The End of an Era in Korean Fashion

Posted by Emma Kalka On August - 21 - 2010

It was a sad day in Korea last week when news broke out that one of its brightest stars, internationally renowned fashion designer Andre Kim, had faded and passed away.

The 74-year-old died from complications from pneumonia several weeks after being admitted to the hospital.

The larger-than-life designer had definitely made a name for himself in Korea, coming from a lowly farmer’s son, who lived through the end of the Japanese occupation and the Korean War, all the way up to top-rate fashion designer with runway shows in Paris, Sydney and New York. And he was well-loved by the Korean people, who looked passed his eccentric painted-on hair and all-white garb, to embrace his fantasy-filled designs. The designer couldn’t go anywhere without a crowd of fans following, even when shopping in Insadong, which is where I once saw him nearly three years ago.

People pressed up against shop windows wherever he went just to catch a glimpse. Even I had to step up on a bench just to catch sight of him and snap a picture, even though I had never heard of him at the time.

At first I thought he was weird. Then after looking at some of his designs, I still thought he was weird, but I admired his work, which was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. To me, it was all my little girl princess fantasies brought to life.

Glamorous dresses with sparkles and shine. Original prints. And an elegant combination of Western ball gowns with Korean tradition. I always felt as though I was watching a Korean princess walk down the runway. His work transported me to another place and time.

Some call his clothing impractical, which they may be, but at least they were original.

And he had a signature ending for each show- a couple walking down the runway as if it were an aisle, representing a couple getting married in full-on wedding regalia that could only from from his mind. Andre Kim always said that this ending symbolized his search for true love. Unfortunately, Kim never married, but he does leave behind an adopted son and a nation of devoted fans.