Kim Choong-Wilkins (London, UK)

The Royal College of Art graduate Kim Choong-Wilkins raised and based in London, begins by quoting the following passage in regards to his 'Bodybound' menswear collection, "We must not look at goblin men; We must not buy their fruits: Who knows upon what soil they fed; Their hungry thirsty roots?" Featuring dark and eccentric detailing on his spiked, stretched, stand-out designs, to him they represent fearless attitudes and rebellious ideals in his world of self-created beings.

Q&A
Where are you based?
In an underground larder, in a crumbling Georgian house, in the centre of London.

Where are you from?
London.

How old are you?
26.

Why did you become interested in fashion?
For me, fashion is very much a medium for rallying against mediocrity. The beauty of this industry is that at the end of each concept we have something that exists in the world that demands to be addressed because of its existence. It allows us to give an answer to questions that are addressed in our environment, that then becomes accessible to a wider audience.

If I am brutally honest my passion for men's knitwear stemmed from my great disappointment in the lack of ambition in many contemporary collections. Although things are already changing for the better there is still too much emphasis on reservation being equated with sophistication. There is nothing masculine about being reserved, if anything it is the singularly most emasculating thing I can think of. Menswear needs to be dazzling again, I think that is what we should strive for.

Tell us about your collection?
My collection, "Bodybound," explores the human condition; desire and the perverse. Referencing both the macabre photography of Joel-Peter Witkin and this particular verse by Christina Rossetti, the collection revolves around skin, sinew, muscle, and bone. It pumps sex back into a craft that has become lust-less, prompting arousal and addiction for men's knitwear. It examines the relationship between seduction and repulsion. I aimed to develop an aesthetic whereby form and structure have the same baring as texture. There is so much more to menswear knit than making a statement based on the depth of a neckline! I want my knits to be crackling with attitude. The fabrics of the collection are hard and glistening, with aggressively distinctive shapes, nothing nice or polite.

Were you intentionally playing on punk and almost gothic elements?
Intentionally... no. The work of Joel-Peter Witkin played an important part, however. There is something really mesmeric about his work. As a viewer, you enter into an act of great aesthetic seduction and yet the subject matter is so often disquieting, often repelling. I like that there is a great use of the classical vernacular that we are all so used to seeing in old masters paintings, and the feeling of discomfort that creeps up on you as you digest what is displayed before you. In that his aesthetic is quite transgressive and that I adopted this, I suppose you could say there were strong punk elements in my work.

What do these subcultures mean to you?
Rebellion, anti-authoritarianism, individualism, free thought, anti-conservatism.

Where do you seek for inspiration?
It often starts with a visual connection, and I build from there. It's quite instinctual, and from this position I start my analysis, about what is really engaging and captivating about the concepts, moods and aesthetics involved in my inspiration. There are times when a piece of writing or something I have heard has sparked my process, but even these have had a very physical and visible quality to them. I enjoy the interaction with things that are jarring and obtuse, universal things that we all find uncomfortable, because I think that in this way we discover a little more about the nature of what makes us human.

What are your plans for the future?
I want to establish my career by pushing through the boundaries surrounding men's knitwear; to find a new vernacular for extravagance in menswear. At the moment I am dead-set on finding the funding to make this happen as an independent designer.

Who is your favorite designer and why?
Mugler and Gaultier from the 90s I thought were brilliant. The Gaultier S/S 1994 show had me mesmerised for hours on loop as at the age of 11. All those tattoos, chains, shaved heads, drums, vocals, sweat... I was completely seduced.

What makes you happy?
There is nothing like seeing your work march down the catwalk and watching it become unrecognisable, because all of a sudden it claims a life of its own, you let it go... and it walks without you.
                                                                                           
Where can we buy your designs?
Directly from the horse's mouth.

CREDITS
Photography by Bruna Kazinoti
Styling by John Colver