Runway photos by Arun Nevader, courtesy of Vancouver Fashion Week
Designer. Fashion has been Suji Kim’s lifelong passion. Growing up immersed in countless fashion collections ever since childhood, she has developed her own world of fashion based on her experiences of living in Seoul and Hong Kong. Suji’s philosophy and approach to fashion centers around the constant re-invention of styles and looks with each season and strives to capture the language that young girls in Seoul want to deliver to the world through their fashion statement.
Brand. The AMARDEW brand came to life two years ago, with the vision of encapsulating the chic pragmatism and uniquely modern sophistication of young urban females in Korea. While the Korean fashion scene has experienced a proliferation of unique and stylish brands over the years, it has yet to see a brand that fully captures the bold and sophisticated weirdness that lives in the heart of young ambitious girls in Seoul city. Each season, Amardew embarks on a new exciting journey to capture a facet of this uniqueness through distinctive colors and concepts.
Interview -
Please share a bit about your journey to embrace fashion design as a career.
Fashion has been my lifelong passion. Growing up immersed in countless fashion collections ever since childhood, I have developed my own world of fashion based on my experiences of living in Seoul and Hong Kong. My philosophy and approach to fashion centers around the constant re-invention of styles and looks with each season, and strives to capture the language that young girls in Seoul want to deliver to the world through their fashion statement. The AMARDEW brand came to life two years ago, with the vision of encapsulating the chic pragmatism and uniquely modern sophistication of young urban females in Korea. We have yet to see a brand that fully captures the bold and sophisticated weirdness that lives in the heart of young ambitious girls in Seoul city.
How did you learn your skills?
Although fashion was not my undergraduate major, I had a lot of experience working with various fashion brands as a social media content maker. I also took a number of professional training classes to study design, but the biggest learning came from on the ground work when I started the business and faced day-to-day challenges to translate my ideas into real garments. I spent a lot of time building a network of seasoned experts throughout the value chain of apparel production. It was not easy to get these experts to move in a way that meets my expectations and vision especially when my design was very unique, but staying faithful to my vision and showing unwavering determination helped me convince them and win their hearts.
Who are you as a designer? Aesthetic? Customer? Brand?
I am a designer that is into the bold and sophisticated weirdness that lives in the heart of young ambitious girls in Seoul city. I feel that more and more of the young girl generation is looking at girls in Seoul as early trend setter for the global fashion and we would like to become the brand that realizes the vision of encapsulating the chic pragmatism and uniquely modern sophistication of young urban females in Korea. We deeply believe that the vision holds appeal for the global audience.
What comes easiest for you as a designer? What is hardest?
My favorite part about being a fashion designer is the ability to translate ideas, attitude, world view, images and vision into tangible clothes and branded images. Coming up with new design ideas is definitely not easy but once we have a direction and central theme, then the process becomes easy. It is also extremely rewarding especially when customers show positive reactions and believe in my vision too. It validates the reason for our hard work and gives me strong motivation to continue to pursue unique values that only I can bring to the scene.
The toughest part is striking a balance between realizing my creative vision and creating accessible clothing. Part of me wants to create something that can make a powerful impact and message in the wildest form of expression, but for a brand, it is also important to make our products accessible in terms of price and daily utility. So I always try to keep myself balanced and do the hardest I can to keep both sides happy.
Where do you find inspiration for new collections? How important is colour to your design process?
My biggest source of inspiration is the bold vision of what Seoul girl’s future should look like. I feel like there are a lot of stories to be told about how young girls in Seoul can break out of cookie-cutter fashions and how AMARDEW can empower them to express themselves in a more bold, conspicuous and stylish fashion. To add a little more details about this collection, I would like to add that this season is about the future of destroyed cities’ night. Regardless of gender, we wanted to express individuals’ internal strength in the chaotic world. That is the power that will make them face challenges and win over them. Our young generation possesses the power. We imagined the defiant ones riding the motorcycles piercing through cities’ nights.
