The fashion brand "KIMMY" continues to propose new styles by fusing ancient craftwork with the latest technology. Despite being made by combining opposites, the finished product is not at all stagnant, and even has the beauty of a single work of art.
How are the items of "Kimmy" created? As we enter the fifth year since its establishment, we interviewed designer Kim Hyo-su about his approach to making clothes.
Photo_Hiroaki Sugawara
Edit_Naoya Tsuneshige
PROFILE
After spending his childhood absorbed in plastic models and mini four-wheelers, and his adolescent years spent in vintage clothing stores in Kōenji and stores in Harajuku, he went on to a fashion school. After working as a director and designer for several brands, he established "KIMMY" in 2021.
Instagram:@kimmy__official
A future created by connecting opposites.
A: Could you tell us about the KIMMY brand?
Kim: The concept is "Human craft & function. The foundation of our brand is the pursuit of new forms created by combining handwork that only humans can accomplish, traditional handicrafts, and the latest functions (materials).
I am projecting my old interest in vintage clothing and the functional knowledge I gained at my previous job onto these items.
Four full years have passed since you launched your brand in 2021. Is the core of the brand still the same today?
Kim: Yes, that's right. However, when the brand was first launched, there were many items that had the "function" aspect at the forefront. So, I reexamined the concept and felt that it was necessary to delve deeper into "human craft" over the past few years.
At the same time, we have newly introduced the term "New Old" alongside the concept, and are in the process of broadening the scope of our design by taking a multifaceted approach.
Can you tell us more about the keyword "New Old"?
Kim: I think we need to dig deeper into the "handiwork" aspect. The handiwork we see is only a small part of it. Originally, it varied depending on the historical background and local characteristics, and there are many things that do not exist today and can only be seen as documents.
It may sound a bit ostentatious to say that we are bringing them back to life in the modern age, but I wanted to create something at KIMMY that would connect the past, the present, and the future by finding new value in combining them with new things. I wanted to convey this nuance in an easy-to-understand way, so I came up with the keyword "New Old.
Kim, you are equally fascinated by the old and the new, aren't you?
Kim: That's what I mean (laughs). In the past, I used to love wearing extremely heavy pea coats and riders, but when I try on new clothes, I find that they are functional yet very light. I think that by combining such opposites, I can create "human craft & function" that only I can create, or to put it another way, "New Old. I think that by combining such opposites, I can create "Human craft & function" that only I can create.
KIMMY's career to date seems to have had a great influence on the way you think and create things.
Kim: I have always loved vintage clothing, but other than that, I guess my previous job had a big influence on me. I was a member of the development team for the apparel product department of a certain sports brand, and most of the products we made there were simple and basic, with the functional aspect at the forefront.
As a vintage clothing lover and a creator, I sometimes felt a little inadequate, but the knowledge and experience I gained there, as well as the connections I made with various manufacturers, were very significant for me, and are definitely one of the foundations of "KIMMY" today.
In the past and now, what we do is the same.
By the way, when did you first become interested in fashion?
Kim: My interest in fashion started when I was about 12 years old. But if you go back a little further, I was never really interested in video games, so I was always playing with plastic models and mini 4-wheelers. I loved to tinker with them, and after I finished making them, I would try combining them with different parts, shaving or welding them, changing their shapes, painting them any color I wanted, and that was all I did as a boy.
I was in the sixth grade of elementary school when the opportunity came to me. I happened to pass by a local bookstore and noticed a fashion magazine with Takashi Sorimachi on the cover. Feeling a sense of fate, I bought the magazine and read it. I was a boy who used to tinker with plastic models, but my interest shifted to clothes at this point. And in junior high school, I repeatedly read magazines and went to stores.
KIMMY's current manufacturing origins, is that right?
Kim: You are absolutely right. My mother used to be surprised when I used to paint plastic models of fighter planes in poster colors such as pink and silver, but in the end, what I am doing now is the same. So I am simply doing what I want to do, even now.
Like my mother at the time, I am happy and enjoy it when people around me react to what I have done or devised.
