South Korea had the most number of finalists (4 out
of 12) in the Audi Star Creation competition this year and for the following 2
weeks, I’ll be running the Q&As with each of them every Tuesday and
Thursday.
Today I start with Kim Mina, 24, whose collection
‘Piece to Place’ shows some interesting
cuts and colour combinations and is inspired by Korean Architecture.
Here’s what she had to say about her work and the competition.
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| Kim Mina's collection 'Piece to Place' |
Name of designer: Kim Mina
(South Korea)
Age: 24
Name of Collection: Piece to Place
Name of Collection: Piece to Place
- What made you participate in the Audi Star Creation? How did you
hear about it?
I found out about the competition late last
year when I heard my friends talking about it. I decided to find out more on
the website, where I saw the collections of the previous finalists. I felt a
strong urge to participate and decided to go ahead with it. As Audi Star
Creation is a major fashion design competition in Asia, participants always bring
a variety of fresh creations to the table, and a lot of support is given to the
finalists. It is a dream competition that any budding designer will want to
join.
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| Kim Mina from South Korea is one of the 4 South Korean finalists of this year's Audi Star Creation. |
- What was the inspiration behind your collection?
My collection, Piece to Place, is inspired by Korean architecture
and how it often is an allegory of the harmony between nature and built-up structures. I first
had the idea of using this inspiration for a collection when I learnt about the
unique features of Korean architecture in a liberal arts class I took in
university. I was pleasantly surprised when I learnt that the theme for this
year’s Audi Star Creation was Fashion
Without Frontiers as I could finally use that inspiration.
- What new ideas/approach do you think you bring
to the fashion scene in the region?
Regardless of the methods I use, I want to be
able to inject my personal flavour into that piece of garment. In order to do that, I have been putting in
much effort as it is not an easy thing to achieve. To have a clean, yet strong
feeling in the outfits or to acheive a three-dimensional look from a flat piece
of clothing- I want to be able to show harmony amidst such contradictions.
- Any Asian designers/labels that you like and look up to?
I really look up to Junya Watanabe, Raf Simons
and Yohji Yamamoto. I personally like fashion that is revolutionary yet
comfortable, wearable, timeless and with value that does not depreciate over
time, like the creations by these three designers.
- What would you like to do if you win and who would be your target
audience (people in the region, age group, style, etc...)?
I would like to
launch my own label so I am really glad because this competition seems like an
official starting point for my career.
I have not set a
particular target audience for my outfits, and I do not want to limit the kind
of people who can wear my clothing. The only thing I
hope for is that the people who wear my clothes would not only be concerned
with how it looks, but also be curious about the story behind them.
For more interviews with the finalists, go to the 'Audi Star Creation 2012' section on this blog.
For more interviews with the finalists, go to the 'Audi Star Creation 2012' section on this blog.
