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⏩ Click Here for Korean

Solhee Baek
Please introduce yourself.
Villain Kim
It was the most difficult for me to introduce myself. But I think of myself as an artist. Of course, I'm a designer, but I don't make clothes to look pretty. I'm focusing a lot on what I think and show what's inside me. So, since it is a brand that expresses invisible inner things as a theme, it is very close to an artist. I am very interested in things about the body. For example, dancing is done with the body, and the clothes are wrapped around the body. The body is a medium, a standard that separates each other as individuals, and can show various things that play itself as one. Broadly speaking, I have a lot of thoughts about humans. Especially about the thoughts and emotions that humans can have.
SH
Are you interested in other people or are you interested in yourself?
VK
I am most interested in myself. Because I can feel myself best. So, I do a lot of experiments based on myself. Modeling is also one of the ways I express myself to other people. My brand, Villain, was also very strong in the spirit of experimentation with myself as a model at first. I wanted to do makeup and poses like this, so I experimented with myself rather than having someone else do it.
SH
The villain brand started as an experiment. So, how did you start fashion? Did you start out in Milan?
VK
(As for why I went to Italy, there is no bigger reason than I thought. It is true that I had a desire for Europe.)
The university I entered in Korea at that time was very different from what I had imagined. I thought that fashionable clothing styles and socially acceptable beauty were socially pre-determined languages. I thought that producing new things rather than reproducing them in a fixed language is development, and I thought it would be a courtesy in a fashion school. In that sense, I pursued a lot of novelty, and I made and wore clothes myself. But since I don't have friends like that, I became a 'other person'. Then I realized I need to find a place with a philosophy like mine.
I heard that my friend was doing some kind of scholarship project in Italy. There, I learned design, went to fashion shows, and heard about some fashion-related projects. So I looked for it too, and the seminar was a briefing about the Italian NABA (Nouva Accademia di Belle Arti) University. As I continued to search, I naturally turned my eyes to overseas, went to seminars, and asked the most questions. Then I applied, got accepted and went to Italy.
And I started thinking about fashion when I was in middle school. At that time, I was just taking notes when I came up with an idea. I wish I had clothes like this Looking at an old photo, I thought, ‘If I wear this kind of clothes with the neckline fixed, I’ll be pretty. I thought of things like, ‘This combination of colors would be pretty. But in high school, I made clothes to wear when traveling. It was a mess because I didn't learn it properly and made it randomly, but I was proud that I had created what I had envisioned, so I really liked the clothes I made for the first time.
SH
You went to Italy unexpectedly?
VK
Actually, I didn't expect it. I didn't necessarily have Italy in mind. When I got there, it was really good. As I got used to it educationally and culturally, I expressed myself there and communicated a lot with people through art. For example, in a class called contemporary performance art, I learned art in the form of expressing emotions and objects through dance and body. The class that comes to mind at that time is to put one classmate in the center and the rest of the friends around themselves become water and soap to express “shower booth” by making sound and expressing texture. I learned that I can communicate through human art, and I think I gained an identity as an artist in the way I learned at that time. I felt that my body itself became an art, and I gained a lot of self-esteem, so I really love that professor at that time. After that, I exchanged in London. As a student, I led the theme given to our group (making Haruki Murakami's novel into an upcycled collection) in a group project by way of body expression. Members danced the emotions in the novel wearing clothes they found at the recycling center. I danced and took pictures moment by moment, and made a collection by tracing the movement of fabrics in different shapes.
After that, I continued to use my body to express my collection, naturally I started wearing my clothes and posting on Instagram, and my photographer friends contacted me, so we worked together a lot. It was so much fun, so I made a lot of friends, went to a lot of parties, received a photo shoot for a campaign from another fashion brand, and a small agency called Wynat contacted me, and after joining that agency, I often hung out with them. A community was formed and I felt a sense of belonging. Being able to feel a sense of belonging while doing what I love to do was a great fortune for me and these are unforgettable moments.
I knew what this really meant with water. At that time, I thought I hadn't met the right person before.
SH
You could say I found a community. As you expand your activities in Italy, when did you start working as an Italian singer's music video, brand ambassador, or influencer externally?
