As a substitute of creating a reputation for himself, stylist Chris B. Kim has crafted a fame by way of the seems of others, particularly these within the public eye. He’s executed so by way of one movie star specifically, Travis Barker. “Once I first began collaborating with him, it was a little bit bit daunting,” Kim says, “as a result of to me, our aesthetics do not actually align.” The place Barker skews punk, Kim slants minimal. For each studded leather-based jacket Kim arms his consumer, there’s an ideal white t-shirt perched in his personal closet.
By way of a technique of “trial and error,” Kim has developed a “marriage [between] getting my level throughout but in addition ensuring that [Barker’s] aesthetic remains to be true to the essence of who he’s.” Meaning clashing the rock star’s iconic tattoo sleeves with a superbly minimize go well with jacket. The stylist enjoys that kind of experimentation, pushing the boundaries of “the rock and roll aesthetic.”
Kim, himself, is not any stranger to experimentation within the realm of non-public fashion. “I went by way of so many various phases in highschool whether or not it was the surfer section, the Abercrombie section, the emo section,” he recounts. He spent his teenage years diving into “these characters or sub genres of fashion, [which] was one thing that I used to be all the time fascinated with subconsciously.” At that time, he had but to categorise that inclination as an curiosity in trend, however as a substitute thought of it merely a aptitude for self-expression.
Kim moved to New York to review pictures. By way of internships, he realized his fascination with photos skewed extra in the direction of clothes than it did composition. An preliminary internship at ArtPartner led to a job on the New York places of work of Vogue Paris. There, his obsession with trend reached its full breadth. Put up-graduation, Kim pursued styling in full pressure.
The budding stylist’s transfer to New York not solely bolstered his profession however helped his private fashion take form. Achieved with experimentation, Kim discovered solace within the excellent austerity of manufacturers like Lemaire and The Row. As soon as he broke into the realm of movie star styling, a transfer to LA introduced with it the casual-ification of his wardrobe. “I might actually simply put on gymnasium shorts and a tee.” Working with high tier purchasers like Barker, he slowly discovered his groove within the area between informal and refined.
Kim’s high-school obsession with the Abercrombie aesthetic (you’ll discover a assortment of A&F quarterlies stacked in his lounge) takes on a grown-up sophistication in his closet. He collects classic Levi’s in droves, loves a well-cut trouser, and has discovered the proper white t-shirt—it’s from Uniqlo, in case you have been questioning. He’ll pair basic leather-based trousers with a Fee shirt in a way that would solely be labeled as a “assertion” by true minimalists. Oh, and he’s obsessive about sneakers. Click on by way of the photographs beneath to listen to extra about Kim’s relationship with private fashion.
