Introduction
Hun Kim is a South Korean fashion designer and the current Creative Director of Karl Lagerfeld. Born in South Korea, he studied fashion design in Seoul and New York before building a career in international apparel. His pre-Lagerfeld experience included roles at Tommy Hilfiger, Elie Tahari and Ralph Lauren, giving him a background in commercial collections produced for large global audiences.
Kim joined Karl Lagerfeld in 2015 as Design Director. He worked closely with Lagerfeld during the founder’s final years, translating drawings and aesthetic instructions from Paris into seasonal collections developed through the company’s Amsterdam-based design and commercial organisation. Lagerfeld retained final visual approval. Kim became one of the principal figures responsible for turning those directions into clothing, accessories and footwear for international production and distribution.
After Lagerfeld’s death in February 2019, Kim assumed the Creative Director title and became the central design authority for the global house. His work includes the post-founder mainline, collaborations with Kenneth Ize and Archie M. Alled-Martinez, and the premium KARL LAGERFELD STUDIO line, for which his authorship is explicitly credited. He also holds a concurrent creative role with the South Korean brand Hazzys from at least 2021. At Karl Lagerfeld his remit combines stewardship of a recognisable archive with the demands of a global apparel and accessories business.
Design ethos
Kim’s design practice begins with drawing and product clarity. His early rapport with Lagerfeld developed around a shared reliance on hand sketches, and he continues to use drawing as the first step in defining silhouette and detail. His South Korean background informs an interest in balance, craft, controlled proportion and subtle finishing. Those qualities enter the house’s black-and-white vocabulary through cut, construction and finishing.
The white shirt is a recurring point of departure. Kim works from Lagerfeld’s sketches and existing garments to alter collars, cuffs, darting and scale, then introduces references from architecture, travel and contemporary culture. Accessories use the same method. K/Autograph hardware develops a hand-drawn Lagerfeld initial into a repeatable graphic element, allowing archival material to become a current product code.
Digital development has become increasingly important to Kim’s work. He uses virtual draping and image-generation tools to visualise garments before physical sampling and to test proportion at speed. The technology supports an iterative studio practice grounded in sketching, fitting and material decisions. His post-founder work keeps the house legible through tailoring, monochrome contrast and graphic accessories, and guest collaborators retain their own textile, gender or construction languages.
Disclaimer
Career history
2019
Hun Kim became Creative Director after Karl Lagerfeld’s death in 2019, extending the design leadership he had held internally since 2015. He became the central creative authority for the global house. Licensed categories retained specialist partner input.
2015
Hun Kim joined Karl Lagerfeld as Design Director in 2015 and became a principal interpreter of the founder’s sketches for the global commercial collections. Lagerfeld retained final aesthetic approval. Kim and the wider team translated those directions into scalable apparel, accessories and footwear.
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