Kanmin Kim: Wallpaper* Next Generation 2021
Our Next Generation 2021 showcase shines a light on 21 outstanding graduates from around the globe, Wallpaper’s pick of the best new talent in seven creative fields. Here, we profile Kanmin Kim.

Sophie Edge - Photography
While studying business management in Seoul, Kanmin Kim lived in a tiny room with a single bed and no wardrobe. ‘My clothes were always wrinkled,’ says the South Korean menswear designer, who soon dropped out of his degree programme and moved to Tokyo to study fashion at Coconogacco, where the cringe-inducing clothing of his past inspired his graduate collection.
The result is an offering of city-slick suiting, featuring 1980s double-breasted tailoring in pinstripe and Prince of Wales check, paired with austere American Psycho-centric leather gloves and skinny shirting. Undesirable creases have been reinterpreted as elegant draping, and houndstooth coats and blazers button asymmetrically across the body, while blousons festoon the neck in iridescent folds. ‘Wrinkles were a symbol of harder times,’ Kim says. ‘They have been elevated using a luxurious technique used in haute couture’.
Kanmin Kim. Dream collaborator: A public bathhouse
While studying, Kim worked as a pattern cutter, and his Wall Street-worthy collection was made predominantly with deadstock fabrics. After seeing waste first-hand at a commercial level, Kim committed to using less materials during his design process, swapping physical toiles for digital models made using 3D CAD. He also used digital technologies for presenting his final collection, when lockdown restrictions prevented his debut at Tokyo Fashion Week. Instead, he created an online portfolio translated into six languages, and shared it on social media.
Black boots, €795, by Pierre Hardy
INFORMATION
instagram.com/kanminkim
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Milan Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026: live updates from the Wallpaper* team
From 20-23 June, Milan Fashion Week Men’s arrives in the Italian fashion capital. Follow along for a first look at the shows, presentations and other fashion happenings, as seen by the Wallpaper* editors
-
China’s latest city car is firefly, a compact EV with a youthful identity and bright design
When it came to illuminate their new firefly brand, Chinese manufacturer NIO turned to London-based creative studio forpeople
-
The owner of this restored Spanish Colonial home turned it into a gallery – with no social media allowed
Casa Francis in LA is a private residence, but recently opened its doors to one member of the public at a time for an exhibition centred around domesticity
-
Carla Corpas Paret: Wallpaper* Next Generation 2021
Our Next Generation 2021 showcase shines a light on 21 outstanding graduates from around the globe, Wallpaper’s pick of the best new talent in seven creative fields. Here, we profile fashion graduate of Istituto Europeo di Design, Barcelona, Carla Corpas Paret.
-
Mathieu Goosse: Wallpaper* Next Generation 2021
Our Next Generation 2021 showcase shines a light on 21 outstanding graduates from around the globe, Wallpaper’s pick of the best new talent in seven creative fields. Here, we profile Institut Français de la Mode, Paris graduate Mathieu Goosse.
-
Paolo Carzana: Wallpaper* Next Generation 2021
Our Next Generation 2021 showcase shines a light on 21 outstanding graduates from around the globe, Wallpaper’s pick of the best new talent in seven creative fields. Here, we profile Central Saint Martins, London, graduate Paolo Carzana.