Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to MICHELLE KIM. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi MICHELLE, thanks for joining us today. Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?

My hero and idol is Gloria Vanderbilt. I admire her tenacity the most. Her family and her have survived a lot of tragedy and heartache, yet Gloria always lived to keep loving-her family, her romantic partners, and life. And through it all, she created beauty through fashion and her art. She was so ahead of her time in the 60s and 70s-working with manufacturers to license her name and designs so that they could reach a mass audience. Yet, Gloria Vanderbilt always remained respected and elevated. I appreciate so much how she was a creative business woman that also nurtured her family. I am obsessed with her interiors and how over the top she was with them-collaging the rooms in their entirety and wearing beautiful outfits to match. I love seeing photos of her and her children in these rooms, how they are enveloped in her love and creativity.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was drawing and sewing since I could remember and always knew I wanted to be a fashion designer from a very young age. I always appreciated that I had focus and everything I did was to nurture my dreams and career, from going to art lessons, scooping up the latest fashion magazines, and staying up all night to sew up my outfits into fruition. I was fortunate to work for Anna Sui for ten years and be mentored by her. I also studied at the Parsons School of Design and received my Masters at the London College of Fashion. I worked for different designers in New York City and Los Angeles before I embarked on my own brand. What I work on now is quite different and more specialized. I love the process of making and creating by myself. I create decoupage plates and trays using Liberty of London prints that I envision together and handcut to assemble into sceneries inspired by Japanese garden philosophies that also relate to my love of collage. I also design and create tabletop items such as double sided napkins, placemats, and tea towels that are also made from Liberty of London fabrics. They’re all appliqued with hand cut motifs from the prints, which make them really special. I also design and make clothing out of Liberty prints and repurpose vintage clothing and fabrics. I love mixing prints and patterns together. Everything I create is one of a kind, which I love the process of because the discovery is in the process and every experience is unique.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

About a year ago, I felt frustrated creatively and professionally. I didn’t realize at the time that I was experiencing a depression. My CPTSD from childhood trauma was really catching up with me and the unresolved trauma was using up my resources that I needed to thrive and be creative. I was in denial for a long time about being in the depression because I didn’t think I “looked” like someone who was depressed and dysfunctional. I had a great life and on the surface, not much to complain about. But I was struggling on the inside. I sought help and was committed to working on myself. After reading “The Body Keeps The Score”, I was determined to see if I could reverse engineer my mind and body to a place as if it was never traumatized and to a state of emotional regulation. I knew I needed to get my my resources back and to a place where they would help me thrive. Through a lot of hard work and self reflection, I was able to eliminate a lot of the sources of trauma and reliving it. I am happy to share that I am in a much better place where I feel hopeful, inspired, and creative.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

I do manufacture my own products. I just love the process of making-from imagining which fabrics and patterns go together, to cutting and assembling them, running the fabrics through the machine and seeing the final products come together. I am happiest when I am using my mind, body, and hands together. I learned how to sew from a very young age, and I am glad I got all of those years of practice to be a great sewer! I have worked with a vendor to produce some of my blouses but unless you stay on top of them, the process could be stressful where things are sewn incorrectly and have to get redone. I would love to find a vendor partner to manufacture my clothing and tabletop so that I could scale my business, which is a goal of mine.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.moremichellekim.com
• Instagram: @moremkim

Image Credits
Michelle Kim
The portrait with my dogs is by Charlie Nunn Photography