Khaite
Khaite is a New York-based luxury womenswear brand founded in 2016 by Catherine Holstein.
Last updated August 31, 2026
Overview
Khaite is a New York-based luxury womenswear label established in 2016 by designer Catherine Holstein. The brand operates in the contemporary-to-luxury segment, combining refined materials, sculptural construction, and recognizable wardrobe staples with a distinctly modern American sensibility. Its range includes ready-to-wear, accessories, footwear, and handbags, with an emphasis on pieces that can function as foundational elements of a wardrobe while still carrying a strong fashion identity. The company received a co-founding investment from Adam Pritzker in 2016, the year of its launch. Khaite's original retail store opened in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood at 165 Mercer Street, giving the label a direct physical presence in one of New York's most prominent fashion and luxury-shopping districts. Its New York base and store-led presentation have been important to the brand's identity, alongside distribution through luxury retailers and international fashion channels. Khaite has built visibility through editorial attention, celebrity wear, collaborations, and cinematic brand communications. Katie Holmes and Gemma Chan are among public figures reported to have worn Khaite designs. In March 2021, filmmaker Sean Baker released a short film promoting Khaite's Fall/Winter 2021 collection, with Sean Price Williams serving as cinematographer. The project positioned the seasonal collection within a narrative visual format rather than relying solely on conventional product advertising. In 2023, Khaite collaborated with eyewear brand Oliver Peoples, extending its design language into a branded accessories partnership. The brand's retail expansion continued beyond its original SoHo location. Reference material states that Khaite opened its sixth United States store at Bal Harbour Shops in 2026. The label's present profile is therefore defined by a combination of designer-led womenswear, premium accessories, selective physical retail, and international luxury positioning. Its public documentation provides limited information about corporate ownership, executive leadership, financial performance, and operating structure; those fields remain unconfirmed here.
History
Khaite was founded in New York in 2016 by designer Catherine Holstein. From its beginning, the label was conceived as a luxury womenswear brand rather than as a mass-market apparel business. Its design proposition centers on the tension between familiar wardrobe categories and more distinctive construction: everyday garments are treated with elevated fabrics, considered proportions, and sculptural details. This approach allows the brand to occupy a space between practical American dressing and high-fashion presentation. Adam Pritzker made a co-founding investment in Khaite in 2016. Public reference material does not provide a full account of the company's capitalization, ownership structure, or subsequent financing, but the investment supported the brand during its founding period. Khaite established its original retail store at 165 Mercer Street in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood. The location gave the young label a physical flagship in a major New York shopping and cultural district, complementing wholesale and other luxury distribution channels. During its early development, Khaite became associated with a polished, contemporary version of American luxury dressing. Its product universe expanded across ready-to-wear and accessories, including knitwear, outerwear, dresses, separates, handbags, shoes, and other leather goods. Rather than depending on a single product category, the brand built a broader wardrobe and accessories offering around Holstein's design direction. Public visibility was also helped by celebrity adoption; Katie Holmes and Gemma Chan are among the figures identified in reference material as having worn Khaite. The brand's communication strategy included film and image-making as well as conventional fashion presentation. In March 2021, Sean Baker released the short film Khaite FW21 to promote the label's Fall/Winter 2021 collection. Sean Price Williams served as cinematographer. The project connected Khaite's seasonal product release to an auteur-led visual narrative and helped present the collection as part of a broader cultural and cinematic world. In 2023, Khaite collaborated with Oliver Peoples. The partnership brought the Khaite aesthetic into eyewear and demonstrated the brand's willingness to extend beyond its core apparel categories through carefully selected collaborations. The available reference material does not specify the complete product range, commercial performance, or distribution terms of the collaboration. Khaite subsequently continued its physical retail expansion in the United States. Reference material states that the brand opened its sixth U.S. store at Bal Harbour Shops in 2026. This expansion indicates a strategy of developing a controlled network of branded retail locations in addition to other market channels. Information about Khaite's current executives, legal ownership, financial results, international store count, and parent-company relationships is not established by the supplied sources. Khaite is treated as active, with its identity continuing to rest on designer-led luxury womenswear, accessories, and New York-based brand positioning.
- 2026Sixth U.S. store opens at Bal Harbour Shops
Khaite expanded its branded retail network with a sixth United States location at Bal Harbour Shops.
- 2023Oliver Peoples collaboration
Khaite collaborated with Oliver Peoples on an eyewear-related brand partnership.
- 2021Khaite FW21 short film is released
Sean Baker released a short film promoting Khaite's Fall/Winter 2021 lineup, photographed by Sean Price Williams.
- 2016Khaite is founded in New York
Catherine Holstein founded Khaite as a New York-based luxury womenswear brand.
