That’s why working with Charles & Keith — a brand that excels in creating timeless, chic, and often monochromatic accessories available for everyone around the world — was a no-brainer for Kim. “I loved that Charles & Keith contacted me first because they understood my art, my style,” Kim says. “The collection is a mixture of art and fashion, featuring a bold, unique, and very stylish look.”
The feeling is mutual. In a press release, Charles & Keith’s design director Fredie Stevens said the brand “has always enjoyed collaborating with emerging creative talent across fields of art and design” and added that they had been long-time “personal admirers” of Kim’s works. “It was particularly exciting for the team to work with Henn Kim in bringing a fresh take on one of her signature illustrations to life through this capsule – especially given the important message at its core on inspiring self-expression, which resonates with our own brand values.”
The reason why Kim chose the anatomical heart motif for the collection, and not many of the others in her repertoire like the bandaid, goes back to the communal feeling she often extols. The idea of finding something precious in something precarious and turning black into light.
“After the pandemic, everyone was very apprehensive of each other, very distant from each other, so I felt as if love, as if we, were growing apart from each other,” Kim explains. “Everyone has a heart beating in the left side of their chest, so I wanted to create this collection and put the hearts in there to really remind everybody that we all have hearts. We can wear them on our products and see with the naked eye that love is everywhere. It’s a reminder that love is all around us.”
Kim’s wish of seeing the collection everywhere came true first with a campaign fronted by en vogue actress Han Sohee, whom you might recognize from popular Netflix K-dramas like Nevertheless and My Name. Han, who signed as a global brand ambassador for Charles & Keith earlier this year, is known to favor a darker aesthetic in her downtime, making the campaign a match made in sartorial heaven.