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The grand finale offered Kim an opportunity to do what she really wants. “I think this is the right time to show people what Minju Kim is really [all about],” she said.

Fashion dragons

 Contestants started the show in teams. Minju Kim was paired with Chinese designer Angel Chen, and they christened themselves the “dragon princesses”.

They advanced to the semi-finals, nailing looks for the prints and patterns and streetwear categories, marrying their styles into breathtaking pieces, and later, winning challenges on their own.

Fragile confidence 

One of Chung’s first questions asked all the designers was whether any of them had attended top fashion schools. Kim actually graduated from two: the Samsung Art Design Institute in 2008 and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp in 2013.

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While at school, she won the H&M Design Award in 2013, and designed a nine-piece, 1960s mod-inspired collection for the brand. Kim was also a semi-finalist in the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers in 2014. She has designed for top girl group Red Velvet, and two years ago, she dabbled in menswear for the first time, creating stage looks for global K-pop boy band BTS.

Despite her background, Kim still doubted herself. During the final round of the show, it took words of encouragement from her family, rival competitor Daniel Fletcher and the hosts of the show to remind her how good she is: “Remember Minju, we see your talent. You can win this.”

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She responded, “OK. I will go for it”.

Final moment

Unlike other reality shows, Next in Fashion did not encourage snide remarks, mean spiritedness or ultra-competitive participants. Competitors were encouraged to be true to themselves. With a wardrobe full of fabrics and tools at their disposal, each designer was encouraged to express their individuality – and Kim was certainly in touch with her design sensibilities.

Staying true to her beliefs as she worked on a 10-piece, Frida Kahlo-inspired collection, with a wedding dress as her show-stopper, she worked on gowns that exuded femininity, elegance and a lot of volume – a “very Minju” collection. Fletcher played a role in Kim’s finale look, too, offering advice on how to work around the wedding veil, and its unveiling.

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With her sense of colour, a dash of her own interpretation of sexy, Minju-style silhouettes, and a wedding dress finale that made guest judge Eva Chen of Instagram “want to get married again”, Kim’s runway show wowed the crowd, bringing smiles to everyone’s faces, and making her family cry tears of joy.

“This is what inspires me … what makes me really Happy Minju,” wa how she described her Frida Kahlo-themed dresses. “Next in Fashion makes me realise how much I love this job and how much I’m such a great fashion designer … I’m very proud of myself.”

Kim’s collection with Net-a-Porter is now available (except for the jacquard wide-leg pants that are sold out) on the website.

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