VK
For that part, I think I should talk about my identity first. On the contrary, when I was a teenager, I never had any concerns about puberty or identity. Because I just studied. And when I came to Italy, people kept saying that I was Chinese. It's true that China is Asian, but I kept getting asked, "Why is that definition so important?" I often think, ‘Why is it so important that people who climb several times a day talk about it?’ Then who am I, or do I only look like an Asian of Chinese descent? I wanted to When someone asked who Ga-eun Kim was, I just wanted to be a cool person regardless of race to people who only see me as a Chinese Asian.
So I thought a lot about my identity. ‘Why do you define me this way? I made up my own answer, ‘I am this kind of person’. My answer to how society sees me like that, coming to Italy, I developed my own identity.
As a result, people took an interest in me from a different perspective and started a brand with that identity. Gradually, I started accepting me as a model once or twice, naturally, I started working as a model with a brand.
SH
A villain's brand is your identity.
VK
Yes. I think that's where the villain came from. An identity that rebels against the image of a woman who must be passive and fit into society. I wanted to create a brand for those who want to be a great woman across all races.
As I said before, I have a lot of thoughts about beauty. I think Korea has a lot of interest in beauty to the extent that it is said to be a superstitious appearance. But beauty is defined by society, and I thought a lot that I did not fit that definition. Because beauty in society seemed to mean a feeling of being mature and good without being uncomfortable for anyone. But I am very jealous, jealous, and angry. So I thought I was the exact opposite. But anger can be beautiful in its own way, can't it? There was a bit of a revolt. I thought that even angry people want to express themselves in a sexy and cool way. So I started to prove my beauty under the name of Villain.
Sungwoo Choi
It reminds me of Vivienne Westwood. Just as the designer took pictures of the nudes of grandmothers and showed them freely about their bodies.
VK
That's right. However, there are many misunderstandings, so many people think that it is just Satan worship or something like that. But absolutely not. I'm even a Christian. A villain brand doesn't mean to consume something evil and rebellious. For example, the Batman-inspired BatmanKim jacket also featured the characters Batman and Joker, where one character had a lot of money in the social leadership class, and the other had a lot of difficulties. They both want to kill each other, so that means they want to kill each other. But we think of Batman as a good hero. Because I lit up the lights on Batman. I also thought that these two characters were similar to each other... .The Joker is an alienated character, but it is similar that Batman has a new identity due to great pain.. Wouldn't the psychology of alienated villains be an interesting topic? I think that things that look good and are not rebellious dominate. I wanted to say that even the feeling of being alienated has value in expressing itself and can be attractive. To put it more broadly, I want to say that we can live and express those difficult, alienated, and unfamiliar feelings.
SH
The idea of the brand as a villain is very clear. It must have been a lot of trial and error and a lot of trouble.
VK
That's right. Still, the villain came naturally. It was not a big decision like ‘I’m going to start a brand’ or ‘I should start a business, but I had a strong verbal intention to say what I wanted to say right away.
It started with the thought, “Please listen to my story.” So, there was no moment to make a decision to start. I wanted to convey to people the things I thought and learned in my life. You asked before, what do you think of fashion? It is in the same vein as I said that I think of fashion as a language. As a language that conveys a message, I wanted to convey more than a simple message.
SH
Is there any difference between you in the villain and you outside the villain? What is your relationship with the villain?
VK
Speaking of my relationship with the villain, it can be said that it is the relationship between preparation and results. The villain is my future, and I keep moving and preparing, looking forward to the villain. This is my other self and the future I want to be. In a way, it can be said that it is the relationship between a mother and daughter, and a manager and a lover. I support the villain from behind.
SH
After coming to Korea after Corona, the villain brand became more focused on Korea. Is there any difference from the villain brand that came to Korea?
VK
Since I came to Korea from Italy due to Corona, some images of villains have already been left behind in Italy. Because I already knew that the culture and language that make up society would all be different. There were things I had already experienced about what a country called Korea was like, so I left some parts of the villain in Italy. And I did not try to change the villain brand to fit into Korean society forcibly. What I can do now is focus on the brand. Recently, I met Korean artists, some of them were only in Korea, and some had studied abroad. As we talked and hung out together, I saw a lot of similarities with myself. For example, even though I don't have money, I felt liberated by being with artists like people dancing on the street to express human emotions and life through dance. At the same time, I thought that I hadn't met people who thought deeply about what they thought of art, not about the country.
