Kenneth Barlis Takes the Riviera: A Collection Built for Flight

By Donna Wilson | Contributing Writer, Heart of Hollywood Magazine

Photography:  Donna Wilson | donnawilsonphotography.com

Category:  FASHION / FILM FESTIVALS / INTERNATIONAL

When the LA Fashion Closet brought their Mode de Cannes showcase to the Carlton Hotel on May 21, 2025, they brought with them a collection that the room was not entirely prepared for. Kenneth Barlis — the Los Angeles-based Filipino-American couturier whose label has dressed Carrie Underwood, Janet Jackson, RuPaul, and MJ Rodriguez — arrived at the French Riviera with garments built to fly.

That is not a metaphor. The show opened with a pink butterfly gown, chiffon wingspan shoulders lifting from a crystal-beaded body, the sweeping train pooling and rising behind the model as she moved. It was theatrical, technically ambitious, and unmistakably Barlis — a designer who has always understood that couture at its highest level is architecture that knows how to move.

The Range of a Full Collection

What distinguished the Cannes presentation was its scope. This was not a designer playing a single note. The collection moved from gold sequin column gowns — clean, commanding, built for stillness — to avant-garde nude mesh pieces articulated by gold chandelier waist detail. From softly embroidered champagne bridal-adjacent gowns to a cerulean silk double-breasted suit that announced his menswear line with quiet authority. From a deep green crystal-beaded strapless column dress to an emerald crystal-studded oversized men's suit that made bold look like the only reasonable choice.

The finale was a red phoenix gown — sculptural fire-feather wings fanning from the shoulders, the body layered in red crystal and lace, the silhouette landing somewhere between mythology and manifesto. It earned every second of the Cannes stage it occupied.

A Designer Who Builds for Everyone

One of the quieter statements Kenneth made at Mode de Cannes was in his casting. He dressed models across a genuine range of ages, backgrounds, and body types — including the stunning orange peacock-feather beaded gown, one of the show's most technically elaborate pieces, worn by a model who represents a generation the runway too rarely dresses. The message was clear: couture is not a category with an age limit.

That philosophy runs throughout his work. Since launching his label in 2012, Kenneth has built a brand that serves the red carpet, the concert stage, the wedding, and the real moments of real lives. His bridal collection, introduced in 2019, extends that vision to its most intimate expression. His KB School of Fashion, founded in 2018, passes it forward.

From the Philippines to the Carlton

Born in Pagadian City in the Philippines, Kenneth Barlis immigrated to the United States at 15. By 17, he had found his creative language in fashion, drawn to the vibrant colors and textiles of his Mindanao community. The industry did not always make room for a young, gay, Filipino designer — but the discouragement, by his own account, became fuel. He has said that it motivated him to work harder than he thought possible.

That work is now visible across decades of Hollywood's most celebrated stages, in the pages of Harper's Bazaar, ELLE, and Vogue, in his costume contributions to Disney's American Born Chinese, and — as of May 2026 — on the runway at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes.

Heart of Hollywood Magazine has followed Kenneth Barlis's career with pride. This milestone belongs in our pages.

Kenneth Barlis | kennethbarlisofficial.com | @kennethbarlis

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Photography by Donna Wilson | donnawilsonphotography.com

Mode de Cannes, produced by LA Fashion Closet | Carlton Hotel, Cannes | May 21, 2026