‍When fashion meets talent- Jiyong Kim

Jiyong Kim is a South Korean brand started by Jiyong Kim (as seen above) himself. The brand reflects Jiyong’s personality and his fashion ethos. Having worked under several luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Mihara Yasuhiro, and Lemaire the creative has gained his strong base of design knowledge and enhanced his creativity working alongside the great, Virgil Abloh. Born in 1990, he originally studied at Japan’s Bunka Fashion College then graduated from Central Saint Martins with a bachelors and masters degree specializing in menswear design. It is not enough to say that Kim is one of the most emerging creatives in the fashion industry right now. His collection reflects on his care for the environment; His collection is produced with recycled fabric and his infamous sun-bleaching technique.

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When fashion meets environment- Sun-Bleaching

Jiyong Kim is most famous for his sub bleaching technique he implies on all of his collections. The technique has now become the brands’ identity as it says on their official website, “Bleaching garments only using the sun ― JiyongKim”. The process of this technique is unique yet elegantly done. As it says in waitfashion, “His creations are made with recycled fabrics that are then placed on mannequins or tied to a wire fence and left in the sun for up to five months, so that they can be shaped by the weather”. Seen above are brand directing sketches done by Kim himself, as it shows the process of the technique itself and what details Kim focuses on during the process. The process of sun bleaching is also accelerated with the help of wind and rain, environmental elements. The unexpectable movements of rapid wind and rain showers produce dynamic discoloration patterns of movements which makes every single product a one-of-one for the brand.

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2 Time Winner of SFDF (Samsung Fashion & Design Fund)

The Samsung Fashion & Design Fund award is held every year to acknowledge one of the most powerful yet innovative fashion creative. As it says in the article, “Samsung C&T Fashion Group launched the Samsung Fashion Design Fund award in 2005 to recognize Korean designers working around the world who have elevated the status of K Fashion in the super-competitive global fashion market. Since its beginnings, the award has turned out 26 fashion design teams, sponsoring them to the tune of USD3.7 million in total.” On November 30th, 2023 Jiyong Kim was selected as the 19th winner. Kim’s brand has been valued highly thanks to his revolutionary yet experimental practices he incorporates in his collections. He breathes new lives into fabrics by his infamous sun-bleaching technique.

To explain the motive behind the annual awarding of Samsung Fashion & Design Fund, SFDF’s head Choi Myung-koo says in an article, “In order to target more diverse and dynamic consumer tastes, a unique identity based on various stories is the key.” He also mentioned that, “SFDF will take the lead in raising the level of Korea’s fashion by actively discovering new potential designers.”

The panel of judges at SFDF were made up with various designers, creative directors, magazine editors who all praised Jiyong Kim highly for his environmental and sustainability practices which left Kim unrivaled. The judging standard for the SFDF annual award are as it says,”SFDF judges look for the following attributes: a Korean designer based in a global fashion city, who has launched their own brand in the last 5 years, who launches new collections each season, who is internationally recognized as a next-generation designer with high potential for development, and who balances creativity and business sense.”

In the following year of 2024, Kim has once again been announced as the 20th winner for the SFDF award. This reflects on the power and influence the brand holds towards the fashion industry- not only in South Korea but impacting worldwidely. The annual winners of SFDF are rewarded with $100,000 to support design creation activities, domestic and international publicity, and professional business support. The brand is ready for sale in international retailers such as Dover Street Market, Ssense, Mr Porter, and GR8.

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Envisioning the Future with Jiyong Kim-Combining Nature & Fashion

The experimental, yet focusing on details of silhouettes is an imagery of Kim’s personality incorporated into his brand identity. Jiyong Kim is a brand that focuses on the relationship between nature and fabric embracing the power nature and sustainability holds on fabrics. Kim’s sun-bleaching method has been a revolutionary practice for fashion as it utilizes sustainability to the maximum yet creating detailed, dynamic color schemes on his clothing pieces. The way he not only uses the sun, he also uses natural hazards such as the rain and winds to fully form and shape the fabric matching the environment.

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Jiyong Kim’s Personal sketch of his design process; Sun-Bleaching

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What’s Next for Jiyong Kim?