- 2016Adam Pritzker makes a co-founding investment
Adam Pritzker made an investment described in reference material as a co-founding investment in Khaite.
- Khaite opens its original SoHo store
The brand's original store was established at 165 Mercer Street in New York City's SoHo neighborhood.
Products and positioning
New York luxury womenswear with a modern, refined, and sculptural approach to wardrobe essentials, supported by premium materials, statement accessories, and selective retail expansion.
Women's ready-to-wearApparel2016
Khaite's core business is designer womenswear, covering seasonal collections of dresses, tops, shirts, trousers, skirts, denim, outerwear, and other wardrobe pieces. The range is positioned at the luxury end of contemporary American fashion and is characterized by refined materials, controlled silhouettes, and a balance between familiar everyday categories and more pronounced sculptural or fashion-led details.
KnitwearApparel2016
Knitwear forms part of Khaite's elevated wardrobe offering. The category supports the brand's emphasis on tactile materials, fitted and relaxed proportions, and pieces intended to combine daily wearability with a luxury finish. Specific permanent styles and collection-level sales information are not established in the supplied references.
Handbags and leather accessoriesAccessories
Khaite's accessories universe includes handbags and other leather goods that extend the brand's design language beyond clothing. These products contribute to the label's full-look positioning and provide recognizable luxury accessories alongside seasonal apparel collections. The supplied sources do not identify a definitive list of signature bag models.
FootwearAccessories
Footwear is part of Khaite's broader luxury womenswear and accessories assortment. It is presented as a complement to the brand's ready-to-wear and handbag categories, helping the label offer a more complete wardrobe proposition. Detailed launch dates and individual product-line histories are not provided by the available reference material.
Oliver Peoples collaborationEyewear collaboration2023
In 2023, Khaite partnered with Oliver Peoples on a collaboration. The project extended Khaite's visual identity into eyewear through a partnership with an established specialist brand. The supplied reference confirms the collaboration but does not provide a detailed product list, pricing, or distribution information.
Flagship businesses
- Khaite women's ready-to-wear collections
- Khaite handbags and leather accessories
- Khaite footwear
- Khaite seasonal Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer collections
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Khaite FW21
International
Sean Baker directed a short film promoting Khaite's Fall/Winter 2021 collection, with Sean Price Williams as cinematographer. The campaign used a cinematic format to present the seasonal range and reinforce Khaite's image-led luxury positioning.
Outcome. The film served as the promotional vehicle for the Fall/Winter 2021 lineup; broader campaign performance is not reported in the supplied sources.
Brand decisions
- 2026Expansion to a sixth U.S. storeStrategy
Khaite continued developing a network of branded physical stores in the United States.
What changed. The brand opened its sixth U.S. store at Bal Harbour Shops.
Aftermath. The opening represented further domestic retail expansion; subsequent financial or operational effects are not available in the supplied sources.
- 2023Oliver Peoples collaborationOther
Khaite expanded its brand expression beyond core apparel through a partnership with a specialist eyewear company.
What changed. Khaite collaborated with Oliver Peoples on an eyewear-related collection or partnership.
Aftermath. The collaboration broadened Khaite's accessory presence, although commercial results and product details are not reported in the supplied material.
- 2021Fall/Winter 2021 collection promoted through a short filmProduct launch
Khaite sought to communicate its Fall/Winter 2021 collection through a cinematic campaign format.
What changed. Sean Baker released the short film Khaite FW21, photographed by Sean Price Williams.
Aftermath. The collection received a branded film presentation; no sales or financial impact is documented in the supplied sources.
- 2016Establishment of a New York luxury womenswear labelStrategy
Catherine Holstein launched Khaite in New York with a focus on luxury womenswear and a broader wardrobe proposition rather than a single product category.
What changed. The brand developed ready-to-wear and accessories under the Khaite name and established a physical presence in Manhattan's SoHo district.
Aftermath. Khaite developed as an active New York luxury label with retail, celebrity, film, and collaboration-based visibility.
Recent events
- 2026Khaite opens its sixth United States store at Bal Harbour Shops
Khaite expanded its United States retail network with a sixth store at Bal Harbour Shops in Florida.
Other - 2023Khaite collaborates with Oliver Peoples
Khaite partnered with eyewear brand Oliver Peoples on a collaboration, broadening the label's accessory and lifestyle presence.
CampaignOther - 2021Khaite launches its Fall/Winter 2021 promotional short film
Filmmaker Sean Baker released a short film created to promote Khaite's Fall/Winter 2021 collection. Sean Price Williams served as cinematographer.
CampaignProduct launch
Sources
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