How designer Jenia Kim, who is one of an estimated half-million ethnic Koreans in the former Soviet Union who comprise the diaspora known as the Koryo-saram, is reflecting on her roots in her new capsule collection.
Like many young designers, Jenia Kim wanted to make clothes that said something about where she came from. Only in her case that story was rather complicated. Kim is one of an estimated half-million ethnic Koreans in the former Soviet Union who compose the diaspora known as the. Though she now lives in Moscow, she was born in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, to ethnic Korean parents who belonged to a community that had been forcibly moved to Central Asia by Stalin in the late 1930s.
Growing up in Uzbekistan, Kim was surrounded by fellow Koreans who looked like her and who ate the same food. “I didn’t think for a second that I was different,” Kim, now age 28, says in Russian. “I had many Korean friends, and we felt like we were home, calm and comfortable. In our five-story apartment, there were more Koreans than Uzbeks. I didn’t think about where I came from or how I ended up there.”Kim’s life dramatically changed when she moved to Moscow at age 11.
Since the inception of her label, J.Kim, in 2013, Kim has sought to tap into her roots. She’s gone as far as the South Korean island of Jeju to research theby using vibrant fabrics from traditional Uzbek costumes and Soviet-era materials. The collection and photographs reflect Kim’s fragmented memories of home—how she experienced her culture as a child without having any real understanding of its origin and her family’s complicated history in the Soviet Union.
sleeves decorated with richly colored stripes. “Now I feel that this costume is my mission, and I’m finding a way to do it within Uzbek, Korean, and Russian cultures.”
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
An Omakase Menu Inspired by Both Korean and Japanese CuisinesDishes like blue crab ganjang gejang nigiri at LA’s Kura are the perfect marriage of identity and innovation
Read more »
South Korean soccer team tells of 'rough' match in PyongyangSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's national soccer team described their World Cup qualifier against North Korea in Pyongyang as a 'rough' match played under strange conditions that may later...
Read more »
North and South Korea play first men's soccer match on North Korean soil in almost 30 yearsFor the first time in almost three decades, North and South Korea's men's football teams faced each other in Pyongyang. The FIFA World Cup Qualifier match -- which was held at Kim Il-sung Stadium -- saw the two national teams draw 0-0.
Read more »
'Defiant message' as North Korea's Kim rides white horse on sacred mountain'Defiant message' as North Korea's Kim Jong Un rides white horse on sacred mountain
Read more »
'Defiant message' as North Korea's Kim rides white horse on sacred mountainAides to Kim Jong Un are convinced the North Korean leader plans 'a great o...
Read more »
Policy shift anticipated as North Korea's Kim rides white horse on sacred mountainAides to Kim Jong Un are convinced the North Korean leader plans 'a great o...
Read more »