Inside Gothleisure™ with Lively Ghosts Founder Lindsay Kaye
The designer reflects on the inspiration behind the brand’s latest chapter
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Shot by @mackenzielenoraphotography featuring @elleferal @lillybluemoon @acidfairy_ @phoenixnoirofficial @morguebelle @soverign.selenophile
Few launches have generated as much excitement within gothic fashion circles this summer as Gothleisure™ collection.
The newest addition to cult favourite brand, Lively Ghosts’ lineup, arrives at a moment when people are becoming increasingly unwilling to reserve their favourite aesthetics for special occasions only. Equal parts practical and playful, the collection brings lace, Victorian-inspired details and the brand's signature spooky wink into a category overrun with boring, basic matching sets.
To celebrate the launch, we caught up with founder Lindsay Kaye to discuss the collection's origins, the art of building an entire world through design and where Lively Ghosts is headed next—which, if our conversation is any indication, may involve both yoga mats and red-carpet drama ;).
1. Gothic influence has a way of creeping in before we have the language to describe this gradual evolution of style. Looking back, what first pulled you toward the aesthetic? What were your early gothic influences?
I grew up bicoastal, and a lot of my youth was spent traveling through Boston, Salem, Sleepy Hollow NY, and along the northeast where both Victorian style homes & gothic revival architecture (a la St. Patrick’s Cathedral) were prominent. I found charm in the vintage feel of those cities and landmarks: walking through cobblestone streets amongst intricate churches and cathedrals feels like time travel.
Culturally, I grew up listening to a LOT of Oingo Boingo. Sonically, they wouldn’t really count as ‘goth’ - but thematically, I think they do. They’re all about macabre playfulness, which is what truly formed me (and later my brand - with the macabre playfulness of the brand name alone, Lively Ghosts). To really reveal my nerdom here, they originally started as a theatrical troupe, with circus themes and performing Cab Calloway songs, and I think those avante-garde sounds & visuals really inspired me creatively at a young age.
Shot by @cinemuseo featuring Lindsay Kaye
2. Every beloved brand starts smaller than people imagine. What did the earliest versions of Lively Ghosts look like, and what were you hoping people would feel when they found it?
Ohhh yes, and even now, it’s still quite a small team despite what it may seem! Formative years of Lively Ghosts included mostly handmade coffin pin-boards, where I would craft coffin-shaped decor pieces out of wood, various fabrics, and cork, and they were each hand-painted. I think this early hands-on play with texture and colour really set the foundation for what the brand would grow to become.
As for my hopes with the brand, my goals then remain the same today: I want the brand to be a place where all are welcome, but especially the ‘misfits’. As someone who often felt like the black sheep in many ways growing up, I wanted to create a brand that caters to that. A brand built by & for the, to be on the nose, ‘strange & unusual’. Now that clothing is such a big part of the brand - my main goal is for people to feel confident in what they’re wearing. It’s the first question I ask people when they say they own pieces from the brand: ‘do you feel confident in it? Does it make you feel fantastic?’. That’s always my goal, for all people and for all bodies.
3. Lively Ghosts goes far beyond fashion. Between iconic tea sets, picnic baskets, pet accessories and jewellery, it feels much closer to a full lifestyle world. When did you realize your customers were not simply shopping for special occasion clothes, but actively trying to build this aesthetic into their everyday lives?
You know, I actually have this practice in being a designer/business owner that probably any good business owner would frown upon - I actually don’t create….what I think will sell. I create what I want out there in the world, and I aim to design new things that haven’t been done before.
I feel more aligned with Tim Burton than any business CEO, in the sense that I’ve always wanted to create my own world with my business and not just focus on ‘creating products for the customers’. For me, that’s always what it’s been about, so truly one of the biggest compliments is when people want to live in that world I’ve created.
Shot by @cinemuseo; featuring @zaire.spooks @whoischelsea @Christina.alexandraa @magicallymaranda
4. Gothleisure™feels perfectly timed as more people incorporate gothic fashion into everyday life instead of saving it for events or nightlife. Where did the concept begin, and what details felt most important while developing the collection?