A: It is precisely because of you that you are able to select and combine materials in a way that makes people around you gasp in surprise. How do you go about selecting materials?
Kim: Going back to the "New Old," when I think of combinations, I start with the old first. Feed sacks, cycling jerseys, and so on. It is obvious that these items have strong design characteristics, so it is better to apply new functional materials based on their compatibility. It is easier to think about. Feed sacks and Gore-Tex are not a good match, no matter how you look at it (laughs).
Kim: For the item with the feed sack in the middle in the back, we ended up with a lyocell nylon fabric with a washer finish, and the result was a successful coexistence of two contradictory things: nostalgic yet somehow modern.
I understand that "Old"'s material selection starts with vintage clothing, which you are interested in, and that you also have connections with fabric stores that have a vast archive.
Kim: There is a textile planning, manufacturing, and sales company in Tokyo that owns 1 million textiles collected in Europe during the period from 1800 to 1980, and as many as 1,000 booklets.
That's a tremendous amount. So you are choosing from there.
Kim: Of course, the theme changes with the season, so I don't always select the items here, but I often consult with them to see if there is something that would fit their image. But we often consult with each other to see if there is something that fits our image.
Even if you went there every day, you would never be able to see it all.
Kim: That's so true (laughs). There were times when I would go there to look for hints for "Kimmy" items, and other times when I just enjoyed looking at all the different fabrics.
Kim: The fabric samples on this page are exactly the ones we used for the previous season's items. We don't actually have a lot of fabrics from those days here, just scraps, so we look at them and ask them to create new fabrics with the image of bringing back the atmosphere of those days.
Sometimes we reproduce them as they are, and sometimes we cover them with mesh, for example, to give them a "function vintage" look.
I guess you could say that the whole process is also "New Old" in a sense.
Kim: I think there are many ways to think of "New Old". Breathing life back into fabrics that no longer exist, and rearranging them into new forms are part of what I consider "New Old.
Constancy in change.
KIMMY: So you arrived at your current form of expression through your relentless pursuit of what you love?
Kim: Yes, that's right. I don't think I've wavered on that point. But of course, we also know that it is meaningless unless it sells. To "sell" means to be "accepted by many people," so we can't just go ahead and ignore trends and public opinion.
While creating conceptual items that embody the brand's philosophy, we also need to continue to create items that are well-balanced and easy to wear for many people, but that also follow the concept of the brand. I believe that our past experience has helped us to find the perfect balance between the two.
I see that Kimmy is making full use of your past experience. By the way, are these items from the next season?
Kim: I can't show you everything, but you are right. The theme is "Western Function. We used functional materials such as Tyvek to express this. That's all I can say at this point. Please look forward to the finished product.
How did you come up with the idea?
Kim: I tried to think about the roots of "Western". Why this pattern and why this shape? Each of them has its own meaning, and I thought that I should not disregard that.
Kim: At first, I considered using denim to express this point, but if I made a western shirt out of denim, it would look "Old Old Old", wouldn't it? I dared to use Tyvek material, which is what the "Kimmy" brand is all about and what I do. I designed these shirts not only for their visual oldness, but also in consideration of their historical background.
Now that you have given us some hints for new products, please tell us about the future of your brand.
Kim: Past, present and future. In each case, I think clothes reflect the times. There is the life of the time and the culture of each time. I would like to move in such a way as to unite all of these elements into a single piece that transcends time. I think this is the philosophy of our brand, which is still the same and must not be changed in the future.
I think that in order to continue the brand, there are times when change is necessary.
Kim: Yes, that's right. While we must not lose sight of our philosophy, we must also continue to introduce new products as a brand. As the times change and new materials come out one after another, we must continue to search for new matching of "New Old" and deliver them to our customers. This is my mission and what I want to do as a brand.
Hatsuneyuki: "Hatsuneyuki" is a perfect word for you, isn't it?
Kim: Nothing has changed since I was a child. I just continue to pursue what I consider "human craft & function" and "New Old".
