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and Morocco) included, Kaye created one of his most ambitious works yet.

For his Nigerian look, he took inspiration from the country’s green, white, green flag as well as the flowy Agbada typically worn by the Yoruba people of Nigeria. His Morocco outfit also featured wide legged pants, flowy, plain shirt worn under a flowy scarf and heeled boots. His Egypt look features leathers, a scarf and artisanal-heeled boots, while his Kenya look was a slightly pared down (for Kaye at least) jacket and pants complemented with a leather semi-clutch bag.

Making skinny jeans cool again

@wisdm8
STOP WEARING SKINNY JEANS

In response to a video where some people disapproved of skinny jeans, Kaye styled himself in a range of skinny jeans and offered a different perspective to a denim style that has so far been seen as a cardinal sin in fashion. The skinny jeans he rocks in this video, incorporating them into both semi-casual and high fashion styles, are sometimes washed, sometimes leather, but all completely cool.

Styling the characters in ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’

@wisdm8
Replying to @west look all im going to say is 8/17

In his classic fashion of creating looks in response to ideas or concepts, Kaye styled the characters on the beloved animation show Avatar: The Last Airbender. The selection of looks, drawing inspiration from the Air Nomads, the Water Tribe, the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, features deconstructed suits, flayed pants, scarfs and really cool jewelry.

A stylish journey through time

@wisdm8
Replying to @Richmond okeke YOU GUYS ARE DRIVING ME MAD

Although he is very much in the present, Kaye isn’t averse to traveling back in time and retracing evolution. In this video, with over 15 million likes, where he makes an outfit for every year since the beginning of time, he starts this exciting fashion exploration in the paleolithic ages, defined by furs and scarfs, to the year 3000, defined in Kaye’s styling, by heavy leather and coordinated clothing items.

Styling Timberlands

@wisdm8
STOP WEARING TIMBS!!!!

For people unsure if certain fashion items, although socially unpopular, can still be fashionable, Kaye answers that with the right styling choices. In this video which he made in response to a video where Timberlands were put down for never looking good with any outfits, Kaye styles the heavy boots with wide-legged cargo pants, baggy jeans and boot-cut jeans — the unifying trick being to conceal the top of the boot so only its bottom half is visible.

Dressing up and down

@wisdm8
Replying to @Scopatumanaa this took 16 consecutive hours of editing so I hope I’ve satiated your monetary lust

In response to a comment asking him to style a $110,000, $11,000, $1,000 and $110 outfits, Kaye provides a guide to making the best of any fashion item no matter the cost. With very Western cowboy and hyper streetwear looks, Kaye manages to make it all work.

Revamping ‘Phineas and Ferb’

@wisdm8
a platypus??

A key part of Kaye’s work is in his brilliant yet accessible reinterpretations. While styling characters of the cartoon series Phineas and Ferb with a high fashion twist, Kaye introduces replicable fashion elements including shorts, sweaters, pants, scarfs etc, all with a tasteful, elegant finish.

Styling those MSCHF boots

@wisdm8
Replying to @gldsfake tbh I have a lot of clothes I either cut myself or have altered. What you gotta do when you’re simply huge

Naturally charged with the task of styling the famous but controversial (for its practicality and adaptability) red MSCHF boots, Kaye opted for understated streetwear looks consisting of puffer jackets, knee length shorts and oversized pants.

Rocking a literal trash bag

@wisdm8
Replying to @awaysdrippedfr all these fits are trash

Yes, Kaye can wear and look good in anything, including a trash bag. In this video, Kaye tactfully incorporates a trash bag into a series of looks ranging from streetwear to fashion week ready.

Restyling tank tops

@wisdm8
Trailer park core

Wife beaters and tank tops can sometimes get a bad rep for being too lazy style-wise, but in this video Kaye upstyles them. By bringing in supporting statement pieces like embroidered jean trousers, deconstructed pants and artisanal pants, Kaye allows the tank tops to take on a life of their own.

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