FML Creative Spotlight: Kaeden

From New York Fashion Week to entrepreneurship, Kaeden Kalaqtic continues to build a career defined by individuality, creative ambition, and an unconventional approach to success.

Kaeden Kalaqtic has never been particularly interested in following a conventional path. The Washington-born designer, digital personality, and entrepreneur has built a multifaceted career that moves between fashion, entertainment, and business, establishing himself as a creative figure whose influence extends well beyond the runway. From his early emergence as an openly LGBTQ+ creator in 2013 to his recognition as Out Magazine’s 2024 Out100 Fashion Designer of the Year, Kalaqtic’s trajectory reflects more than a decade of personal and professional evolution.

Fashion has remained a defining part of his creative identity. Making his New York Fashion Week debut in 2023 with his Fall/Winter 2024 collection, Kalaqtic introduced his design perspective to the industry on one of its most prominent stages. His work has since found its way onto some of entertainment’s most recognizable names, including Kim Kardashian, Megan Thee Stallion, Machine Gun Kelly, and Imagine Dragons. His designs have also appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race, MTV, and red carpets, positioning his work at the intersection of fashion, celebrity, and contemporary pop culture.

Yet Kalaqtic’s ambitions have never been confined to clothing. His latest venture, Litra, a compact, sealable travel litter tray designed for cats, marks an unexpected but distinctly entrepreneurial chapter. Moving from the expressive world of fashion into consumer product development, the venture demonstrates his willingness to explore new industries and translate creative thinking into practical innovation. For Kalaqtic, the transition represents another dimension of a career built on versatility rather than a single professional identity.

In 2026, Kalaqtic has also experienced a significant resurgence in the digital space. Following his return to social media, his content has reportedly generated more than 300 million impressions since the beginning of the year, introducing his story to new audiences while reconnecting with those who have followed his career. In an increasingly crowded digital landscape, his renewed visibility speaks to the evolving relationship between personal identity, creative entrepreneurship, and cultural relevance.

What makes Kalaqtic’s story particularly compelling is the breadth of his pursuits. His career encompasses fashion design, digital influence, product development, and a longstanding presence within LGBTQ+ creative communities. Rather than treating these disciplines as separate ventures, he has continued to navigate them as different expressions of his interests and ambitions.

For FML Magazine’s latest Creative Spotlight, we sit down with Kaeden Kalaqtic to discuss his journey through fashion, the realities of building a creative career, his evolution as an entrepreneur, and what comes next.

KK: Oh my, the list goes on and on but the first one that pops into my head is confidence. I always had the drive to accomplish my goals but when you’re 13, most haven’t really done much to build that confidence. The goals that I persevered to achieve built up the trust I had in myself to keep going which is how I feel unstoppable today. At some point you realize “oh hey that was a dream and now it’s a reality, what else can I do?”

FML: Your career has moved through digital media, fashion, entertainment, and now entrepreneurship. Was that unconventional path intentional, or have you always followed whatever genuinely interested you at the time?

KK: I always gravitated towards business and creativity. The older I got I started realizing there’s a variety of vessels to shine through and aspire to just try it all. I tend to put my all into everything I do which is why I think they all end up being careers.

FML: You stepped into fashion with your NYFW debut in 2023. What did presenting your own collection teach you about yourself as a designer?

KK: Having the fashion show really taught me how tough the fashion industry really is. For 3 years before the show, I was creating one-off pieces and mini collections that weren’t so cohesive and structured which gave me a lot of freedom. A fashion show is truly a show that’s so complex and articulate.

FML: In 2024, Out Magazine named you its Out100 Fashion Designer of the Year. What did that recognition mean to you at that particular point in your career?

KK: Was incredibly honored to be surrounded by so many LGBTQ+ icons & I specifically remember pitching myself as the first LGBTQ+ digital content creator from Seattle, WA in 2021 to their Out100 list so to be honored at the 2024 awards was so special.

FML: You were an openly LGBTQ+ creator online at a time when social media looked very different from what it does today. How has your relationship with visibility changed over the past decade?

KK: The shift into fashion helped me go into the shadows for a bit. Being online at a young age can be a lot at times when you’re judged for everything you do to the way you talk, to how fast you talk, to what you’re talking about— and really had to process what it meant to be so public. I feel I’m at the stage in my life now where I’m opening back up again and welcoming the public into more of my life like I was before.

