That Little Kid Triumphed

Kenneth King’s journey from bullied dreamer to couture storyteller

Kenneth King’s career in the world of fashion has spanned decades. As a self-employed artist, he’s done it all—clothing, jewelry, and furniture design, writing for Threads Magazine, publishing seven books, having private clients, being an assistant adjunct professor at FIT, and more. 

Recently, he published his book ‘Doll Couture: Red Carpet Edition,’ a follow-up to ‘Doll Couture: Creating Custom Clothes Featuring the Story of Lola,’ published in 2023. The concepts of both books are unique; they showcase King’s excellent design skills through the intricate doll fashions he has created. However, it’s not just photos of one-of-a-kind fashion looks; the book is a cohesive story that brings the doll characters, Lola and Crazy Bella, to life. 

“It’s a story with sewing. There are story books, there are sewing books, this is kind of a hybrid,” King explained. 

What began as creative inspiration that struck during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic has become a full-circle career moment for King. His interest in fashion began at an incredibly young age. At just four years old, he began sewing clothing for his Barbie doll. 

“I didn’t want to make clothing that looked like what my mother’s friends were wearing,” King explained of his childhood fashion inspiration. 

As a child, King had a doll named Estelle who only owned evening clothes. She lived in a big city, had a cool apartment, and went to the opera and the theatre. This was incredibly different from King’s childhood in Kansas, and from a young age, it was clear that he had aspirations far beyond his small midwestern town. 

Because King’s dreams were different from those of most of his peers in Kansas, he often got bullied for making doll clothes and playing with dolls. It seems only fitting that now King has published two doll couture books and had success for what he was bullied for.

“That little kid triumphed,” King explained.  

This second book, ‘Doll Couture: Red Carpet Edition,’ is a story that takes place over a single night on a red carpet, featuring stunning doll couture outfits and beautiful sketches by Andrew B. Marlay, King’s husband, a Broadway clothing designer for 25 years. 

“I’m very proud of it, I just love how it looks,” King said.  

With his latest book out in the world, King is still expertly juggling a wide range of projects. For King, there isn’t a ‘typical day’ from designing to writing to teaching and more; no two days are the same. Speaking to King, it’s clear that fashion is truly his lifelong passion, a driving force that has opened up a world of unique opportunities. 

“The craft is the central pivot, and there’s all these different spokes that come out from that,” explained King.  

Through the ups and downs and exciting career moments, one of the things that stands out to King was when, as a child, his mother’s lawyer began mentoring him and even gave him the ‘it gets better’ talk. For King, having someone see him and support him in this way is something that he credits for helping him not go down a bad path. From those conversations when he was just a boy came one of the biggest lessons King has ever learned–the importance of paying it forward. 

As King encouraged, “If there is a young person in your orbit and you see that they have an interest, especially if they’re getting grief from other sources…take them aside and have some conversations.”