An Interview With Graduate Designer Mimi Yoo
Korean designer Mimi Yoo had a career set out for herself in law, before deciding to take a turn in her own path and enroll at Central Saint Martins. She spoke to GLITCH about how university and fashion school expanded her endurance, fired an inherent curiosity, and led her to create physical artwork that poses philosophical questions. For her final collection, Yoo created clothes that confused the conception of snap judgments. Now poised to enter the industry at large, GLITCH asked her how she intends to continue blurring the definition and significance of clothing.
What intrigues you most about fashion?
The fact that fashion is everywhere and possessed by so many people. It’s something that everyone engages with to some extent. It’s like a personal and public exhibition at the same time, that constantly evolves and demands novelty and excitement.
I first realized I was drawn to fashion during middle school, I used to mix and match clothes from my mother’s and grandmother’s closets and wear them out. Growing up in a quiet rural village and spending most of my time in school uniform, I was drawn to things that showed me visual experiences I hadn’t had. At my younger age, I was attracted to clothes themselves – but now I find it more interesting to observe and analyze the people who enjoy fashion.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? How did this transition into becoming a designer?
Before entering middle school, my dream was to become a painter. Later, a photographer. In high school, I aimed for careers my parents recommended – such as a diplomat, politician, or mathematician. Growing up in Jeonju, one of the most traditional cities in Korea, I attended an academic school – there were almost no people around me majoring in arts. Despite my creative interests, my teenage years were spent studying from early morning until late at night – I thought life was about diligently following a set path. In the context of Korean culture, where students spend 12 years mostly studying at school, I hadn’t had much opportunity to think from a different perspective.
While studying law at university, I realized that the only thing that changed as I advanced through the years was the amount of information I memorized. I didn’t feel any pure motivation or joy in my studies and questioned whether this path was meaningful for me. However, I met people who pursued their true passions regardless of their major and understood that it was okay to follow what I truly wanted to do, I told my parents that continuing law would be meaningless for me. I emphasized the importance of doing something enjoyable and that’s how I switched to studying design.
How would you describe your experience at Central Saint Martins? What have been your key takeaways?
Your experience at CSM is what you make of it; it can be different degrees of challenging, intense, or joyful. My experience at Central Saint Martins helped me expand my endurance in many ways. It is a school where if you hit the right timing and put in constant effort, you can gain so much. It is more about doing everything by yourself rather than expecting on the school to do something for you.
The curriculum is designed to help you acquire various mental attitudes and physical skills needed to become a designer. The invisible hands of passion, sweat, effort, and dedication from tutors and students in Central Saint Martins often provided support and sometimes challenged me. The key takeaway for me was the fantastic environment of admirable people, and these surroundings naturally seeped into me.
What have been your biggest challenges as a fashion student? What learning will you take away with you?
As a fashion student, it’s a continuous cycle of endless challenges, but managing stress and mental health was particularly difficult. The factors are incredibly diverse: anxiety about the future & money, an exhausting schedule that leaves no room for prioritizing health, the need to seize opportunities when they arise, finding balance in the fast-paced fashion industry, identifying my role, striving to be realistic but also not be too complacent, and the gap between ideals and reality. There will always be moments when what my heart desires clashes with the market’s needs. Despite these challenges, I’ve persevered with a mix of positivity and critical analysis.
How would you summarise your graduate collection?
My previous works often drew inspiration from accidental moments in everyday life, but for my graduate collection, I wanted to address a broader concept. One of the most frequently asked questions I’ve pondered over the years is, “How do you define the woman and womenswear you pursue?” Even after years of contemplation, I couldn’t pinpoint a specific answer. I worried that defining a particular ideal would unintentionally exclude other possibilities. My conclusion was to embrace the multitude of diverse existences without feeling obligated to pursue a specific aspect. I challenged the customary meanings around me.
I intended to liberate people, by presenting various interpretations of femininity and materiality, not avoiding typical feminine characteristics because it could be someone’s natural. The point is to make a design that will allow people to cancel the initial judgments. I wanted to explore the boundaries of what cannot be easily defined.
People make judgments within a second of seeing someone. I wanted to create clothing that would confuse these snap judgments. The goal was to blur the lines and broaden the scope of interpretation, seeking greater freedom.
What is your favourite piece from your collection? Can you describe how this look was created?
I would say both Look 1 and Look 6 gave me the most thrill when I completed making them and saw that it finally worked. Both designs represent my personality very well. I habitually question everything that surrounds me. I dislike closing off possibilities. I want to play with questions as much as I can.
Look 1: I aimed to create a design that prompts immediate thoughts but makes people reconsider upon closer inspection. From the front, the T-shirt attached to a sphere covers the body, but there’s no direct interaction between the body and the T-shirt. I wondered whether people would say it was worn or not. I wanted viewers to question whether they should call it trousers or a skirt, and how perspective changes with distance.
Look 6: We adorn and protect our bodies with countless styles of clothing, but ultimately, the body remains a body and clothes remain clothes. I researched kinetic art and found ferrofluid. Its fluidity and visibility, combined with magnetic fields, allowed me to achieve the visual effect I wanted. The final design involved a simple dress with magnets inside, covered by a frame with ferrofluid. When the frame was removed, the ferrofluid sank, symbolizing that, despite infinite ways to cover the body with clothing, the body and clothes ultimately remain distinct entities.
Is the industry before you exciting or daunting?
As a young designer, I find myself oscillating between excitement and apprehension when considering the fashion industry ahead. On one hand, the prospect of creating and producing brings me immense joy and fulfillment. However, the reality of the industry demands substantial investments of time and money which can be challenging to sustain. The fashion industry’s fast-paced and competitive nature can sometimes overshadow the idealistic visions one holds upon entering the field.
How do you intend to make a difference in the fashion industry?
I want to show my pure praise fo fashion as a form of art. My passion lies in blurring the boundaries of fashion through innovative designs, unconventional materials, and unique artistic expressions that challenge traditional norms. My goal is to become someone who can authentically and purely manifest the images and narratives I wish to share with the world. This inevitably reflects who I am and what I aim to communicate, which I believe is crucial in making a meaningful difference in the fashion industry.
Where do you see fashion in 20 years time?
I believe fashion will continue along its current trajectory for the time being. The industry and consumer’s emphasis on rapid consumption and brand prestige may overshadow the significance of originality and personal expression. While there is a growing number of people seeking to express themselves through fashion, the limited scope of trends could paradoxically diminish the importance of individual expression. There’s a risk that fashion will prioritize too much on marketing over genuine design innovation, potentially leading to a uniformity of styles where brand identity supersedes individual style. However, this presents an opportunity for a counter-movement that celebrates creativity, and authenticity, reshaping the essence of fashion. I also hope that a revival of fashion as a form of art can be embraced by more and more audiences.
Written by Hebe Street from GLITCH Magazine
Words by Mimi Yoo