This collection has been a wonderful journey which gave me the opportunity to look deep into my heart and explore what I really want in terms of setting the direction for the brand in the future. More and more I put more thoughts, it became increasingly clear that I should focus on something only I can do, delivering the bold vision of what Seoul girl’s future should look like.
You can see this show as a new direction for our brand. The new revelation sparked a lot of new inspirations when working with other artists, filmmaker and production staff and the process really validated how much I love the new direction. I feel like there are a lot of stories to be told about how young girls in Seoul can break out of cookie-cutter fashions and how AMARDEW can empower them to express themselves in a more bold, conspicuous and stylish fashion.
Do you have a favorite look in this collection?
I focused on Italian top quality leather from Florence as base materials for the collection to express the defiant spirit. I wanted to showcase the fine quality of Korean leather artisan work this season. The first, second, third, fifth, eighth and ninth looks feature such leather artwork. The first look has a three dimensional leather top layered above another leather bra top giving a more spatial futuristic vibe. The second look involved a low-cut leather work. The third silver leather set uses silver chrome leather set consisting of corset and skirt which are connected by silver chain with intense craftsmanship. It is hard to pick one look since each piece required long hours of craftmanship but if I have to choose, it will be look 1, 2, 3.
Where can readers purchase your designs?
Our products are available for Korean customers at the brand website (www.amardew.com), but for customers in the US, China and Japan, they are currently available at (seller.work/collections/amardew). The products will be uploaded to DOS for Canadian customers soon. Thanks to this show, we have also begun discussions with Canadian retailers, so we are hoping to make our products available in Canada in the next quarter.
What's next for you as a designer and your brand?
I plan to collaborate with various artists in different fields. We don’t plan to limit ourselves to fashion, and are always searching for new inspirations. The biggest challenge the fashion industry is facing today is how it can transition itself to “sustainable fashion.” There are still very few brands that tackle issues related to cutting carbon emission in garment production. It requires substantial capital and well thought-out execution, so I hope I can make some inroads into “sustainable fashion” when we have a bigger capital base. I admire Alexander McQueen for his genius work and his bold vision. He has shown to the world another degree of beauty in a provocative and yet convincing way and his work has given me a lot of inspirations. I hope I can realize my vision in my own way and leave a mark in the fashion scene.
In closing is there anything else you'd like to share with readers?
We hope to make our ways to the global market and stay in close touch with the global audience. The Vancouver Fashion Week was a great opportunity to connect with global fashion leaders and confirm our brand’s potential for the bigger market. We would like to come closer and tell the story of our vision to the audience here more and more. Thank you for offering the opportunity to introduce our brand and we hope to build on our relationship to continue to showcase the more stories and fashion in years down the road.
Links -
Who are you as a designer? Aesthetic? Customer? Brand?
What comes easiest for you as a designer? What is hardest?
My favorite part about being a fashion designer is the ability to translate ideas, attitude, world view, images and vision into tangible clothes and branded images. Coming up with new design ideas is definitely not easy but once we have a direction and central theme, then the process becomes easy. It is also extremely rewarding especially when customers show positive reactions and believe in my vision too. It validates the reason for our hard work and gives me strong motivation to continue to pursue unique values that only I can bring to the scene.
The toughest part is striking a balance between realizing my creative vision and creating accessible clothing. Part of me wants to create something that can make a powerful impact and message in the wildest form of expression, but for a brand, it is also important to make our products accessible in terms of price and daily utility. So I always try to keep myself balanced and do the hardest I can to keep both sides happy.
My biggest source of inspiration is the bold vision of what Seoul girl’s future should look like. I feel like there are a lot of stories to be told about how young girls in Seoul can break out of cookie-cutter fashions and how AMARDEW can empower them to express themselves in a more bold, conspicuous and stylish fashion. To add a little more details about this collection, I would like to add that this season is about the future of destroyed cities’ night. Regardless of gender, we wanted to express individuals’ internal strength in the chaotic world. That is the power that will make them face challenges and win over them. Our young generation possesses the power. We imagined the defiant ones riding the motorcycles piercing through cities’ nights.
