For KMAC Couture, Lilah Pudlo Turned Louisville History Into Wearable Art

By Alisha Proffitt • Photos By Matt Johnson and Provided 

For this year’s KMAC Couture, Lilah Pudlo made a dress about memory. She was asked to create a piece for the VOICE-TRIBUNE during Kentucky Derby season, tied to this year’s KMAC Couture theme of ancestry. She chose to focus on the magazine’s long history in Louisville and what it has meant to the city for 77 years. 

“I was approached with the concept of highlighting the importance and transformation of the VOICE-TRIBUNE,” she says. “The theme this year of Ancestry was the perfect platform to show the historical importance of the magazine as a piece of Louisville’s history and its resilience for 77 years.” 

For Pudlo, the project became personal. It gave her a reason to take a deeper look at the city where she grew up and the creative community that has so greatly influenced her vision. She spent a significant amount of time looking through old archives and gained a real understanding of how not only the publication had changed over time, but the city itself. “This became one of the most meaningful pieces I have created, as the process immersed me in the history, resilience, and spirit of Louisville in a way I had never experienced before,” she says. 

Pudlo’s interest in fashion began at DuPont Manual High School’s Visual Arts Magnet. In her senior year, she found herself drawn to fabric, texture, and the work of making something by hand. 

“I fell in love with fashion design during my senior year of high school at DuPont Manual Visual Arts Magnet,” she says. “In Alana Alford’s class, I was exposed to a wide range of fabrics, materials, and textures, and she encouraged us to experiment freely with different sewing machine techniques.” 

She also attended summer study programs that helped her along her path. From there, she studied Fashion Design at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where she graduated with top honors. “One of the biggest takeaways for me was the emphasis on craftsmanship,” she says. “From pattern making to draping, there was a strong focus on precision and understanding structure, which still heavily influences how I construct pieces today, especially in couture work.” 

She also learned that every garment needs a reason to exist. MassArt pushed its students to think about concept as much as construction. That really stuck with her, and now, whether she is designing for film, couture, or a private client, she starts with a story. 

She received a scholarship to study abroad in Paris and Antwerp. A visit to Versailles moved her creatively and later influenced her senior collection through color, brocade, and silhouette.

Hand sewing, finishing, and couture details are her favorite parts of the process. “Detailed hand sewing and couture techniques are my favorite part of the design process,” she says, “Although this stage is the most time-consuming, I find myself constantly experimenting with new stitches and strengthening the skills I already have. It is a rewarding feeling to see my work come to life through that level of craftsmanship.” 

She likes the work that takes the longest. Hand sewing, finishing, and couture details are her favorite parts of the process. “Detailed hand sewing and couture techniques are my favorite part of the design process,” she says. “Although this stage is the most time-consuming, I find myself constantly experimenting with new stitches and strengthening the skills I already have.” 

Her work tackles many different types of design. She has made wedding gowns, tailored jackets, corsetry, and adaptivewear. This range is in large part driven by her love of learning, though her interest in adaptivewear comes from home. Her youngest sister has physical challenges, and Pudlo has spent years tailoring clothes to make them more comfortable. At MassArt, she also worked with Tatum Robotics to help develop a fabric glove for a robotic hand built to support communication for deaf and blind individuals. This work, she says, gave her a broader understanding of how design can serve people in direct and practical ways, and was featured in Forbes magazine. 

History matters to her, too. Her mother has a PhD in Art History, and museums were a special part of her childhood. She grew up learning how art and fashion change over time. Her illustrations were later selected for display during Boston Fashion Week for a Charles Frederick Worth exhibition at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Worth, often called the father of haute couture, became an important figure in her research. “My philosophy is that in order to embrace the future, we must first honor the past,” she says. This was all taken into account for her KMAC Couture piece. 

She had taken part in the show once before as a DuPont Manual student in 2020, returning now after earning her degree, she felt different. She trusted her skills more and gave herself room to experiment. 

For the VOICE-TRIBUNE design, she taught herself how to print images directly onto fabric. She also hand-beaded twelve-inch Twin Spires, the largest beaded element she had ever made. “I felt very confident creating a piece for KMAC this time around,” she says. “Now, having earned my degree in Fashion Design, I felt much more secure in my technical skills, which allowed me to have fun and experiment in ways I would have once been too timid to try.” 

Louisville has always been part of her work. She took classes through the Louisville Visual Art Association from elementary school through high school. She also painted and donated a mural to the Berrytown Community Center through Louisville Parks and Recreation. She remembers how what had been just a concrete wall changed when color was added, and how people responded to it. That memory remains with her. 

Fashion works the same way. It can change how people feel. It can tell people where they come from. Seeing her KMAC Couture piece shown in her hometown mattered more than any runway, she says. 

Last May, Pudlo was chosen for the cover photo for Vogue.com’s Best Derby Looks. It was an important moment for her, but Louisville still feels like the center. 

“It’s always a thrill to see my designs come to life, whether on the runway or on a client, but seeing my work displayed in my hometown meant so much more,” she says. 

To learn more about Lilah and her work, visit: lilahpudlo.com.