Designer Profile 2023: Stephanie Kim

I walked into Pret at 12:30 in the afternoon and immediately realized my mistake. The bustling, noisy, crowded coffee shop during peak lunch rush was certainly not the place to conduct a recorded interview. Yet, as soon as I saw Stephanie in bright yellow stripes and matching sunglasses, I knew that we were going to have a fantastic conversation no matter the environment. She introduces herself light-heartedly, telling me she is a fourth-year computer science and philosophy major. We chat for a bit and then formally begin the interview:

What made you want to join MODA initially and also what is different about this year compared to past years?

So honestly, I applied initially as a stylist, because what I really enjoyed doing was styling - I didn’t necessarily enjoy physically making clothes or actually constructing designs but instead, I wanted to realize the designs with existing clothing.

She pauses and looks at me as if she is about to deliver a punchline.

And then I got rejected from the stylist team.

There it is. We both laugh.

So I was like, “Okay, well, you know, the designer positions are still open so I might as well cast a wider net and apply for that too.” Because it’s similar in a sense, there’s just that extra prior step of having to make the clothes yourself before being able to style someone so I was like, “You know what, I’ll manage that.” So then I applied to DBC in my second year, and everything was on Zoom then, so it was kind of a weird application-

-yeah that was weird, I joined the blog during that time, which was obviously more conducive to the virtual format than what you had to do so I can’t imagine joining the design team back then.

Yeah, it was a very unorthodox start to MODA because I didn’t meet anyone in person. We “met” on Zoom every month and followed YouTube videos but it was very self-guided. But, I think after that initial show, where even though it was a watered-down version of what the usual MODA shows are like – you know, it was in Logan Center and it was all filmed for a YouTube video – I think for me, it’s not even the construction of the clothes that attracts me to design but it's the realization of them. I really live for that moment when you get to the runway and you are able to see that product actually realized on a physical person’s body. It’s that moment that I appreciate the most about fashion in general and being able to share it with a bunch of random people. But I will say that the actual design process of sewing is not enjoyable to me.

We both laugh. A designer who doesn’t like to sew? This was new to me.

It’s really taxing, sewing is annoying-

-yeah I was going to ask, did you have any background in that at all before starting MODA?

I didn’t before DBC. So we all learned how to sew through YouTube videos and the design directors at the time were coaching us over Zoom. I loaned a sewing machine, but even with all that help it was just so vexing. Strings get stuck in places, fabrics don’t work the way you want them to, it’s very complicated.

Fair.

So looking back on your design journey with MODA, what have you learned about yourself?

My first collection when I was a second-year was all made out of raw fabrics, like the types you would get from JOANN and other fabric stores. My third year and also this year (my last year in the program), I’ve been working with second-hand or thrifted clothing as my source of fabric. Last year it was a bit mixed as I did buy some raw fabrics, but this year I’ve only used clothes that I’ve thrifted from Goodwill or Salvation Army as my raw material.

And is there a reason for that?

Yeah, I think that sort of ties into what I’ve learned about my own creative process through the three years I’ve been in MODA designing. My MO and creative flow go towards the recycling and…

She thinks carefully about the words she will use.

…the reawakening of something that’s been used or even discarded. I think it’s really a treat to design out of that material because you get to sort of relive in clothes that other people have already lived in.

I nod.

You reimagine them.

Her eyes light up.

Right, right, and I think it’s definitely special in a way that in using raw fabrics – for me at least, no judgment against using raw fabric – there’s a lot more history and significance.

I guess this next question kind of ties into what we’ve been discussing, but what are the main themes of your collection? Can you describe it? I mean, clearly recycled clothing is a theme.

Yeah, so I typically tend to make very piece-wise clothing. In my collection last year, one of my outfits was straight up just a basic shirt-pant set but it was entirely constructed out of other shirts and pants of varying degrees of style. So I used suit material and basketball short mesh, all thrifted to make one cohesive pant. I think for this year I’m still using the same piece-wise theme. The other theme I’m going with is having my models wear clothing items in places where you wouldn’t wear that item. So for example, one of my outfits is going to be an undergarment set but it’s made entirely out of gloves that are repurposed from skirts.

Oh my god I love that!

She smiles.

Yeah so it’s kind of a bralette that is made out of gloves, obviously placed suggestively so that everything’s covered.

Obviously.

One of my other outfits is creating a skirt and a corset out of leather belts that I also thrifted from different stores. So for me, the idea is wearing very typical clothing items that are atypical to that design.

Interesting! What would you say are your inspirations? I’m not sure if you follow a specific designer or if you just get your ideas from everyday life.

