Courtesy of Cillian Appleby
A part of New Haven’s punk scene, Killian Appleby, known online as LOWLuxury, collects and produces video content about an unexpected side of fashion: punk-influenced designer fashion.
With over 9,000 subscribers, Appleby has cultivated a small but dedicated community of punk fashion enthusiasts who follow his commentary on punk brands and analysis of the luxury pieces in his collections.
“My style is a natural blend of punk and hardcore music and I’m rooted in New Haven,” Appleby says, “To me, this is my home no matter what, and I want to see it grow in terms of what I’m interested in.”
Appleby said New Haven is a city with deep punk roots, with venues such as Toad’s Place, Café Nine and Three Sheets historically featuring punk bands.
Appleby began playing in punk bands at the age of 12, and his early interest in punk music, combined with his upbringing in New Haven, has had a major influence on his fashion identity.
Appleby’s journey into creating fashion content began in 2020 when she launched her YouTube channel, initially making videos on how to tell the authenticity of designer clothing.
As Appleby expanded his content, he found a subject that was less explored and to which he felt a deeper connection due to his punk music background: Enfants Riches Déprimés, a luxury fashion label and art project.
Founded in 2012, Paris and Los Angeles-based luxury fashion house Enfants Riche d’Eprimés (French for “depraved rich kids”) puts a rebellious arthouse narrative at the forefront of their brand. According to founder Henri-Alexander Levy, ERD is “elitist, nihilist couture” with references to violence, politics, religion, drugs, and of course subversive music. ERD pieces are often handmade and produced in small batches, a business model that allows for high prices on a slow fashion model.
The brand sells clothing across a wide range of price points, from $700 T-shirts to $95,000 haute couture jackets, bright red cowboy boots, and cashmere nooses. These prices, along with the controversial themes of ERD’s clothing, have earned the brand both recognition and criticism.
ERD’s high price points and rebellious spirit have attracted the attention of many celebrities, including Kanye West, Jared Leto and Playboi Carti, who embody the brand’s nihilistic and punk-inspired aesthetic.
“If the King of Vamps, Playboi Carti himself, is wearing an ERD, it must be good,” wrote Henry Chang ’26, a self-described Playboi Carti superfan.
Not everyone agrees.
Miles Parkhurst, 27, believes ERD sells “a very aesthetically pleasing product” but that it’s “inevitably too expensive for most people with a grunge aesthetic.”
But through his YouTube channel, Appleby demystifies ERD’s work, giving audiences, including those who can’t see ERD’s work in person, a glimpse into the brand’s meticulous craftsmanship and the punk influence behind its designs.
The brand has one flagship store in Paris, which Levy says is intended to make customers feel as uncomfortable as possible.
“[Brands like ERD]are purposefully obscure, which is why they appeal to a certain type of person,” Appleby says. “Like the Stark family of Chrome Hearts, or Henri, the founder of ERD. They’ve become more than designers; they’ve become trendsetters in a way.”
Appleby draws on his experience and cultural knowledge of New Haven’s punk music scene to make references to works that even the brand doesn’t reveal — for example, a recent video features Death from Above 1979 and Minor Threat as two of the bands ERD references in its graphics.
This democratization of information has allowed Appleby to build a loyal community of followers.
Appleby first became interested in fashion and ERD when he was faced with a workplace dress code and was looking for a way to express his punk-influenced individuality within a corporate environment, so when he discovered ERD and its mundane, chic, yet aggressive references to staples of punk culture, he felt an instant connection.
Since launching his YouTube channel, Appleby has balanced content creation with his job playing punk music in his current band, the New Haven-based collective Dagwood.
“In terms of content, if you really love it and you love what you’re doing, you have to work at it because it’s a slow process,” Appleby says, “but having a unique point of view is literally the most valuable thing no matter what your goal is. Whether you’re creating content, creating the clothing itself, or creating a business around fashion, understanding what your stance or angle is is absolutely foundational level.”
As Appleby’s channel has grown in popularity over the past year, he has begun studying viewers’ trends and figuring out how to better serve them. ERD’s recent rise to prominence has led to the creation of a number of labels that have created their own ultra-luxury brands, including Paly Hollywood and Marking Distance.
These new trends have Appleby being flexible and intentional with his content: He has a backlog of edited videos waiting to be published, while being strategic about the order in which they are released.
“If you look at my posts, you’ll see a pretty predictable pattern of me featuring smaller brands, bigger brands that don’t get talked about as much, and ERDs, which I feature more frequently,” he said. “I’m always cycling. I’m always watching.”
Appleby said his content gives residents of mid-sized cities like Chicago and New Haven a chance to experience his niche luxury fashion even if they don’t have access to an in-person retailer. From his videos, viewers get a feel for the comfort and fit of these luxury garments, and are invited into an otherwise exclusive fashion community.
Appleby has a clear vision for the future of fashion content and his role in it: He wants to see more accessible brick-and-mortar stores for luxury fashion brands in places like New Haven, where the luxury fashion niche is not yet readily available to consumers.
High-end consignment store 2nd Street carries Enfants Riches Déprimés in several of its other stores and plans to open a store on Elm Street in the near future.