The Incredible Lightness Of Being
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine|February 2021
The South Korean actor Kim Woo Bin makes his comeback with a new outlook on life and success.
Renée Batchelor
The Incredible Lightness Of Being
To see Kim Woo Bin on camera, it’s almost impossible to imagine that the 31-year old model-turned-actor could ever have been uncomfortable in front of it. Tall, well-built and with carved out cheekbones, his unconventional but masculine beauty seems tailor-made for the spotlight. But despite his obvious appeal, Kim describes his younger self as being somewhat apprehensive about standing out in a crowd. “My growth [as an actor] was not that special at all, nor was it that ordinary. I think there was something in me that wanted to stand in front of people, but I was too timid to do so. I was very introverted, so I was very quiet,” he says. Kim’s mother loved both art and fashion, and hence he gravitated towards these fields. “I think because of my mum, I developed a taste for the arts as well and grew up under a lot of influence from her,” says Kim.

Starting out his career in modelling while still in high school, the 1.88 metre-tall actor had moved on to runway work by 2009. In our cover shoot for T Singapore, it is clear that this training has paid off, as Kim telegraphs total ease and confidence while donning menswear from the spring/summer ’21 collections. Kim agrees that modelling was not a disadvantage per se, though there were some habits he had to break out of. “Models act when we walk or do shoots as well, so initially when I started acting, I wanted to appear suave and would always be in a pose. It took me some time to get the modelling habits off of me,” he says.

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Denne historien er fra February 2021-utgaven av T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

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Look At Us
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

Look At Us

As public memorials face a public reckoning, there’s still too little thought paid to how women are represented — as bodies and as selves.

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6 mins  |
March 2021
Two New Jewellery Collections Find Their Inspiration In The Human Anatomy
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

Two New Jewellery Collections Find Their Inspiration In The Human Anatomy

Two new jewellery collections find their inspiration in the human anatomy.

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2 mins  |
March 2021
She For She
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

She For She

We speak to three women in Singapore who are trying to improve the lives of women — and all other gender identities — through their work.

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10+ mins  |
March 2021
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

Over The Rainbow

How the bright colours and lively prints created by illustrator Donald Robertson brought the latest Weekend Max Mara Flutterflies capsule collection to life.

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3 mins  |
March 2021
What Is Love?
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

What Is Love?

The artist Hank Willis Thomas discusses his partnership with the Japanese fashion label Sacai and the idea of fashion in the context of the art world.

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4 mins  |
March 2021
The Luxury Hotel For New Mums
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

The Luxury Hotel For New Mums

Singapore’s first luxury confinement facility, Kai Suites, aims to provide much more than plush beds and 24-hour infant care: It wants to help mothers with their mental and emotional wellbeing as well.

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7 mins  |
March 2021
Who Gets To Eat?
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

Who Gets To Eat?

As recent food movements have focused on buying local or organic, a deeper and different conversation is happening among America’s food activists: one that demands not just better meals for everyone but a dismantling of the structures that have failed to nourish us all along.

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10+ mins  |
March 2021
Reimagining The Future Of Fashion
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

Reimagining The Future Of Fashion

What do women want from their clothes and accessories, and does luxury still have a place in this post-pandemic era? The iconic designer Alber Elbaz thinks he has the answers with his new label, AZ Factory.

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10 mins  |
March 2021
A Holiday At Home
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

A Holiday At Home

Once seen as the less exciting alternative to an exotic destination holiday, the staycation takes on new importance.

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6 mins  |
March 2021
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

All Dressed Up, Nowhere To Go

Chinese supermodel He Sui talks about the unseen pressures of being an international star, being a trailblazer for East Asian models in the fashion world, and why, at the end of the day, she is content with being known as just a regular girl from Wenzhou.

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7 mins  |
March 2021