I’m on Pinterest a lot.

She laughs.

I don’t know who the designers on Pinterest are but they’re doing a really good job. You just search certain keywords like “2009 street-style” or something like that and they’ll give you a whole list of options that are really accurate to what you wanted. Pinterest is a big one for me. I don’t get much inspiration from actual high fashion or runway designs I think, but I do have one designer I can try to pull up for you.

While she takes out her phone, I comment,

Well, I especially feel like nowadays a lot of it is super super avant-garde-

-oh yeah, I totally agree-

-so that is kind of difficult to make in this setting.

Right. Okay, well the Wifi isn’t working-

-of course.

But the designer is named Kimhekim, and I’ve been enjoying a lot of their stuff recently.

She puts her phone down on the table and looks up expectantly.

Anyway, I’ve also loved to people-watch just to see what other people are wearing and then mentally construct an outfit out of everyone’s styles.

Very fun! I also enjoy people-watching.

Yeah, I hope it’s not creepy

We both laugh. Let’s hope we’re not creepy.

So would you say that method is integral to your design process? Like maybe you’ll start by seeing someone wearing something cool and then piece it together?

She nods.

Yeah, I think that’s 100% accurate. I am a very spontaneous designer. It’s kind of difficult for me in MODA, specifically, because you have to turn in sketches and designs on deadlines but when I’m designing I don’t operate like that. I’ll create a sketch and then put an asterisk saying, “By the way, this will probably change in two weeks,” because mentally for me the pieces are always shifting around. And even what ends up eventually being created is not even the design that I want. So then I start to wonder, “What even is the final design that I want?” So for me, it’s definitely a very piece-by-piece process.

Going off of that, what are some challenges and rewarding moments for you?

I think one of the challenges is finding your design space within the designer community. That was really a struggle during my first year in the program because of the pandemic, everyone was offline. I just had no sense of where I was both creatively and also socially within the MODA community. I think the editors did a great job with the final show making it look the least disjointed that it could. But just not being able to see everyone’s designs and ideas and not being able to converse with them in that manner created difficulties with that cohesion.

What’s rewarding, especially with the in-person shows, is that for the models, most of them are people I don’t know. So it’s a rewarding experience to go and foster that creative relationship with another student I have never met before. But suddenly I’m fitting them, I’m adjusting clothes while it’s on their body, someone I just met. Last year one of my models ripped his shirt while he was putting it on, so I was quite literally stitching it back together while it was on him and I was like, “Well I also just met you two weeks ago.”

Oh, that’s so true. What a unique dynamic.

Yeah, I mean we both just commonly accept it because it’s “for the art” or whatever you want to say. I think that experience is really interesting, especially with models you don’t know.

I guess you’ve kind of already answered this but maybe to distill it down even more, what are three words that describe your collection?

Oooh okay.

She ponders.

Actually, I may have words on my sketches themselves that I can pull up for you.

She again pulls out her phone and scrolls until she finds what she’s looking for.

Okay, this is not going to make any sense, but this is coming from the titles of my sketches. Hepburn, as in Audrey Hepburn, steampunk, Barbie.

Barbie?

Barbie, yeah.

I laugh.

Nice, I love it. So my last question is, do you have any fashion advice for first-time attendees?

She claps her hands together and laughs.

Oh my god, that’s a good one, I’ve never been asked that! Um…

I wait for her response, and then decide to help her out a bit.

I also wonder what you wear? Like when you’re picking an outfit are you dressed similarly to your collection?

I’d say so, yeah. Sahana, one of the design directors, mentioned that when she looks at everyone’s collections she can sort of see remnants of everyone’s everyday style in it. I think for me that definitely resonates. A lot of my collections tend to be super colorful, they’re a mishmash of super distinct patterns, it’s very blocky, and I think the way that I dress day-to-day has a lot of that vibe.

She definitely has that vibe.

For advice, I think…

She pauses.

Don’t overthink it.

Ooh! That’s a good one because people get so stressed.

Yeah! People get stressed about it! And I’m like, “Dude, the first thing that comes to your mind, wear.” Like I had a friend who was like, “What do I wear? A Canadian Tuxedo?” and I was like, “If that’s what comes to your mind, then yeah!” I mean, I think that’s the whole point. You’re supposed to come almost not as you are in the sense that if it’s something that’s outside of your wheelhouse that is completely acceptable. It doesn’t have to necessarily be authentic to you.

Wise words.

Well, Stephanie, thanks for sitting down with me and I’m excited to see your collections on the runway!