Pushing Fashion Forward With Kevin Mcintosh

Kevin McIntosh Jr is originally from St. Croix, WI, and later moved to Charlotte, North Carolina with his parents in 2001. He attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he majored in Communication Studies.

McIntosh Jr is a Global Fashion Publicist. He is the Director of PR & VIP Services at Karla Otto New York. Prior to joining Karla Otto New York, McIntosh Jr worked at Ralph Lauren, KCD, Mr Porter and Interview Magazine.

McIntosh Jr’s line of work has given him opportunities to work with large names in fashion such as Virgil Abloh and Abloh’s Off-White clothing line.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD AND HOW IT WAS GROWING UP?

Kevin: I was raised in St. Croix most of my life. In 2001, my parents and I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina where I went to college at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. When I was a kid I thought I wanted to be a doctor in hopes that I would cure cancer. 

WHAT DID YOU STUDY AT IN UNCG?

Kevin: I studied Communication Studies. My grandfather has a Master’s degree in Economics and I always wanted to be like my grandfather. Ironically, economics was hard for me. For the first time in my life, when I got to college, I felt dumb because I couldn’t pass this economics. I changed my major to Broadcast and Television. 

One of my role models was at the time was Tavis Smiley because I wanted to do news or radio. I often thought to myself, “how do I navigate this industry.” I ultimately looked into it a bit more and decided it wouldn’t be a good fit. I didn’t feel like I was getting a good spectrum and needed something a bit broader. My third major was Communication Studies and that was perfect for me. It was vague enough and then I was also able to work in the program which I needed. 

College teaches you to grow up and help you maneuver life. 

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE COMPETITIVE FASHION INDUSTRY?

Kevin: I remember applying to all these jobs and no one would call me back. I would email, fax and mail my resume and cover letter. I did that to about 15 places. One of the places that did call me back was Interview Magazine. That’s honestly how I got started.