01 02 03 INTRODUCTION
TARGET CUSTOMER
SUSTAINABLE CONCEPT
04 DESIGN PROCESS
05 06 07 FINAL DESIGN
PHOTOSHOOT
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
X I MON LEE
25-year-old Parsons grad Ximon Lee is “killing it,� according to Kanye West. Lee, raised in New York, Hong Kong, and Manchuria, applies a multicultural worldview to his architectural designs. The first US-based designer to win the H&M Prize in December of 2014, his winning collection was inspired by a documentary on homeless children in postSoviet Moscow. Lee originally came to New York to study graphic design, but was entranced by the process of garment construction and the prospect of transforming an idea from a flat piece of paper to a 3-D product with body and movement.
Lee’s designs are inspired by unisex workwear uniforms, incorporating denim to achieve an androgynous aesthetic. Driven by the desire to create an entirely new silhouette, Lee enjoys manipulating familiar details like buttons and collars, and “magnifying and elongating them, so that you feel something weird when you look at it.” Pieces usually include another of Lee’s trademarks- cheeky, kitschy sayings in block letters, that adorn the sleeves and hems of his garments. They are “like whispers from my own diary,” he says mysteriously.
TARG ET AU D I ENC E
The Ximon Lee target customer is between 18 and 36 years old, with an interest in avant garde fashion. Lee designs his clothes without specific genders in mind, preferring instead to let the customers gravitate towards pieces with which they connect. Unconventional materials like plastic, cardboard, and copper wire layered with denim and athletic fabrics in angled, abstract shapes make for a nontraditional silhouette, which attracts customers with an appreciation for the intrinsic artistic value of experimental designs. The target customer is educated, either pursuing or having already achieved a college degree, and has a strong interest in fashion, design, or aesthetics. They most likely work in a creative field, and have an annual income ranging from $20,000 to $90,000. They prefer to express their individual tastes rather than following specific trends, and look for ways to stand out from the crowd with their clothes by choosing modern, streetwear-inspired pieces in dark colors and bold shapes.
TARGET PROFI LE
N 1 NAME| AGE| LIVES | OCCUPATION | INCOME | DRIVE | SHOPS | ENJOYS |
N 2 NAME | AGE| LIVES | OCCUPATION | INCOME | DRIVE | SHOPS | ENJOYS |
MAX 32 Oakland, CA Architect at Heller Manus in San Francisco $85,000 annually Tesla Model S Tomorrowland, Barney’s, Mr. Porter Driving to Sonoma on the weekends, going to the new SFMoMA with his girlfriend, blogging about menswear
SAM 24 Brooklyn, NY Sous chef at the Smile in NoHo $50,000 annually Shinola Detroit Arrow Bicycle Alexander Wang, Assembly New York Shopping for vintage clothes, checking out Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, going to concerts at the Jane Ballroom.
SU STAI NABLE CONCEPT
X IMO N LE E x OPENI NG CEREMO NY
Since its founding by childhood friends Carol Lim and Humberto Leon in 2002, the multi-brand boutique Opening Ceremony has been a leader in curating a distinct assemblage of quirky, edgy brands along with nifty trinkets gathered during Lim and Leon’s foreign excursions. With store locations in Los Angeles and Tokyo, a flagship at 22 Howard Street in SoHo, and an extensive e-commerce and social media platform, Opening Ceremony is well-positioned to introduce emerging designers to an audience receptive to a sustainable and avant garde aesthetic. Opening Ceremony does not currently have any sustainability-focused products or specific iniatives, but they do choose an annual “country of the year,” for which they feature local designers and products. 2016’s country is China, which already includes several pieces from Lee’s previous collections.
INSPIRATION
The concept for this product was to layer used fabrics like leftover athletic mesh and scraps of different denims to create a one-of-a-kind garment. To achieve this specific look, a mixture of water and bleach in varying concentrations was applied to the denim, producing a mottled, lived-in effect, reminiscent of the surface patterns of water. The denim was then torn into strips and attached to the back of the garment, where the opaque but amorphous denim pieces provide contrast to the translucent, yet, structed mesh body.
MATERI ALS Repurposed denim // $0 Leftover fabric // $0 Clorox bleach // $4.09 Thread // $5.00 Total cost // $9.09
D ES IG N PR O CES S
BLEACH DENIM
FA BR I C MANI PULAT I O N
GARMENT CONSTRUCTION
P R O M O TIO N AL M AT ERIALS
X IMO N LE E FO R OP E N C E R E M O N Y
R E S O URCES
“About .” Opening Ceremony. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2016. Bateman, Kristen. “Designer Ximon Lee Is “Killing It,” Says Kanye West.”ID. I-D Magazine, 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 09 May 2016. Mau, Dhani. “24-Year-Old Ximon Lee Becomes First U.S. Designer to Win the H&M Design Award.” Fashionista. Breaking Media, Inc., 27 Jan. 2015. Web. 09 May 2016. Neep, Elizabeth. “How Soviet Street Kids Became Part of New York Fashion Week.” Dazed. Dazed Digital, 13 Feb. 2015. Web. 09 May 2016. Petrarca, Emilia. “In Paris, Ximon Lee Impresses Even Kanye West.” W Magazine. Conde Nast, 27 Jan. 2016. Web. 09 May 2016. “Ximon Lee- H&M Design Award 2017.” Ximon Lee. H&M,
Photographer // Heejung Kim Model // Niyna Spellman Makeup // Martha Cockerham Styling // Martha Cockerham, Tatiana Rappacioli, Caroline Lowe, Luisa Soares, Tianyi Wang FASM 400 // Contemporary Issues Professor Donald Levy Spring 2016