André Kim (August 24, 1935 – August 12, 2010) was a South Korean fashion designer based in Seoul, South Korea. He was known predominantly for his evening and wedding gown collections.
Biography
Andre Kim was born in Goyang, Gyeonggi, Korea, as Kim Bong-nam. The son of rural farmers, Kim attended Hanyeong High School and graduated from the Kukje Fashion Design Institute.
Fashion career
Kim has been in fashion design since 1962. At the age of 27, he opened Salon Andre in Sogong-dong, Central Seoul, becoming Korea's first male fashion designer. In 1966 he became the first South Korean to hold a fashion show in Paris. He would later go on to hold many other fashion shows in New York, Washington DC, Barcelona, Cairo, Sydney, and Beijing.
In 1981, Kim was selected as chief designer for the 1981 Miss Universe beauty pageant. In 1988, he designed the uniforms of the Korean athletes for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. Following this, he became a repeated invitee for occasions held by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In 1997, he was presented with South Korea's Presidential Culture and Art Medal for his contributions to the fashion industry. In 2003, he was awarded Italy's Cultural Merit Award and was elected as UNICEF's Goodwill Ambassador.
In February 2006, Kim hosted two elaborate private shows in Hawaii called, "Fashion Fantasia in Hawaii", at the Turtle Bay Resort during the SBS Open featuring over 140 garments. Governor Linda Lingle and Mayor Mufi Hannemann attended and stayed until the wedding finale, which featured seven unique gowns and a groom. The hairstyles were fashioned by Aveda Salon and Spa and Liberty Salon Hair and were in keeping with Andre Kim's "signature style" of parted hair embellished with rows of braids wound around the models' heads.
In the first show, four LPGA players and Korean actors, Shim Jee-ho (Stained Glass), Kim Min-jung (Fashion 70s), and Hawaiian favorite, Jung Joon-ho (The Twins, Marrying the Mafia) modeled in Kim's show. At the second show, hosted at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom, Kim's fashions were the centerpiece of a major fundraiser for the University of Hawaii at Manoa of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources apparel product design and merchandising program. Kim's shows also served as part of the 20th anniversary celebration for local television station KBFD.
In November 2006, Kim showcased his costumes at the Angkor Wat temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The show was titled "Fashion Fantasia: Angkor Watt" and was the first fashion show held with the ancient temple as a backdrop. This fashion show was part of the Angkor-Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2006 that kicked off in November 2006 and ran through January 9, 2007. The 50-day event was titled "Ancient Future: The Myths of the Orient" and featured exhibitions on the Khmer civilization and the Silla culture "to provide an insight into the culture of Korea and Cambodia"; special guest models were actress Kim Hee-sun, who starred in the 2005 Hong Kong movie The Myth with Jackie Chan, and actor Kim Rae-won (Love Story in Harvard, Rooftop Room Cat). That same month, Andre Kim also held a fashion show at Kyeongbok Palace on the 13th.
On February 10, 2007, Kim presented his menswear collection and was a celebrity judge for Manhunt International 2007 held at South Korea's Kangwonland International Convention Centre, a newly opened ski resort bidding for the next Winter Olympic Games. In March, Kim appeared in Shanghai, China to hold a fashion show and then arrived in Washington, D.C., on June 19, 2007, to hold a charity fashion show to benefit the UNICEF. On May 7, 2007, Kim held a fashion show at the Big Pallet Convention Center in Koriyama, Japan to mark the year of Korea-Japan friendship. He also designed uniforms for the Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies in Yongin and took a foray out of clothes into designing washing machines, refrigerators, and air conditioners for Samsung. Kim also has launched lines in cosmetics, golfing goods, sunglasses, and interior design of apartments.