Korean designer pioneered fashion as art

Andre Kim

Stepping into a boutique in Sinsa-dong owned by the celebrity fashion designer Andre Kim (also known as Kim Bong-nam), 73, is like stepping into another season. The Andre Kim Atelier building is all white; inside the boutique sits a white sofa, a crystal chandelier and snowflake-decorated trees.
The aura at the entrance is exotic, with stone sculptures of angels serving as pillars and mannequins in gaudy dress. A scene from Kim’s fashion show held last year in Angkor Wat in Cambodia is projected on a large screen accompanied by a mournful melody.
Blending into the surroundings, Kim, dressed in white, greets visitors courteously, putting his hands together, bowing and saying “Hello” in his unique style.
For 30 years, he has been wearing his trademark outfits, changing three times a day.
He says, “I make 30 suits a year for myself; the creative design makes up for my weak points.”
He notes that silk is too showy, so he chooses cotton for his everyday clothes.
Kim lavishes attention on people he meets. When he sees someone off, he waits in attendance and waves until the visitor drives away.
A recent interview with JoongAng Ilbo was interrupted several times by many guests stopping by to greet Kim, including a group of art directors from the La Scala opera house in Milan, who said they just had to stop by “to meet one of Korea’s most influential cultural figures.”
Kim notes, “I love opera, especially by Mozart, Verdi and Puccini. My favorites are ‘Rigoletto’ and ‘La Traviatta.’ ”
Kim is known as a fashion diplomat, promoting Korean culture through fashion. Over the last 45 years he has held 130 fashion shows overseas, including in Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, New York, Paris and Ulan Bator. He has shown his collections in front of the Opera House in Sydney and the Sphinx in Egypt.
Kim’s beginnings as a fashion diplomat go back to the early days of his career.
The nickname “Andre” was given to him by a diplomat at the French Embassy when he opened his first overseas fashion show in front of the Eiffel Tower in 1966.
The same year, in a fashion show in Washington, Kim presented a woven silk evening dress with a Seokguram Grotto motif to Lady Bird Johnson, then the first lady.
Later on, she wore that dress at a state dinner while on a state visit in Korea.
“Diplomatic delegations have supported me a lot. They appreciate artwork and participate in the most renowned cultural activities,” Kim said.
He said they recognize the Oriental and Korean beauty residing in his work and have acknowledged its artistic features by calling them museum collections. “They were the ones who noticed me before anybody else. My first fashion show in Paris in 1966 was made possible with the help of the French Embassy.”
He says he attends most of the receptions held by the 87 foreign embassies in Korea; that means he attends more than 100 holiday and cultural events each year.
“Since I must work, I make luncheon appointments with ambassadors, whose terms last for two to three years; then they introduce me to their successors, which allows my bonds with them to continue.”
Kim’s fashion philosophy is noteworthy. He says, “They are more than just clothes; it’s a genre of art like opera, the classics, music and movies.”
Kim started out in fashion design before Korea’s per capita gross national product even reached $100. He said he always wanted fashion to be acknowledged as an art form.
“I wanted not only women to be interested in fashion but also all members of the family, like Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky and Michelangelo.”
This is demonstrated by his fashion shows, which may be better described as artistic tableux: He has done wedding scenes 25 times, love scenes for seven years and “seven layer” scenes (with models flinging off seven layers of dresses) for 15 years. The seven-layered dress scene depicts a woman from the royal court. He noted that if a Korean model acted out that scene, it would appear like traditional dance ― that’s why he prefers a Western model. In a typical show, an average of 170 pieces of clothing are displayed by 20 professional models and five actors and actresses, Kim said.
Models provide polished walking and speedy movement whereas actors and actresses bring out sensuality and Oriental mystique to his show through their acting.
In other words, an Andre Kim fashion show is a romantic fantasy drama depicting confrontation between man and woman, separation and a happy ending. Kim, who has remained single, adopted a boy when he was in his 40s. He is now a grandfather to 3-year-old twins.
To those who see Kim’s works as mere repertories, he says, “How come people find Tchaikovsky so attractive? I don’t follow any trend or vogue, for all they bring out is commercialism. I pursue artistic features.”
In response to criticism that his works are too flamboyant, he says, “I create elegant nobility, intellectual beauty and the Oriental mystique. Sexy would be in the context of intelligence. What I don’t like are words such as punk, degeneration and wandering.”
Kim’s popularity as the country’s No.1 male fashion designer is helped by his appearances on television. Naturally, when people hear the word designer, they think of Kim. His unique way of speaking in both Korean and English has something to do with it. His speech has elicited humor, but Kim takes it in stride.
“Many imitate my way of talking and sometimes it’s embarrassing,” says Kim. “But then, when I visit Insa-dong, people ask for my autograph, and that’s when my heart becomes full.” He said his unique way of talking is due to his personality. “On top of that, I have an Oxford accent, when most speak with an American accent.”
As a child, Kim attended a small school in Gupabal; even then he had a passion for English as well as curiosity about places around the world. He said he came to long for the arts after watching “Marianne de Ma Jeunesse,” and hearing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, Pastoral.
Next month, Kim plans to visit Shanghai and next year, Thailand, for a fashion show. He hopes to preserve his works by donating them to a costume museum.

By Yang Sung-hee JoongAng Ilbo [estyle@joongang.co.kr]