A niche man
Fashion designer Phillip Lim talks about tattoos, price points and social media
New York-based fashion designer Phillip Lim is the man with the dragon tattoo. "It has deer horns, rabbit eyes, fish scales, and breathes fire, because it has to make any environment work for it, like I have to," he says of his tattoo, just one of the many body art pieces that make up the creative map of his life.
His growing tattoo collection started when he moved to New York and, today, it covers his back and arms, each piece filled with a personal and meaningful story of when his life changed direction or veered off-course in some way.
Lim has had a unique experience in his journey as a fashion designer. Starting out as a business student at university, he went against his parents' wishes and dropped out to pursue a degree in home economics. He learned creative crafts, such as sewing and design. After getting his degree, he did an internship, followed by an assistant position at a design house. He then moved forward to co-found and design for the label Development.
At age 31 - hence the name 3.1 Phillip Lim - he relocated to New York and set out to build his eponymous collection, a line of exquisite designer clothing that hit a more affordable price point than what was on the market. With business partner and present CEO Wen Zhou, they carved out a new niche in the contemporary designer market, filling a major retail sweet spot.
Lim designed luxurious wardrobe staples, such as romantic dresses, silk blouses, tailored pants and outerwear, that retailed for hundreds of US dollars rather than the luxury market's usual thousands. He saw no need for women to have to sacrifice elegance for price.
Chic women of all ages immediately began to sport his youthful, wearable frocks and separates at red carpet events and casual lunches alike. His clothing is practical, confident, functional and injected with just the right amount of cool. His collections were well received on the runways and, with an arsenal of understated yet unique wardrobe staples, they were a hit with retailers as well.
His talents were lauded right off the heels of his 2005 debut collections and, in the years that followed, he won numerous awards. His brand now includes women's, men's, outerwear, children's, shoes, handbags and accessories.
Every year, he leads the designs for 14 collections - seven ready-to-wear and seven accessories collections. Today, the Phillip Lim brand can be found at 435 retail locations in more than 50 countries. The brand has flagship stores in New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing and Seoul.
The 3.1 Phillip Lim spring 2014 runway show during New York Fashion Week was held in a vast warehouse in Manhattan's Chelsea neighbourhood. Mellow tribal beats filled a room shrouded in a light fog and carpeted in crystal rock salt. The effect was ethereal, serene and peaceful. Lim showed 39 looks in a range of muted colours with pops of iridescent blue, green and gold. Channelling geode formations and raw landscapes and terrains, his colourful prints were captivating on silk, jacquard and scuba leather separates and dresses.