The timing is gorgeous, I agree, and I’m so glad it feels relevant!! I think continuing on with that ‘world’ I’m constantly creating ~ in my business & personal life I do wear a lot of the fashion I design normally for Lively Ghosts, but I also wear a lot of sweats and comfort wear. Everything I design is meant to be comfy, but I wanted to create a collection that really leans into that. Honestly, the biggest inspiration here was my best friends: they live in athleisure-wear and I wanted to make clothing for them. Something they could take a dance class in or go to the store in and feel GOOD about themselves. There have been so many ‘I look like a slob today I’m wearing leggings so don’t judge me’ texts, and although the last thing I would do is judge for being comfortable, it did make me think ‘what if being comfortable didn’t have to equivalate to looking like a ‘slob’.
What if presentation and performance could coexist? Hence formed: Gothleisure™.
Gothleisure™ Gilded Edge Jacket, shot by @mackenzielenoraphotography featuring @phoenixnoirofficial
5. Do you have a favourite piece from Gothleisure™ or one that feels especially representative of what you wanted the collection to become? And creatively, where do you see the collection heading next?
Oh absolutely, and my truest favorites haven’t even been announced yet! This new released Gothleisure™ collection is the inaugural launch of what will be an entire subdivision of Lively Ghosts, with new additions to the collection every month. But for this launch, I really do think the Gilded Edge Jacket pulls all the stops - from lace paneling to the custom victorian-style Lively Ghosts zipper (with a hidden ghostie on the back), with really thought-out details like thumbholes and deep pockets.
This collection is heading deep into itself actually - softer fabrics, sharper silhouettes, and a whole lot of lace and embroidery. This will span beyond clothing - with accessories, yoga mats, gym bags, sweat towels, and more to come. It’ll be a whole world on its own.
Image courtesy of Lively Ghosts
6. Your Cottagecore collection carries a softer romanticism while still remaining unmistakably gothic. What draws you to blending cottagecore influences with darker styling?
It’s funny you mention that collection, that was my first little tester of seeing if the Lively Ghosts audience was ready for sub-categories within the brand, and golly were they!
I have a few friends who live the cottagecore lifestyle in real life, and the concept of blending those worlds was one that I hadn’t seen done before - and therefore; enticed me. I’m very big on creating something new and finding a way to interlace the gothic Victorian world with worlds one might not expect, almost like a parallel universe or multi-verse.
Shot by @cinemuseo; featuring @_lunesolace @elizacuzzo
7. Lively Ghosts already feels much larger than a fashion label. As you look ahead (and without revealing too much), what parts of the brand are you most excited to expand into next?
That’s mighty kind, thank you for saying so. The everlasting answer will always be: something new and shiny. I’m always eager to dive into the crevices I haven’t explored yet, pushing the limits of what ‘gothic’ can look like in a tangible world.
But to give some concrete hints, I’ve been working on a collection to contrast what Gothleisure™ is doing. Where Gothleisure™ is about comfort-driven pieces with sharper intentions, I’m also working on an over-the-top, avante garde, red carpet ready collection that’s all about including showstopper pieces fit for the finest of occasions. Think oversized, dramatically experimental silhouettes, with playful fabrics pulled from various eras. It’s going to be a spectacle to behold.
Beneath every collection, every collaboration and every new concept sits a simple idea; Lindsay wants people to feel good when they wear Lively Ghosts. She wants them to feel confident. She wants them to feel like their most authentic selves.
That philosophy can be found throughout the brand's growing universe, from its earliest collections to the newly launched Gothleisure™ line. In many ways, Gothleisure™ feels like a natural evolution of that mission, offering customers a comfortable, everyday way to bring a little gothic flair into their daily lives without sacrificing personality or style.
As for what's next, we will be eagerly awaiting future Gothleisure™ drops, the red-carpet collection and whatever delightfully unexpected concept Lindsay dreams up next. Follow Lively Ghosts on Instagram and subscribe below to receive our free digital issue to your inbox every month.
