Heart Is Every Wear

Collaboration The Worlds Of Fashion And Art Come Together Once Again In A New Between Charles & Keith And South Korean Illustrator Henn Kim, Whose Signature Black-and-white Aesthetic Speaks Poignantly About The Complexities Of Human Emotions

- JAMIE LEE

For many, the worlds of fashion and art seem distinct and separate. Yet many fashion designers think about their work as a form of art, and clothes as a canvas through which they can express what they cannot say in words. And this is why Singaporean fashion brand Charles & Keith has worked with artists like Teresa Lim, Oamul Lu, Grace Ciao and Coco Capitan to craft collections that speak about the timeless relationship between fashion and art.

The brand recently launched a new two-storey flagship boutique in Seoul, South Korea — timed to coincide with Seoul Fashion Week SS’24 and renowned art fair Frieze Seoul. In attendance were guests like global ambassador Han So Hee, who also starred in the brand’s FW’23 campaign, (G)-IDLE's Soyeon, Joo Hyun Young, Momoland's Nancy, Irene Kim, Ashley B. Choi and more.

At the boutique, guests previewed Charles & Keith’s latest FW’23 collection while perusing images from the campaign starring Han, which introduced the Pixie mule and refreshed icons like the Petra, Gabine and Koa, as well as the brand’s first and only personalisation service across South Korea.

The event also marked the launch of the brand’s collaboration with established South Korean illustrator Henn Kim, titled “Heart Is Every Wear”. Kim first began drawing in notebooks with a black pen at the age of 17 as a way of coping with depression. Today, the 41-year-old artist is recognised for her black-and-white style, which draws inspiration from her daily life. “My art has always served as a medium for expressing complex emotions that I could not convey in words,” Kim explains. Her work has been featured in the BBC television series, Normal People, as well as in projects with companies like Snapchat and TED.