Timur Kim Hearts Denim

We profile the designer and his love affair with our choice fabric.

He presented his first collection aged just 16 during Fashion Week in his native St. Petersburg, moving to London in 2006 to study at Central Saint Martins and later going on to win the Pringle award both in 2010 and 2011-collaborating with the brand as part of The Pringle Archive Project in February 2011, a move which saw his designs lauded across the board both digitally and in print-as well as picking up the Chloe award, also in 2011. Earlier this year his MA collection was shown alongside other CSM students during London Fashion Week, and his first post-MA standalone show took place last month with Vauxhall Fashion Scout on the grand first floor of the Freemason's Hall.

Like Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida before him, Timur Kim studied under the respected Louise Wilson whom he describes in show notes as having "shaped me as a designer and taught me to believe in my instincts." Similarly to the Portuguese couple his designs also revolve around denim, or more specifically (for Kim) the simple denim shirt. Not that you will find a plain shirt in his work, oh no; the idea instead is about embracing and enhancing the elements that make up this every day piece and transforming them into something more advanced. For AW12 this meant floor trailing dresses with varying sleeve lengths, contrasting denims and the richest of velvets neatly adorned with triangles and diagonal seams, all neatly pulled together with clean cut lines.

His recent SS13 show introduced new fabrics such as clear PVC and silk, the latter printed with 'denim' and set alongside white floral patterns across day dresses, trousers and shirts. With the models' hair kept ultra simple the feminine-but considerably cool-catwalk made for a mega covetable collection. Alex Fury noted that his debut collection "seemed alive," and Kim's latest designs only support that statement further, with an aching wearability about them. If Britney and Justin ruined patchwork denim, Timur Kim is here to reclaim it.

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