Colour plays an important role in communicating the message. Koreans traditionally love white as their choice of color. Black and silver deliver determination, chicness and forward looking minds. I mixed the glimpse of Korean tradition with future city looks and employed healthy mix of white, black and silver.
Readers would love to know more about the new collection you showed at Vancouver Fashion Week.
This season' collection, dubbed “the future of girls’ life in Seoul city,” is about the future of destroyed cities’ night. It reimagines Seoul’s unique futurism together with a blend of retro styles and weird flares. It is a vibrant picture of the life of young females in the heart of Korea, employing three-dimensional cottons and nylons in Korea’s signature mix of black and white. This is a soulful fashion statement, resonant of how young women have come to project their beauty in a more conspicuous and powerful manner in this post-COVID world.
Regardless of gender, we wanted to express individuals’ internal strength in the chaotic world. That is the power that will make them face challenges and win over them. Our young generation possesses the power. We imagined the defiant ones riding the motorcycles piercing through cities’ nights
Readers would love to know more about the new collection you showed at Vancouver Fashion Week.
Regardless of gender, we wanted to express individuals’ internal strength in the chaotic world. That is the power that will make them face challenges and win over them. Our young generation possesses the power. We imagined the defiant ones riding the motorcycles piercing through cities’ nights
This new collection is quite different from what you have been showing in the past? Is this a new direction?
This collection has been a wonderful journey which gave me the opportunity to look deep into my heart and explore what I really want in terms of setting the direction for the brand in the future. More and more I put more thoughts, it became increasingly clear that I should focus on something only I can do, delivering the bold vision of what Seoul girl’s future should look like.
You can see this show as a new direction for our brand. The new revelation sparked a lot of new inspirations when working with other artists, filmmaker and production staff and the process really validated how much I love the new direction. I feel like there are a lot of stories to be told about how young girls in Seoul can break out of cookie-cutter fashions and how AMARDEW can empower them to express themselves in a more bold, conspicuous and stylish fashion.
I focused on Italian top quality leather from Florence as base materials for the collection to express the defiant spirit. I wanted to showcase the fine quality of Korean leather artisan work this season. The first, second, third, fifth, eighth and ninth looks feature such leather artwork. The first look has a three dimensional leather top layered above another leather bra top giving a more spatial futuristic vibe. The second look involved a low-cut leather work. The third silver leather set uses silver chrome leather set consisting of corset and skirt which are connected by silver chain with intense craftsmanship. It is hard to pick one look since each piece required long hours of craftmanship but if I have to choose, it will be look 1, 2, 3.
Where can readers purchase your designs?
Our products are available for Korean customers at the brand website (www.amardew.com), but for customers in the US, China and Japan, they are currently available at (seller.work/collections/amardew). The products will be uploaded to DOS for Canadian customers soon. Thanks to this show, we have also begun discussions with Canadian retailers, so we are hoping to make our products available in Canada in the next quarter.
What's next for you as a designer and your brand?
I plan to collaborate with various artists in different fields. We don’t plan to limit ourselves to fashion, and are always searching for new inspirations. The biggest challenge the fashion industry is facing today is how it can transition itself to “sustainable fashion.” There are still very few brands that tackle issues related to cutting carbon emission in garment production. It requires substantial capital and well thought-out execution, so I hope I can make some inroads into “sustainable fashion” when we have a bigger capital base. I admire Alexander McQueen for his genius work and his bold vision. He has shown to the world another degree of beauty in a provocative and yet convincing way and his work has given me a lot of inspirations. I hope I can realize my vision in my own way and leave a mark in the fashion scene.
In closing is there anything else you'd like to share with readers?
We hope to make our ways to the global market and stay in close touch with the global audience. The Vancouver Fashion Week was a great opportunity to connect with global fashion leaders and confirm our brand’s potential for the bigger market. We would like to come closer and tell the story of our vision to the audience here more and more. Thank you for offering the opportunity to introduce our brand and we hope to build on our relationship to continue to showcase the more stories and fashion in years down the road.
Links -
- Website - www.amardew.com
- Instagram - @amardew_official
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