Season after season, we’ve seen Filipinos make cameo appearances on the major fashion platforms of the world. Heading down the same road designer Karen Topacio and model Marga Esquivel have treaded, 28-year old menswear designer Yurie Lim debuts a 6-piece capsule collection during the New York Art Institute showcase at New York Fashion Week. Here, the designer shares with Style Bible how he landed that coveted spot and what he plans on doing next.
A sketch of the collection done by designer Yurie Lim.
I believe there were only 12 of you who were picked to be part of the Art Institute showcase. How were you selected?
The audition was open to students who were taking the Studio 1 class as well as graduate students. We were to present the collection with one fully finished garment. I auditioned with 8 sketches and the garment I presented was a pair of Japanese indigo quilt trousers and a coat. After about a week, they released the list of candidates and we were given roughly a month and a half to complete the collection.
Geta slippers designed by Yurie Lim
The detailing on traditional Japanese indigo quilt is quite intricate. How did you come up with your own quilt?
I used a blue denim base and added patches of fabric to it to give it more color.
I see a bit of street wear influence with the boxy silhouettes mixed in with that familiar playful Japanese aesthetic. Is this something you’ve been fond of since day one?
I purposely wanted to play around with the silhouettes to make the pieces trendier but I’ve really loved that kind of design aesthetic since the beginning. I love oversized fits because they feel very comfortable. New York’s street culture has also influenced me a lot.
The patchwork treatment is a marriage between the Japanese indigo quilt and the Filipino retaso.
Are you planning on staying in New York for an extended period or do you have plans on returning to the Philippines?
I plan on auditioning again for the Fall/Winter season. What I have in mind is a utilitarian collection inspired by the Philippine typhoons. And if I get it, I plan on giving back by starting a drive to raise funds so that these functional pieces can be produced and given for free to those in need.
Yurie accessorized his looks with printed surgery masks that matched the print of the fabrics.
*This interview has been condensed and edited.
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