Photographer Brent Chua – Fashion Editor Jungle Lin – Talent RJ King – Make-up by Yukie Yamasaki using Mac Cosmetics and Mac Pro – Interview by Melania Musci
Total Look Gucci / Total Look Louis Vuitton
For someone who hasn’t yet discovered KING, your underwear brand, how would you capture its spirit in a few words?
Big dick energy.
Before stepping into entrepreneurship, you spent years shaping a remarkable career in fashion. Where did that journey start for you?
The short version? I was 17, on a trip to New York City, and decided to walk into a few modelling agencies without an appointment. I had some photos I’d printed at Walgreens from a disposable camera, and when I walked in I just said, ‘I’m here for the open call.’ Which, of course, I had
completely made up.
How did everything you learnt on set and backstage influence the way you approached building a brand of your own?
The most talented people are usually the most pleasant to work with and the opposite tends to be true for the least talented. On every set, every show, every backstage, there’s always one person who’s really in control. I got to see, firsthand, all the different ways people choose to wield that power: the good, the bad, and the ugly. From that, I learnt three things: The best work is collaborative, kindness creates confidence and tailoring and fit are everything. Those principles shape the process, the values, and ultimately the products that define KING.
When your image becomes part of your profession, confidence takes on new layers. How do the garments closest to your body influence that inner sense of assurance?
When a garment fits well and functions the way it should, it feels like it was made just for you. Traditional underwear basically worked like a skin diaper. It absorbed oils and sweat so you didn’t have to wash your clothes as often. That made sense before home washing machines existed. Now that we don’t have to worry about smelling terrible, we can rethink what men’s underwear is actually supposed to do.
Top KING SupportWear / Top KYLE’LYK – Trousers Isabel Marant
Total Look Versace / Coat Louis Vuitton – Underwear KING SupportWear
Was there a specific moment when you felt ready to move from being the face of campaigns to creating something that carried your own signature?
The Covid-19 pandemic created that opening for me. I had done every modelling job I could have dreamed of, but it still wasn’t giving me the sense of self‑worth I was looking for. I wanted to make something of my own. I had a bunch of projects in the works, mostly ideas for podcasts and shows, but then this idea hit me, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So in a way, Covid-19 gave me the space to finally jump into something new.
Who was the first person you confided in about this new venture, and what was their reaction?
The first place I put it was my Notes app, that’s basically a map of my brain. About a year later, the idea came back to me. I told the guy I was dating at the time, and he immediately got it. He just said, ‘RJ, you have to.’
Every project has its challenges. Which stage of developing the line tested you the most, and how did you navigate it?
Fundraising, without a doubt. Asking people for money makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I didn’t grow up around the startup world, so the whole process felt unnatural. Then there’s production. Development takes forever, and the factories have a lot of leverage over someone like me. I’m producing peanuts compared to their other clients, which makes the dynamic stressful and unpredictable. They can drop you at any moment, and one factory actually threatened to do that three months before the launch. But honestly, every stage is tough, and every day tests me. I get through it by holding tight to where I want this to go, without getting rigid about the exact path to get there.
Coat Tibi – Shorts Moschino – Shoes Versace / Turtleneck Gucci – Shorts Moschino
Your collection introduces a fresh take on supportwear. In what direction wsupportwearke to push or expand that concept moving forward?
Imagine if Skims reinforced our joints and pain points instead of our curves. That’s the direction I want to explore. I’m interested in using graduated compression and modern body‑mapping technology to redesign clothing so it actually supports the body in motion. Underwear for the balls, socks for your ankles, shirts for your back. That’s the vision.
How have you processed the feedback on KING so far? Has anything surprised you?
I’ve been genuinely surprised by how much people love them. I hoped for that reaction so badly, but I was terrified people wouldn’t buy them, or worse, that they’d buy and hate them. Instead, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
If you could team up with another label for a capsule, who would be an exciting creative counterpart for you?
Calvin Klein x KING. Building KING’s patent‑pending support into Calvin’s iconic cotton brief would be a full‑circle moment. Calvin Klein was the first to make men feel sexy in underwear, and KING takes that idea even further. But the collaboration I really dream about is KING x WHOOP. I imagine a future where technology is built into our clothes the same way it’s built into our rings and bracelets – sensors that track body temperature, hydration, and recovery. That’s where I see supportwear heading.
Total Look Louis Vuitton – Jewellery Hamish’s own