ITS 2020 Explained episode 9: How to celebrate sexuality & the male body, by Jimin Lee.
11 February 2021
Jimin Lee is a menswear designer from South Korea. She is a Parsons MFA Fashion Design & Society 2019 graduate.
She was selected for the fashion contest of ITS 2020 with her collection “Female Gaze”
Jimin is interested in eroticism, sexuality and the naked human form. Drawing is where her work begins and how she expresses what she sees and how she feels, revealing her imagination. ‘I want to express a woman’s desire by exploring the male body to show how I see them. I come from a conservative Korean culture where a woman’s sexual desire is taboo and perceived as abnormal. However, since moving to New York I have become very interested in the subject of sex and desire. I took a life drawing class where I was able to study the male form and I began to feel the possibility of breaking free from the repressed sexual culture I have always known. I don’t want to hide myself or my sexual desires anymore.’ Her drawings developed into textiles and informed her silhouettes. Large unexpected cut-outs on men’s oversized suits reveal parts of the male body. She explores a new found freedom through her work, that results in an admiration and respect for the naked male form.
International Talent Support was launched in 2002 and throughout its history it has developed into the most highly recognized platform to showcase & support the strongest young talents on the planet. Most importantly, it created an ever-growing family supporting creativity, like branches on a tree growing in different directions, yet nurtured by the same roots. It has built an impressive Creative Archive, a unique collection tracing the history of fashion evolution. Many of the over 630 finalists were selected by top fashion brands where they now hold key positions, or have successfully developed their own lines.
Discover more about Jimin Lee’s Project
Discover more about ITS 2020
Discover more about ITS Arcademy
Other articles:
The Seismographer
Teaching creativity. Interview with Ike Rust, menswear tutor to former ITS winners.
13 February, 2023
In the twenty years of ITS Contest rarely have we seen such consistency in training young designers that would be then be selected as finalists by the ITS Jury, a first…
The Seismographer
ITS Contest names that ring a bell.
Craig Green, David Koma, Liam Fahy and Lee Matthews in the ITS Arcademy Collection.
12 January, 2023
In the history of contemporary fashion, documented through the perspective of the ITS Arcademy Collection, there are designers who made history. Interestingly, it’s not always names that made it through to…
The Seismographer
One Collection, infinite stories: Religion. Looking at the religious elements of the ITS Arcademy collection.
05 December, 2022
Looking for either controversy, beauty, culture or symbolism, it is no mystery why fashion drives inspiration from religion. They are undeniably intertwined: religions and religious orders have dress codes and use…
The Seismographer
Handling the History of Contemporary Fashion Evolution. Interview with the head of our Collection team, in charge of handling the ITS Foundation’s archival patrimony.
04 December, 2022
Stepping into a museum space can often feel like everything’s stuck in time, frozen. As if it were a place where not much happens, other than cleaning and occasional moving of…
The Seismographer
ITS Finalists nominated at The Fashion Awards 2022. Demna, Matthieu Blazy and Chopova Lowena among the nominees of the Oscars of Fashion.
28 November, 2022
Assigned annually in London by the British Fashion Council, The Fashion Awards might seem like they’ve only existed since Craig Green won Designer of the Year in 2016. But the ceremony…
The Seismographer
Sketching, the Aitor Throup way.
A chat about drawing as a daily therapy with ITS 2006 winner Aitor Throup.
15 November, 2022
“Aitor Throup is an Argentinian-born British artist, designer and creative director.” This is the only sentence that sounds vaguely complete about what Aitor is. All attempts to pin down every aspect…