SH
So, are you changing to the Korean and Italian experiences?
VK
Yes, it's changing. It is changing about Korea and Italy before Italy, and Korea after Corona. When I first came to Korea, I thought it was important to have my own way, which I experienced in Italy.
Only then can I get people's attention, and I think I saw it as a person who can shine underground as well. On the other hand, I think Korea highly appreciates the ability to understand the public in order to get public attention, catch what the public wants, interpret it, and express it well. So I'm not throwing away my own story, but I'm realizing that what I'm talking about is making money with that value when the public recognizes it and reaches it. I had a prejudice that the more I do artistic things, the less money I get. And there was a prejudice that I had to give up my own thing to make money. But now, I think, “How can I tell the value of the villain brand?” I think that's what I applied to the brand as I experienced Italy and Korea.
SH
The villain brand is growing, what do you think of as the best villain brand?
VK
The success of the villain brand reminds me of how I became the president. Sitting in a comfy, quirky chair that only the boss sits on, I wear red lipstick, a leather jacket, a dress with big shoulders, sleeves and gloves, holding a herbal cigarette with my fingers. Of course, I don't smoke, but I'm going to smoke a herbal therapy cigarette that's good for my body because it looks cool. And on one side is a crystal glass with orange rum and ice. A similar image is a villain from the movie Cruella or the movie “The Godfather,” but with the same beauty as the female version.
SH
So, Gaeun, what's your current challenge to be in your best shape like this?
VK
I believe that my own brand will be built more along the way, and I have been doing this for two years now, and my challenge is to keep the self-esteem that allows me to continue to trust and go on as a villain every day, hourly, hourly. I have to believe in myself, love myself, be proud of myself, and consider myself important, but this is the most difficult thing in the world. I know I can be successful enough to express myself confidently. But it's harder to live life with that conviction every day. I really sympathized with Sol-hee's previous comments that he seemed to be bold about big things and timid about small things. I have a challenge every day.
SH
From what I've heard, You are quietly fighting fiercely by herself.
VK
Yes, I just wanted to say that we fight fiercely. And everyone has to fight fiercely, because everyone is fighting. The time period is different for each person, but in order to achieve what they want, everyone has to fight against the saboteurs (whether from others or from themselves) that impede themselves. In that sense, I think we have to fight fiercely.
SH
What do you gain from fighting fiercely every day in Korea?
VK
Patience. I think I'm gaining patience. I used to enjoy myself as confident as I was when I was in Italy. But at some point, I got a little arrogant. In the past, I was honestly very arrogant. And I enjoyed that arrogance because it was fun. I thought I was a person who could feel arrogant, and I thought, ‘I’m at that level. But regardless of whether it was or not, I think I was just looking at myself too much. Then, at some point, I realized that I don't always have the space to express myself like this, and I came to know that I would grow bigger only if I could love even the process of enduring something. Unlike my previous image, which was always fiery and I didn’t like it, when I embraced even if I was different, I learned that perseverance connects everything. And in the process, I think I gained a lot of space.
SH
You mean a different leisure from the previous one?
VK
Yes. I can really afford it. It's different from pretending to be relaxed. It can be said to be a belief that is convinced that greater things are ahead. It's not that I'm showing something quickly because I'm anxious, but it gives me a sense of confidence that I can see from a distance in the long run.
SH
and what have you lost?
VK
What is lost is youth. I think I lost two years of youth. In other words, a lot of the fun is gone. About life in Italy and other culture and personal life caused by Corona.
SH
I agree. let me ask you one last question. What are the things that others can't see, but which are particularly visible to you?
VK
I love seeing things that other people don't find beautiful. In a way, I have a language that sees beauty that can only be seen by me, so I can also see myself swaying fiercely alone.

SW
It's like the eve of the storm. Before the storm, calm and calm, but inside the storm.

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