Miska Walks Miles: Interview with Julia Kim

JULIA KIM INTERVIEW

Miska:
- Your ’08 collection was full of interesting, eye-catching details! What was your main inspiration while designing the clothes?

Julia Kim:
The Ligneous collection was inspired by three different sources: The Adventures of Tin Tin by Hergé, Olafur Eliasson and Take G-Toys by Takeji Nakagawa (robots made out of wood).

- Where did the idea of the wood-motif/pattern come from?

The wood pattern was coming from the inspiration of the wooden robots. The idea of something rather futuristic made in a natural material, was very intriguing to me. Also Olafur Eliasson´s idea to trap "faked" nature within a room, was a part of this wooden pattern concept.

- How would you describe your style as a designer? Where do you find impulse? Who does/did influence you?

I would describe my style as a symbiosis of wearable and experimental. I get my influences mostly by my closest friends, from different kind of medias, like books, movies and the internet platforms.

- Designers often say, creating menswear is much more restricted, because men don’t have much courage to express themselves in an unusual way with their outfits. What do you think about it? Why have you chosen to design for men?

Indeed menswear design is more restricted or better to say, has more codes than women´s wear. But exactly this is interesting to me: to find a way within the codes of men´s wear design by looking more into details. I would not say though, that there is not enough courage of men to express themselves.
In the end everything is possible within menswear, it depends on the designers style and taste.

- The outfits of your collection are very well-styled from head-to-toe. Do you think it is important for a designer to be a stylist as well?

I do not think it is important for a designer to be a stylist. When you work on a collection it automatically falls into hand, that you want to complete the style with the right accessories.
For myself, I do not see me as a stylist. I am choosing my things according to what fits best to my collection like the glasses and the shoes. If I have the objectivity or involvement in doing this for another person is another question.

- Which one is your favourite part of the designing-process?

That´s difficult to say, because each part has something to it. But I guess I would say the researching and the head-spinning of puzzling the collection´s idea together.

- With the eyes of a young designer, how you see fashion these days?

It is beautiful and interesting to see that there is a new focus on men´s wear design.

- How do you see yourself in a few years? What are your plans for the future?

I am working currently on my master year collection in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. In a few years I probably do the same as now: working on a collection. Whether it will be my own or somebody else´s, is not decided yet.

- Where can people explore and buy your clothes?

In the Summer my "Ligneous" collection will be hanging in the showroom of the "Becks Fashion Experience" in Berlin.

- And last but not least, what will you have in store for us in 2009?

Not to give away too much. It will has something to do with airplanes.

photos: Julia Kim