Young Korean brand Kimhékim has already turned its runway shows into one of the must-see events of Paris Fashion Week. But who is the mind behind this mysterious brand? It’s designer Kiminte Kimhékim, who graduated from Studio Berçot in 2009 and spent four seasons alongside Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga. In 2014, his eponymous brand released its first collection, which announced the two core elements that would persist throughout his work to this day: traditional Korean techniques coexisting with French expertise. For Fall-Winter 2019, the designer playfully titled his collection “Moi”: far from an exercise in megalomania, the line showcases all of Kiminte’s passions and predilections, starting with the decade that raised him: the 1990s. Blazers and straight cut pants in leather pair with a solid brassiere and exposed midriff, reminiscent of a TLC music video. Uniforms, a common feature of Korean society, also find their place in the collection with preppy ensembles consisting of sweater vests, plaid skirts and white tights. Kimhékim has also updated traditional Korean attire with colorful fabrics and organza, playing with the transparency of a vest with two boutonnieres and a wide flowing skirt. In this way, Kimhékim fits squarely within a new crop of designers who are determined to playfully appropriate the codes of haute couture.

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Photographer: Guillaume Barrau
Stylist: Pauline Grosjean
Model: Charlotte Haenel
Make up: Lisa Michalik using MAC cosmetics
Hair: Massanori Yahiro