Today we’d like to introduce you to Subin Hahn.
Hi Subin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a fashion designer and illustrator from South Korea. I moved to New York City when I was 19 to pursue my dream of being a fashion designer. Upon graduation from Parsons in 2018, I continued to create my own fashion collections and illustration artworks while working for other fashion brands as an assistant with experiences in both ready-to-wear and footwear design. I admire designers who show their versatility through designing for their brands as well as for other brands to bring a fresh take on their interpretation of the existing fashion houses. Currently, I am solely working for my brand full-time, but in the future, I would love to work for other design houses again and share my talent in various ways.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Well, I guess the most significant challenge comes down to the financial aspect of running a business as an independent designer. The business side of fashion is different from designing a fashion collection. I am still figuring out how to scale my business and find investors, which isn’t easy at all.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the founder and creative director of my namesake brand, known for gender-fluid fashion. My designs are neither menswear nor womenswear. It is “Fluidwear.” Fluidwear is open to interpretations, and gender fluidity is one of many ways you can interpret fluidity. My senior thesis collection, “Impression of Tomorrow.”, is a blueprint of my future creations that shows various possibilities for reimagining fluid beauty. You, as an audience, can imagine what fluidity means in your terms. It is more compelling for artists to put their work out there and let people recontextualize it rather than define their work in one specific way. I think it’s time to move on from this limited mindset of labeling sexuality in clothing. “You must be this and that because you wear like this” isn’t inspiring. What’s so wrong about adding a little pixie dust to your imagination when dressing up? That’s why I am not designing just for a specific group of people but constantly reimagining “Fluidwear” for everyone who wishes to explore fashion outside of the binary systems, which is my purpose as an artist and designer in the modern fashion industry.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I believe consistency is one of the most valuable characteristics of success. It’s easy to get discouraged when you don’t see the expected results fast, but no one succeeds in one take. I have been creating my artwork and fashion collections regardless of how big or small my audience is. Having a clear vision of what I do and being consistent brought many opportunities for me along the way. I can’t predict what’s to come next, but I know that I will never stop creating artwork and designing fashion collections because this is what I love.
My latest fluidwear collection, “Pink Elephants On Parade Part 2”, was designed during the pandemic. In a way, this collection illustrates the value of keeping my faith despite all the noises and distractions happening in life that tend to make you stumble. Regardless of the incontrollable circumstances that life throws at you, It is your choice to give in or break through the obstacles, and I find it very inspiring to have that strong faith in whatever you believe.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.subinhahn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/subinhahnofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/subinhahnofficial
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/subinhahn11
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiA68sMHQeW_wRvHWDWA6qg
Image Credits
Campaign Image 01: Subin Hahn Fluidwear Collection 06 (2022), Photographed by Youchul S. Campaign Image 02: Subin Hahn Fluidwear Collection 06 (2022), Photographed by Youchul S. Campaign Image 03: Subin Hahn Fluidwear Collection 06 (2022), Photographed by Youchul S. Campaign Image 04: Subin Hahn Fluidwear Collection 06 (2022), Photographed by Youchul S.
