CSM graduate Jiyong Kim breathes new life into vintage fabrics using the power of the sun
Introducing New Beginnings, a new series of mini Q&As spotlighting emerging designers, in the wake of Craig McDean and Katie Shillingford’s shoot for AnOther Magazine Autumn/Winter 2020.
AnOther Magazine: What are your hopes for the future?
Jiyong Kim: I hope a lot of people will be able to grow up in better educational environments. I hope I will be able to see more consumers who understand, and who want designers to strive to provide them with desirable fashion while researching sustainability.
AM: What is the thinking behind your work?
JK: We exist in a very unpredictable period. In this time of natural disasters and social issues, everyone is searching for slow, sustainable fashion and timeless clothing. However, in my opinion, what we pursue originated from human greed and disrespect for nature. In my first project Daylight Matters – which explored ideas of sustainability – I worked only with vintage and deadstock fabrics and fixtures, and created the effect I wanted by exposing it to natural light instead of printing. Rather than a designer following the trend, I would like to be an artist who shares ideas about things that occur in our era through the medium of clothing.
AM: What three words would you use to describe your approach to fashion?
JK: Less waste, sustainability, natural ageing.
AM: What does community mean to you?
JK: To me, community is a source of education and inspiration.
AM: What community did you grow up around? How did that shape you?
JK: I was born in South Korea and went to Japan after graduating from high school, where I studied womenswear at Bunka Fashion College. After that, I came to the UK and studied menswear at Central Saint Martins, later going on to work at Maison Mihara Yasuhiro, Lemaire and Louis Vuitton. And, with the assistance of MDF, I started a master’s at Central Saint Martins. All of these experiences made me self-reliant and gave me an understanding of other cultures. Of course, I owe the success of my collection to such experiences.
Follow Jiyong Kim on Instagram here.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
