Where the beauty gets created: in J.kim’s studio

LET’S START THE CONVERSATION FROM YOUR STUDIO. HOW DOES IT WORK? I REMEMBER YOUR PLANS OF CREATING FUTURE RESIDENCIES AND TURNING A SPACE INTO J. KIM HOUSE.

In the current studio, we have our workplace situated in the experimental workshop where we sew our samples. The office and a showroom space, where we meet our visitors on a booking basis, are located nearby.

We also have a separate building with a summer kitchen and a room that our employees use. In the center of the main building, there is a large room that we use for various events. On the left, there is a space where we conduct photo shooting sessions, and the office is on the right. On the second floor, there is a working hall with tailors and a constructor, along with a closet room where we store the fabric.

Indeed, we are planning to build our own studio house in the future, where we will also establish an art residency. This residency will serve as a platform for various collaborations between craftsmen and contemporary artists.

WOULD BE GREAT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BUILDING ITSELF. IS IT HISTORICAL?

It's surprisingly not; it was built in the late '90s. The beautiful decor was created by a homeowner who loves to engage in engineering. He utilized his spare time to collaborate with a fellow craftsman on the ceiling design.

WHAT’S YOUR DAILY ROUTINE IN THE STUDIO?

From Monday to Wednesday, I take care of all the management work. From the second half of Wednesday till the end of the week I take care of all the creative work.

THERE MUST BE SOME SEASONAL SCHEDULE TOO? LIKE, WHEN YOU HAVE TO PREPARE FOR THE PARIS FASHION WEEK.

When approaching Paris Fashion Week, we are fully immersed in creative endeavors. I have everything planned for the next six months, including all the major event dates. The schedule for Fashion Week, for instance, remains consistent. I am certain that I will be in Paris in February and September. Leading up to those dates, there are specific steps that need to be arranged, including creating a new collection, preparing for the showroom, and organizing media materials.

WHAT MATERIALS DO YOU USUALLY USE TO CREATE SKETCHES?

I use a mechanical pencil, and I don't compromise on this choice because during college, I developed a genuine love for design and drawing. I appreciate a fine line, order, and cleanliness in my sketches, and achieving this requires a well-sharpened lead. Even during painting lessons at art school, I opted for watercolor paints with a consistency similar to gouache because I prefer materials that I can control—I need order in everything.

Currently, I have templates with models on which I draw to save time. I always do it by hand because it makes me feel better.

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT YOU’D BECOME A DESIGNER?

My mom told me that when I was two years old, I started showing interest in fabric and clothes. I would cut out fragments of curtains and use them to create makeshift clothing pieces by putting them together. Additionally, I was raised by my aunt, who spent her entire life sewing and served as a significant example, instilling in me a love for creating costumes.

Since childhood, I enjoyed making clothes for dolls, adding pockets to trousers, creating different bags, and incorporating peculiar details. In the evenings, I would have a meeting with my parents to decide what I would wear when going to kindergarten the next day. It was always important for me how I looked.

THE INSPIRATION FROM A NATIONAL THEME MUST HAVE COME IN SOME CONSCIOUS AGE?

Yes, indeed. In my case, that happened in 2015. By 2016, I was already creating hoodies with fringes on capes and bead decorations on laces. We shot this collection here in Uzbekistan, using local women as models. At the time, it wasn't as popular, and it even surprised some people, as they mentioned that the photoshoot reminded them of something from National Geographic. It was a bold move; one could say I was against the trends in the fashion industry. But it was important for me because, even back then, there was a strong need to bring attention to the place where I was born through creative work and change the way Russia treats Uzbekistan and Uzbek people in particular.

IT’S INTERESTING THAT FROM THE CURRENT POINT IT SEEMS LIKE A LOGICAL SEQUENCE OF STEPS.

It's hard to say whether the steps I took were right or not because there was much less interest in my work than I had hoped at the time. I began working on the "kore-saram" collection after visiting London and attending a course at Saint Martins. It was the first time I encountered the surprise of others when they realized I'm Asian while speaking with a strong Russian accent. I studied alongside Japanese and Chinese students, who had a distinct national identity and a strong understanding of their roots and language. Meanwhile, I don't even speak Korean.

Someone asked me who I feel I am, but I couldn't answer the question, and it lingered in my mind. From that moment, the thought never let me rest, and I began creating the collection as my own research about people like me. I asked others how they felt to better understand myself. It was during this exploration that I learned more about "kore-saram," and that's how the collection took shape.

DID YOU IMMEDIATELY FIND YOURSELF THOSE MASTERS WITH WHOM YOU WORK AND CREATE EVERY THING AS AN OBJECT OF ART?

