Kudzu League is a lifestyle, culture, and fashion blog started in 2023 by Christian Ornelas. Inspired by Japanese magazines like POPEYE and FRUiTS which focus on youthful subcultures through the people who inhabit them, I wanted my own space totally divorced from social media to fall in love with the world again and try to develop content that brings us closer to truer self-expression.
Why “Kudzu League”?
I went to one of those “Harvard of the South”-type schools that purposefully market themselves with “Ivy” prestige. Southern universities with strong programs like Duke, Vanderbilt, UNC, etc. which were already begging for affiliation with institutions like Yale and Harvard were granted a monkey-paw wish. They would be known as “Kudzu League” in reference to the kudzu plant: an invasive vine from eastern Asia that now envelops much of the south-eastern United States.
While the moniker is – at best – a backhanded compliment, something about it resonates with me. It felt like if Ivy League was going to stay strict, selective, and rule-ridden, Kudzu League could simply not be. It could be inspired by history and tradition, but also celebrate the alternative and be all-inclusive. And with the hindsight we now have into Japan’s influence on American fashion (as is wonderfully laid out in W. David Marx’ Amertora) kudzu suddenly felt like the only substitute for ivy. The tagline “A backup school of thought” is yet another nod to the alternative “backup school” status of the Kudzu League and the alternative culture, fashion, and lifestyles we hope to highlight.
If you want to read a little more about our inspiration and goals, check out our first article “The Cultural Love-Triangle of America, England, and Japan“,
Kudzu League 