KADILIMAN is many things at once, and none of them feel accidental. A DJ, model, event organizer, public figure – just everywhere all at once. Each sidequest leads him to finding his calling in the creative sphere and contributing to finding out who he truly is. In this CLAVEL feature, we sat down to talk with the man who’s visibility speaks volumes.
As the sun sets is where Kyle Dominic Lim is at his most authentic. Wanting to get out of the everyday mundanity in a corporate bank job, Kyle sought out to switch it up every now and then. On those weekends, he would step into a different version of himself.
He’d dress up, attend events around the city, blend into spaces where people assumed he came from a fashion or creative background. Few knew he would return to a corporate desk come Monday. That quiet duality – desk job by day, creative by night, became the seed of something larger.
“The turning point for me was really one day I woke up and said I don’t wanna do this for the rest of my life. I decided to take that leap and try something different.”
Kyle’s entry into the creative world didn’t begin with a grand plan, either. It started with clothes and a friend willing to shoot him around the streets of Makati. No expectations and a curious creative mind. Everything eventually snowballed into trying out more test shoots until an opportunity came with local brand SUOT to be at the forefront of their collection at the time.
“I think my style is very, I would say, very playful. Parang mahilig ako sa elements na parang medyo bata tignan. whatever is interesting to me, I will gravitate towards that”
There’s a childlike openness to this approach, but also confidence. Kyle knows his style doesn’t follow conventional rules, and that’s precisely why it works. Following the fun was what also led him to becoming a DJ, where the name KADILIMAN envelops this contrast between light and dark, fun and serious.
“KADILIMAN represents how the night can be a safe and comforting space for me. Which is what we see in nightlife, where people can be free to express and be themselves.”
Primarily playing pop music edits, Kyle serves up an interesting contrast to what his DJ name gives off. From anime-coded tracks to electronic influences in Porter Robinson, the core of his sets is that they should always be a great time for everyone around. Whether solo, a b2b set with arigoggles as silly geese, or just pushing for his fellow DJs as part of the collective-event organizing Let Them Cook, KADILIMAN shines on creating connections between people that allow them to express their best selves.
Wearing a lot of hats so to speak, Kyle speaks with genuine warmth about seeing others pursue the creative dream. Sometimes he’s booked for his sound, sometimes for his style. He himself has managed to merge his two outlets of fashion and music into a steady stream of opportunities, such as collaborations with brands like Mizuno, Bratpack, and atmos Philippines.
For now, KADILIMAN remains constantly on the move. Following curiosities and building spaces, he proves that finding joy in what you do isn’t a distraction from serious work – it’s the reason it works at all.
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