Kate Barton never set out to launch a fashion brand. But, three years in, her namesake label is earning industry accolades, getting scooped up by top retailers and being chosen for big red-carpet appearances by influential women across fields.
Three days before her second New York Fashion Week runway show — a spring 2026 collection showcase taking place on Thursday — she reflected on the past year, which thrust her name onto the radars of more fashion fans.
“It has definitely been a big year,” she said. “And it’s been very fast-paced ever since I started the brand.”
The last 18 months have included Barton being named a finalist for the 2024 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, which she called “a big milestone” that has provided valuable connectivity to industry contacts, who are already proving helpful as she grows her brand. That includes fellow designer Jonathan Simkhai, who has become a mentor, offering valuable advice on retail partnerships, she said. Barton was also named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for 2025 — Barton is 29.
Launching in major retailers starting in October was also a big deal for the brand. Among them: Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Revolve, specialty stores including Tootsie’s, and international stores like Antonia. On Saturday, the brand hosted a Bloomingdale’s activation, complete with a customization station for T-shirts and tank tops, to kick off an in-store pop-up that will run through next month.
“I’m glad the brand was established for a few seasons before going into retailers,” Barton told Glossy. “It’s really important that you have a strong infrastructure in place, including [stable] production, partners and funding.”
According to Barton, her retail partners have been most interested in the brand for the fresh look it will bring to their top-selling cocktail and evening dress categories at an advanced contemporary price point. However, she’s not granting them exclusives, she said.
“My focus lies on the business side right now,” Barton said, noting that she manages both the creative and the business side of the company. “I want a successful, thriving business.”
As such, a big focus right now is category expansion, which will be apparent on Thursday’s runway, Barton said — currently, KateBarton.com offers just 55 styles. “It’s a very big growth moment for us,” she said. “We’re growing our core styles and materiality, and introducing more wearable, accessible and sporty styles, while ensuring we’re not losing our uniqueness or our DNA. Growing the brand’s direct-to-consumer and retail sales is also a priority.
As Barton tells it, she had not intended to become a fashion brand founder. While in grad school, she entered a fashion design contest by Mittelmoda, which she described as the “CFDA in Milan,” not realizing — thanks to the language barrier — that the winner was to receive mentorship and support to launch a brand. She was the first American to take home the award, which has historically supported local talent.
“I went into this being really naive, which I think actually helped me a lot,” she said. “I figure things out as I go, and I do things in a way that feels really organic to me and to my brand. I’m not forging someone else’s path while on my own.”
The Kate Barton brand first made headlines for its non-functioning handbag mimicking a goldfish in a fishbowl, which took off as a novelty “it” bag. Heidi Klum and Kelsea Ballerini have carried it. Barton said she designed the bag from her grad school apartment during Covid. It’s still selling on her brand’s e-commerce site for $275.
“I don’t want to do too much of any one thing — I want to do new things and bring new, exciting ideas into the brand,” Barton said. “But the goldfish has become a beloved part of our brand — it’s like a mascot — and so it’s something I want to carry on throughout. The same goes for our signature sculptural pieces. My goal is to keep doing what’s working and build on that.”.
With her awarded funds contributing, Barton has self-funded the brand, taking part in New York Fashion Week through sponsorships. She called her NYFW presence, which she has restricted to the September shows, “very intentional.”
“It’s always an honor to be on the fashion calendar,” Barton said. “But, along with fashion week, there are collaborations, wholesale accounts, pop-ups, dinners with editors — there are a lot of good opportunities to establish a brand presence and remain relevant.”
Speaking of collaborations, a new iteration will debut on the runway on Thursday, which will be a well-known product with a Kate Barton twist, Barton shared. For last September’s show, the brand fittingly collaborated with Pepperidge Farm’s Goldfish brand, which involved distributing the crackers to attendees and selling a collaborative tank top and keychains featuring the Goldfish motif for fall.
As for other marketing moments, the brand has a new fall-winter campaign featuring muses including Dee Hilfiger, Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin, model Winnie Harlow and fashion influencer Kate Bartlett.
In May, Kate Barton received much press when content creator Livvy Dunne wore a minidress by the brand on the red carpet of an event celebrating the Sports Illustrated 2025 Swimsuit Issue, of which Dunne starred on a cover. Barton got connected to Dunne through mutual friends — Dunne was on Louisiana State University’s gymnastics team, and Barton’s family is from Louisiana.
Plans are in place for Dunne to wear Kate Barton again, Barton said. And the brand will have a presence on more red carpets and also a TV show in the months ahead.
Barton’s team currently consists of a production manager, plus some freelancers and out-of-house PR. She said her first big hire will be a chief operating officer, soon. Barton declined to share her brand’s revenue, but said it’s on a “good growth trajectory.”