It was a long and challenging process. In Uzbekistan, I used to work alone and aimed to teach local craftsmen to create more complex items that weren't popular. I spent 4 to 5 months working with them in the workshops, teaching and showing them, but it didn't lead to significant progress. I was naive to think that such work could be accomplished in a short amount of time, as such changes can take years.

The search for tailors took a year, and finding craftsmen took even longer. For example, the hoodies with hand-crocheted beads required six months to train people to tie knots efficiently and consistently. Each time, I got different lengths of stitches and varying amounts of beads. However, I was clear about what I wanted, and I visited craftsmen in the region to achieve the desired result. The entire process of creating the collection, which included key items for our brand, took a whole year. Sometimes I forget how much effort went into achieving it this way.

ALL OF THEM WERE LOCAL CRAFTSMEN? HOW DID YOU FIND THEM?

Yes, all the craftsmen were local. I traveled across different cities in Uzbekistan and selected individuals who could assist me and were interested in creating something new. I sought out sellers of crafted items, made connections, and utilized their assistance to find contacts. Uzbekistan is relatively small, especially within a specific sphere, so everyone knows each other within 2 or 3 handshakes. Despite the challenges, there was a lot of inspiration in this process.

IT TURNS OUT THAT YOU ARE PRESERVING THE ARTISANAL PRACTICES OF UZBEKISTAN.

Yes and no. What we do in the brand can hardly be called preserving artisanal practices. To truly preserve such practices, we would need to attract a significant amount of funding to help craftsmen earn a substantial income from their craft, which a niche brand like ours may not have. Handcrafted items require a considerable amount of time and effort. It is necessary to provide craftsmen with equipment, ensure quality working conditions, optimize the process, and make it systematic to minimize defects. There are complex challenges that need to be addressed. I would like to assist them not only by providing work but also in understanding how to make a sustainable living from their craftsmanship, allowing them to develop and pass down their skills through generations.

LISTENING TO THIS WHOLE SERIES OF LOGICAL PROCESSES, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU A COMMON QUESTION. DO YOU HAVE DAYS WHEN YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING AT ALL? FOR INSTANCE, WHEN THERE’S NO INSPIRATION AT ALL?

I am very prudent; I should always have an answer to everything. Creative crises, when I can't draw anything, happen sometimes, but in this case, I have a list of tasks that can be done in a passive state. If creativity is not going well, then at that moment, I can schedule appointments and resolve some organizational issues. If things get really tough, I have a list of movies to watch or exhibitions to attend. I believe that this is also part of my job.

LET'S TALK ABOUT SOURCES OF INSPIRATION — PROBABLY THESE ARE THE NATIONAL MUSEUMS?

It is important for me to go somewhere and travel from Uzbekistan. Now I am working to make the team more independent so that I can devote more time to expeditions. I recently went to Andijan for two days and spent several hours in a man’s house. The conversation with him inspired the next collection. He was a tightrope walker in a traveling circus, which no longer exists, but he holds shows at his home. This is a person who is very passionate about his profession, and this motivates him every day. If we talk about my inspiration, then these are definitely people who build their own world and are passionate about their work.

IT'S VERY INTERESTING TO TALK ABOUT OBJECTS: I PERCEIVE YOUR CLOTHES AS PRETTY ABSTRACT SCULPTURAL FORMS. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO FIND THE KEY IMAGES AND ELEMENTS? FOR EXAMPLE, THIS POCKET IMPORTANT FOR THE LATEST COLLECTION?

Every time I saw the bales, they gave me a very warm feeling inside. In our archived family videos, I saw these "kartyuki," which we (ed.: in Koryo-saram) call "kundy." And I realized where my inexplicable love for them came from: my grandmother made bales exactly the same color as my first down jacket. It even made me shiver — I was about five years old in that video, but I don’t remember it. Apparently, I was so impressed that 20 years later I made such a jacket.

That's how this form was born. It’s hard to create a new form, but it’s even harder to make it stick with you. In the case of the bales, it turned out to be sincere and conceptual: this is a children's story filled with many meanings. I made a collection about Koreans, about movement. They carry all their most valuable things in these bales. That's how this down jacket was born, which looks like you're wearing many, many of these bales.

WHAT PLACE DOES THE STUDIO AND UZBEKISTAN AS A COUNTRY IN WHICH THE BRAND COMPLETELY EXISTS TAKE IN YOUR HEART?

When the (a word censored by Russian Federation’s government) started, I planned to move to New York and get a talent visa, but everything went according to a different scenario — I felt that I wanted to stay here in Uzbekistan because this is really what gives my job the meaning, understanding that I really influence something. This is my conscious desire to invest energy in the development of design here.

In addition, we managed to find this wonderful house, where, in my opinion, an atmosphere of cohesion and family was created in which the team felt comfortable being and interacting with each other.