FIRE LACES X KHADI ROK

Young entrepreneur Khadi Rok, also known as Khalil Battle, has been on the rise since he was just 13 years old. After having much success with his brand Kings Curls, he is now stepping outside of the box with his new fashion brand Antithesis of War. Be sure to read our full interview to learn more about him, his brand, and what has inspired him along his journey.

"I had a clothing brand like when I was in 7th grade. Before I was anything on social media, I was just literally 13 years old and I had this brand called Young Fashion Gods. It was originally my brother’s but then he passed it on to me. So I just like used the motivation I gained back then, and knew that I could push clothing now." 

"I’ve been growing lately. I’ve been wanting to be the person I am right now since I was a kid. I’ve been working up to this point, so I make sure everything is aligned how I see it. I feel like I see it and it ends up coming out perfectly every time. I try not to overthink it because it's just social media at the end of the day, but it is a science to it and I keep that in mind."

"The name Antithesis of War just kind of came to me. Antithesis of War means war on power. War on consciousness. War on your mind. In today’s day and age individuality is really hard to find. Everyone is just trying to follow trends and society doesn’t really allow you to express yourself. Even though you can, people are still going to have their opinions, think how they want to think. So it's a war on power. War not only on who you are, but a war on individuality." 

"Yea, I am dropping some crazy stuff. I am in love with hoodies. A lot of Antithesis of War clothing will be hoodies. I am working on the War Sleeves too. I am definitely trying to do more 1 of 1 pieces that are more of me. Basically with all my brands, I wanna show myself off to the entire world."

"I design some clothes based off of sneakers. I am literally making sure that these shoes go with these specific pieces. So when I am making these pieces I know exactly what sneakers I want to wear with each piece of clothing. Everything is thought out and intentional. I am trying to think about how I can market it the best. So whatever shoes I am going to wear with this they have to be the most marketable. It is a lot of different factors that go into this." 

"I’ve been using the Jordan 4 “Off-White” when designing lately. I mess with Off-White a lot. I think the Jordan 4 “Bred” are my all time favorite though. I love 4’s a lot they fit nice on my feet. When I dress, I dress clothing first. I save the best for last."

"In 5 years, I see me walking for Dior. All the high-fashion brands. I know I will have a record deal too. My fashion is just going to go through the roof. All of my components are just going to come together. I am finally going to be able to be the person with all of these different attributes to me. All of my brands will be able to speak for me." 

"I feel like who I am, is growth. I am constantly changing. I am always trying to develop myself and become a new person. I just keep trying to go further and further and stay in my bag."