FML: Since returning, you’ve generated hundreds of millions of impressions in 2026. What has surprised you most about reconnecting with such a large audience?

KK: I forgot how bored, evil, and negative it can be. I’m surrounded by amazing friends, family, and team that support me everyday and to put myself into an atmosphere where that isn’t always available was kind of a shock. I’ve quickly adjusted as this ain’t my first rodeo.

FML: Litra feels like an unexpected pivot from fashion, but it also involves design and solving a very specific problem. Where did the original idea come from?

KK: I traveled a lot with the fashion brand and would bring my cat everywhere. I’d always be dressed in our ensembles and the only thing that looked off was the bulky litter box, heavy litter bag, or whatever makeshift solution I had to make. I slept on the idea for a couple years and finally decided it was the perfect time to solve that problem as I wanted to shift from fashion for a bit.

FML: Fashion teaches you to think about aesthetics, materials, functionality, and how people interact with an object. Did your experience as a designer influence the way you developed Litra?

KK: We basically implemented a lot of the branding from Kalaqtic into Litra. When you walk into a pet store there’s fun fonts, colors, and graphics which inspired me to design the box into a more clean, minimal, and luxury aesthetic.

FML: Going from designing clothing to developing a physical consumer product requires an entirely different infrastructure. What part of becoming a product entrepreneur has challenged you the most?

KK: Logistics have never been fun for me but I’m good at math so I’ve managed to get through it with my team. Marketing on a creative level has challenged us but think marketing is a great opportunity to be creative so that has been bittersweet to navigate.

FML: There can sometimes be pressure for creators to remain inside the category audiences first associate them with. Did you have any hesitation about launching something completely outside fashion?

KK: This is my third brand I’ve launched and what helped me pivot is knowing your audience and which audience you want to reach. Investigate what their interests, struggles, and everything about them. This will help you solve a problem and market to who deserves and needs you.

FML: You’ve built a career where your personal identity and public image have existed alongside the businesses and creative projects you’re building. How do you separate Kaeden the person from Kaeden the public figure?

KK: I’ve learned to categorize which parts of me can be public and which parts cannot. I do enjoy my privacy and my name doesn’t need to be on everything I do. I enjoy creating and entities outside myself which gives me the opportunity to be more private.

FML: After more than a decade of evolving publicly, what do you feel people still misunderstand about Kaeden?

KK: I think people that are just finding out about me think I’m a pretty face and that’s it— whereas I actually have complex levels to my identity and career that most probably haven’t looked into. Thank you FML for giving me the opportunity to share more of me and my story.

For Kalaqtic, the past decade has been as much about personal growth as professional achievement. From navigating public visibility at an early age to establishing himself in fashion and subsequently expanding into entrepreneurship, his career illustrates the possibilities that emerge when creative ambition is allowed to evolve. His transition into product development is not necessarily a departure from fashion, but an extension of the same curiosity and design sensibility that first brought him into the industry.

Perhaps the most significant evolution, however, is his understanding of visibility and success on his own terms. Having experienced both the opportunities and scrutiny that accompany a public career, Kalaqtic now approaches his work with a greater appreciation for privacy, independence, and the freedom to create beyond his own name. His story is a reminder that a creative identity need not be defined by a single discipline, achievement, or public perception.

As Kalaqtic enters this next chapter, his ambitions continue to extend beyond the expectations associated with his earlier success. Whether through fashion, entrepreneurship, or whatever industry captures his attention next, one thing remains consistent: his willingness to pursue an idea and see where it leads. For a creative whose career began in the public eye more than a decade ago, there is still much more to discover.

Kaeden’s #FMLFaves

Favorite Song: FUFN by JADE

Favorite Movie: NA

Favorite Dish: Anything with a lemon

What’s in your bag? Headphones, chapstick, workout gloves.

EIC: @ginakpark

Kaeden – Underground with @talonreedcooper

Photo assist @gxillermo.cxrdenas

MU @ximenavergaramakeupartist

Grooming @thisisbabe

Styling @Ivteef

Assists @hayden.weth @anangelonthisearth @sticky.glu