Na Yeon Kim

GROWN UP IN SOUTH KOREA WHERE THERE IS STILL A LOT OF HIERARCHY AND CONSERVATIVE RESTRICTIONS, SHE ALWAYS HAD A CRAVE TO GO AGAINST SOCIAL EXPECTATIONS TOWARDS HERSELF. IT IS CLEARLY SHOWN THROUGHOUT HER CHILDHOOD THAT SHE DECIDED NOT TO BECOME A CELLIST WHICH SHE PLAYED FOR 10 YEARS SINCE SHE WAS 5, AND THEN SUDDENLY STARTED TO CONCENTRATE ON STUDIES, THEN ENDED UP CHALLENGING HERSELF TO BECOME A FASHION DESIGNER AT THE TIME WHEN SHE NEEDS TO CHOOSE A COURSE TO STUDY AT UNIVERSITY. AS A FIRST STEP TO START HER “CITY COLLECTION” TO EXPLORE METROPOLITAN LUXURY FASHION THAT SHE PURSUES, SHE CHOSE NEW YORK FOR HER MA COLLECTION RESEARCH, THE CITY WHERE SHE HAD LONGING SINCE SHE DECIDED TO BECOME A FASHION DESIGNER.
THE STARTING POINT OF HER COLLECTION HAS BEGUN FROM TRACING THE ARCHIVE OF HELMUT LANG, HER MOST FAVOURITE DESIGNER. THEN SHE MOVED ON TO INVESTIGATE CROSS-CULTURE VIBES BETWEEN NEW YORKER’S LUXURY FASHION WHICH WAS REPRESENTED BY CALVIN KLEIN AND ROCK & ROLL CULTURE DURING 90’S HENCE, TO BREAK AND REIMAGINE CLASSES OF GARMENTS.
AS A MEAN TO REDEFINE THE HIERARCHY IN FASHION, SHE JUXTAPOSED CONTRADICTORY SILHOUETTE AND FABRIC OR INTEGRATED SIMPLE YET REFINED SILHOUETTE WITH IMPROVISATORY OPEN SCREEN-PRINTING INSPIRED FROM “ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM”, WHICH WAS THE MAINSTREAM ART MOVEMENT IN NYC AND SHARES ETHOS WITH HER DESIGN PHILOSOPHY. THROUGHOUT THE COLLECTION, SHE AIMS TO DEFINE SLEEK YET TENACIOUS MASCULINITY BY CREATING A WELL-CRAFTED ELABORATE MENSWEAR.