Minju Kim
I initially found out about Minju Kim through lockdown while watching a Netflix show called 'Next In Fashion' (2020). She was named the victor, defeating British architect Daniel Fletcher. "It was a really special experience to be surrounded by different styles and designs, I felt like I went back to school." - Minju Kim. By winning the TV drama, she got $250,000 from Net-A-Porter to dispatch an assortment available to be purchased on their site while receiving a lot of positive exposure in order for her brand to strive.
What I love about her is that throughout the whole show, she always embraced her Asian roots by incorporating traditional shapes and patterns inspired by the places she knows or visited in South Korea.
Minju Kim was born in Gwangju, South Korea, 1986, and studied in the Samsung Art & Design Institute, trailed by a graduate degree at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. She credits the impact of originators and RAFA educators, e.g. Walter Van Beirendonck with starting her affection for style design. Kim dispatched her self-named, Seoul-based organization MINJUKIM in 2015.
She designed for popular K-pop groups such as BTS and Red Velvet.
MINJUKIM Rough Sketches
Here design sketches are usually done on paper with quick markings and outlines of the ideas she has for clothes. Colour is added to enhance the vision.
Minju's Illustrations for Collections and paper cuts
Minju inspires me due to her amazing ways of expressing art that is not just through clothing, it's from illustrations to crafts and materials. I also love the contrasts of these two examples, it really shows her joyful and bright personality.
Analysis
MINJUKIM team SS20
A fashion shoot to display clothing featuring a live model.
Minju's goal with fashion is to focus on artistic creativity and craftsmanship. This piece is an extension of her latest Frida Kahlo - inspired collection. With dynamic tones, intense prints and an inclination for surging shapes suggestive of the hanbok (Korea's traditional clothing), Kim's unusual pieces have a particularly Asian motivation.
Minju's goal with fashion is to focus on artistic creativity and craftsmanship. This piece is an extension of her latest Frida Kahlo - inspired collection. With dynamic tones, intense prints and an inclination for surging shapes suggestive of the hanbok (Korea's traditional clothing), Kim's unusual pieces have a particularly Asian motivation.
I love the use of the two tone colours (blue and green) with a touch of delicate flower patterns that turn into a spikey rose stem, it combines sweetness with an edgy feel. I also appreciate the experimentation of scale and focus of the body from the main top which looks like a hanbok creating this interesting shape for the waste, it's like an anti-fashion statement where the waist would usually be accentuated. From researching Minju's work, I found that her style of dressing leans more to the innocent side of her world, this shows that you don't have to show all your skin or wear tight clothing to be seen as stylish and beautiful which would be a great message for the younger generation. "I really love seeing, 'regular' people wearing my collection. I hope to put smiles on people who wear my designs." - Minju K.
With the Frida Khalo collection, she clearly wants to show strength with a hint of feminism as she admired "Her strong energy and how she overcame all of her difficulties, expressing that process through her works" - Minju K. Personally, I think this piece is wonderful in many ways, It's very modern and in style e.g. the wide leg trousers, and the clothing itself is an art piece. Some Critics say "MINJUKIM can be defined as extraordinary, without losing the quality of the wearable high fashion". - ( The Tube Showroom) . Therefore, I truly think she is the future of fashion.
With all of this in mind, her work will influence my approach to post-pandemic fashion and see another side of it. With most of her clothing being vibrant, I feel people may go towards it because it's fresh, stylish and wearable. Vivid clothing can lift up one's mood and express their feelings towards moving on and starting anew. Her patterns and designs definitely inspire me to do some print making and collect samples towards a trend book.
Cdn.asiatatler.com. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://cdn.asiatatler.com/asiatatler/i/hk/2020/11/12125819-minju-kim-designer-portrait-courtesy-of-net-a-porter-preview_cover_1429x2000.jpg> [Accessed 5 March 2021].
Tee, K., 2021. Is Korean designer Minju Kim the next big thing in fashion? We say yes. [online] CNA Luxury. Available at: <https://cnaluxury.channelnewsasia.com/people/minju-kim-netflix-next-in-fashion-12494354> [Accessed 5 March 2021].
Kim, M., 2015. About — MINJUKIM. [online] Minjukim.co. Available at: <https://www.minjukim.co/en/about> [Accessed 5 March 2021].
Kim, M., 2020. #dragonprincesschallenge. [image] Available at: <https://www.instagram.com/p/B9MjHecgSQY/> [Accessed 5 March 2021].
Kim, M., 2020. Frida Khalo_Collection. [image] Available at: <https://www.instagram.com/p/B8h-kRqAMBz/> [Accessed 5 March 2021].
NET-A-PORTER. 2021. What's next for Netflix's Next In Fashion winner Minju Kim?. [online] Available at: <https://www.net-a-porter.com/en-us/porter/article-f12269e1b9726155/fashion/fashion-memo/minju-kim> [Accessed 5 March 2021].
Cambe, P., 2020. Inside the eternal sunshine of Minju Kim and her designs. [online] Lifestyle Asia Singapore. Available at: <https://www.lifestyleasia.com/sg/style/fashion/minju-kim-next-in-fashion-interview/> [Accessed 5 March 2021].
Tubeshowroom.com. 2021. MINJUKIM – TUBE Showroom. [online] Available at: <https://www.tubeshowroom.com/en/brand/minjukim/> [Accessed 5 March 2021].
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