Minjukim's 'younger sister brand' Pakua brings casual edge to women's fashion

Fashion designer Minju Kim sat down with Korea JoongAng Daily for an interview to hear about her newly launched brand Pakua. [PAKUA] Minju Kim is ready to cast “a magic spell.” The Seoul-based Korean fashion designer is setting another milestone in her career by launching her second brand, Pakua, which is a made-up word meaning “a small magic spell within oneself." Kim established her first self-owned, high-end brand, Minjukim, in 2015, known for its bright, cheerful prints and colors combined with bold silhouettes. The brand recently garnered major attention, as girl group IVE wore its clothes for its recent song “HEYA.” The designer caught the public eye after winning the first season of Netflix’s fashion competition show “Next in Fashion” (2020). But even before the show, the designer swept international awards, such as the H&M Design Award in 2013, and was a semifinalist for the LVMH Prize in 2014. Fashion designer Minju Kim's second brand Pakua [PAKUA] Kim’s Pakua was finally shown to the public on May 6, with a pop-up store in Lotte World Tower in Songpa District, southern Seoul. Getting a pop-up space at the grand department store is a major feat for a new brand, proving the designer's continued ability to captivate her buyers even when launching a new style. To hear more about her new brand, the Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with Kim for an interview at her showroom, also referred to as the white hanok (traditional Korean house), near Anguk Station, central Seoul. Creating a sister brand “Pakua is like a younger sister brand of Minjukim,” Kim said. “We wanted to do something special as we mark Minjukim’s 10th anniversary next year and reached the conclusion that we wanted the Minjukim style to be more accessible to a wider range of people.” Pieces from Minju Kim's second brand Pakua are displayed at the designer's showroom near Anguk Station, central Seoul. [PARK SANG-MOON] However, creating and managing a second brand is not an easy step to take, especially when the designer already has a successful brand. “We are living in an era where there are numerous platforms for users, especially fashion platforms,” Kim said. “[As a result,] a countless number of brands are being launched, and I thought to myself that there is no reason for me not to try such a challenge.” Pakua's first collection showcased a more casual clothing line compared to Minjukim’s initial style, aiming to create fashion for use on a “day-to-day basis.” “We believe that Pakua should be a brand that our customers can wear not only today or tomorrow but also to work or when going out to play,” the designer said, adding that the brand gives a “sporty” twist to the Minjukim style. Fashion designer Minju Kim's second brand Pakua [PAKUA] “We thought that creating items that people like the most and enjoy wearing the most would be more meaningful, reaching the conclusion of having a sporty look,” Kim said, wishing her customers could share Minjukim’s vibe even in their daily lives. The designer also revealed exclusively to the Korea JoongAng Daily the secret of the brand name's origin. “Actually, Pakua doesn’t have a big meaning,” Kim said. “To be honest, it didn’t have a meaning, but we gave it a meaning after choosing the name.” The process of coining the name Pakua was not easy, as Kim wanted to make a pretty name for Minjukim’s soon-to-be-launched sister. “At first, I kept creating names with strange meanings due to my fondness for the brand,” Kim said. “But in the end, I just decided to create a name that both sounds beautiful and is reminiscent of Minjukim.” A dynamic fashion industry As the designer has been in the fashion industry for over a decade, Kim also gave her insight into fashion overall, including Korean fashion, which she described as being “dynamic.” “If we look back 20 years from now, we'd say that the fashion industry was so dynamic,” Kim said. “For a while, fashion shifted to digitalization, but then suddenly, offline pop-up stores became something that was in vogue. Due to this, there was a period where overseas brands were at their peak, but now people are showing more interest in domestic brands.” Fashion designer Minju Kim's second brand Pakua [PAKUA] For a designer to maintain a brand during an era where fashion changes in the blink of an eye is not an easy road to stay on, according to the designer. She says, “That’s the reason why many people in this field say that they are just holding on.” The designer also agreed that Korean fashion is becoming the epicenter of global fashion, saying that now is the “spring” season for K-fashion. But she also pinpointed that diversity should be seen. “Korean fashion keeps up with trends well,” Kim said. “But I believe that Korean fashion will develop more if there were more brands that had some more of their own color.” “I often hear from foreign buyers or people in the design field that they like Korean fashion, but they hope that some more diverse styles could be seen in the industry,” she added. Pieces from Minju Kim's second brand Pakua are displayed at the designer's showroom near Anguk Station, central Seoul.[PARK SANG-MOON] Along with rapid changes, AI technology is strongly perceived as a major threat to the creative industry. However, for Kim, AI cannot replace fashion. “It's been a while, like tens of years, since people said that humans will be at war with AI technology,” Kim said. “But for fashion, it cannot be replaced, as I think people are drawn to fashion because they appreciate the culture created by humans, which is special and irreplaceable by machines.” Kim added that the “thirst for owning originality” and “craftsmanship” are also elements that keep the fashion industry from being threatened by AI. “That’s the reason why high luxury brands exist, as people yearn for items that capture craftsmanship and value these items highly, wanting to own them,” Kim said. Truly being oneself Launching new collections and fashion items allows Kim to be “truly herself,” which is the message she wants to deliver to her customers as well. A scene from Netflix's fashion survival show ′′Next In Fashion′′ (2020), which Minju Kim won. [NETFLIX] “Fashion was a field that allowed me to be truly myself,” Kim said. “Still, fashion is often perceived as being centered more on showing something to others rather than expressing oneself, which for me is the opposite. I want more people to perceive fashion like I do.” Kim also plans to delve into various fields, like children's clothes, and to express her artistic sense through a different approach. “I hope I can also work as a painter or artist, but that’s just a dream,” Kim said. “I want Pakua to become a brand that many people can feel happiness through. Along with Minjukim and Pakua, I also want to include children’s wear into our collection as I earned some courage from making a new brand." “I hope 10 years from now, the world for Minjukim will become a bit bigger from now and be able to meet more people.” BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]