The last couple of weeks have been a blur of flicking through sketchbooks, watching a stream of fashion shows and grumbling about the changeable weather. If you were in any doubt, it is Graduate Fashion Week. Last Thursday, The Dairy played host to the LCF BA show. Twenty six students were selected from over two hundred graduates in Womenswear, Menswear and Surface textiles. Over the last few years, LCF have gone from strength to strength, producing some of the most talented young designers around. Every once in a whole a graduate comes along that you know will become a fashion star of the future, recently featured Amber Siegel along with her design partner and MA graduate Wouter Baartmans before her were both such examples. In addition to Siegel's stunning Oil Slicked Birds strutting down the catwalk, this years crop provided exceedingly strong menswear. There was so much talent on show and over the coming weeks we aim to introduce you to a few of our favourites. Napathon Sampataphodee's tailored menswear collection (which was awarded Collection of the Year) and Jade Jung Sun Kim's distorted shapes both caught our sartorial attention. Here, we speak to Jade Jung Sun Kim to learn more about her collection, life at LCF and her hopes for the future...
One of Jade Jung Sun KIm's models backstage at The Dairy. Image by Morgan O'DonovanSS: Congratulations on more than playing your part in a dazzling BA show (in terms of menswear in particular). How did it feel seeing your finished designs on the catwalk?
Jung Sun Kim: I have mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. I felt full of passion and pride in myself when I showed the catwalk of my collection at the first time. I have indescribable pleasure for what I have achieved so far. I really enjoyed it, but I felt a sense of frustration at how the huge project ended the way it did.
Jung Sun Kim: I have mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. I felt full of passion and pride in myself when I showed the catwalk of my collection at the first time. I have indescribable pleasure for what I have achieved so far. I really enjoyed it, but I felt a sense of frustration at how the huge project ended the way it did.
SS: What attracted you to the LCF BA course in particular? What was the best thing about your course? And the worst?
Jung Sun Kim: The study environment at LCF was the best. LCF has got fantastic facilities for studying about fashion. I could spend lots of time in the school doing research and reading the appropriate books and various resources in the library and experimenting with toiling with a variety of sewing machine and print work with silkscreen etc... And the worst thing was most of the projects were independent; therefore I couldn’t see many other students’ work. I was thinking if I could share some ideas with other students would be better at design development and communication.
Jung Sun Kim: The study environment at LCF was the best. LCF has got fantastic facilities for studying about fashion. I could spend lots of time in the school doing research and reading the appropriate books and various resources in the library and experimenting with toiling with a variety of sewing machine and print work with silkscreen etc... And the worst thing was most of the projects were independent; therefore I couldn’t see many other students’ work. I was thinking if I could share some ideas with other students would be better at design development and communication.
Rene Magritte's 'Song of Love' was the starting point for the collection.SS: Can you talk us through the inspiration for the collection?
Jung Sun Kim: The name of my collection is ‘The way of the world’. This concept comes from working with the idea of ‘Upside-down’, developed from optical illusions, together with distorted geometry, depending on its effect upon being a contrasting image presented to the eye through a frame turned in 180°. I used these ideas for experimentation of pattern making for the garments.
Jung Sun Kim: The name of my collection is ‘The way of the world’. This concept comes from working with the idea of ‘Upside-down’, developed from optical illusions, together with distorted geometry, depending on its effect upon being a contrasting image presented to the eye through a frame turned in 180°. I used these ideas for experimentation of pattern making for the garments.
A look inside Jade's sketchbook.SS: What was your starting point and how did the collection evolve in to what we saw at The Dairy?
Jung Sun Kim: I started development with one of my favorite painting; Rene Magritte’s ‘Song of Love’. This surrealist painting impressed me very much and I started to think about surrealistic things as well as impossible ideas such as illusions and distorted geometries. At that time, I found other interesting images from the book, which is called ‘Perspective and other Optical Illusions’. The pictures in the book all show different perspectives when simply rotated. One of the images shows two different faces when rotated in 180°. The other also shows Escher’s lithograph of staircases that has three-fold rotational viewings. I used these ideas for experimentation of pattern making for the garments. What I focused on in this collection was to integrate the ideas of avant-garde propensity that comes from the overall thinking of the deconstruction of garments within modern fashion. I also want to show the upside down effect through fabrication and details. For this reason, I intend to utilise fabrics with different characteristics for the entire collection, for example; using non-stretched fabrics (woven) with different weights of Stretched fabrics (jersey, knit, different weight of ribs...etc) focused on using innovative ways of rearrangement for the cuffs, seams, collar and buttons.
Jung Sun Kim: I started development with one of my favorite painting; Rene Magritte’s ‘Song of Love’. This surrealist painting impressed me very much and I started to think about surrealistic things as well as impossible ideas such as illusions and distorted geometries. At that time, I found other interesting images from the book, which is called ‘Perspective and other Optical Illusions’. The pictures in the book all show different perspectives when simply rotated. One of the images shows two different faces when rotated in 180°. The other also shows Escher’s lithograph of staircases that has three-fold rotational viewings. I used these ideas for experimentation of pattern making for the garments. What I focused on in this collection was to integrate the ideas of avant-garde propensity that comes from the overall thinking of the deconstruction of garments within modern fashion. I also want to show the upside down effect through fabrication and details. For this reason, I intend to utilise fabrics with different characteristics for the entire collection, for example; using non-stretched fabrics (woven) with different weights of Stretched fabrics (jersey, knit, different weight of ribs...etc) focused on using innovative ways of rearrangement for the cuffs, seams, collar and buttons.
A few key look book shots.SS: How would you describe the collection in your own words?
Jung Sun Kim: Cupcake??
SS: What type of man can you see wearing it?
Jung Sun Kim: I was thinking a beautiful skinny young man. He has got strong personality and is concerned about fashion trend.
Jung Sun Kim: Cupcake??
SS: What type of man can you see wearing it?
Jung Sun Kim: I was thinking a beautiful skinny young man. He has got strong personality and is concerned about fashion trend.
SS: I know this is difficult question to answer but have you got a favorite, anything that you were most proud of?
Jung Sun Kim: This is very difficult question, but actually I have. My last outfit, the trench coat is my favorite.
Jung Sun Kim: This is very difficult question, but actually I have. My last outfit, the trench coat is my favorite.
Show shots from Catwalking.com.SS: Finally, what would you like to achieve in latter half of 2010 and beyond?
Jung Sun Kim: I would like to achieve many things in many different ways. I might have to start working in industry but I would like to study more by myself to develop my own skills and knowledge. But in this summer, I will do some traveling to see more of the world.
Jung Sun Kim: I would like to achieve many things in many different ways. I might have to start working in industry but I would like to study more by myself to develop my own skills and knowledge. But in this summer, I will do some traveling to see more of the world.
Show shots from Catwalking.com.
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