In an era of fast times and even faster fashion, there are few designers remaining who dedicate themselves to craftsmanship and technique. Christine Hyun Mi Nielsen, a Danish designer of Korean descent, is one of those aforementioned few that have embraced the slower pace of high fashion as a couturier. Having previously held positions at Givenchy, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen, Nielsen launched her eponymous line, Hyun Mi Nielsen in 2016. Her inventive designs often utilize upcycled materials, in harmony with Danish passion for sustainability. Nielsen’s latest collection, Mensch was released in January of this year.
Read a Q&A with Christine Hyun Mi Nielsen below and view an editorial featuring the _Summer Solstice_ collection above:
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**Can you speak about your first interaction with the fashion world, and how that lead you down the path of studying fashion design? Was that as a child in Denmark or Korea?**
I grew up in Denmark. I am adopted from Korea. As long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a designer. Whether it started as a kid with playing dress up with my sister in my mother's old clothes or it was the impact of the fashion magazines my father brought me from Paris, I don't know. But as long as I remember this is the only thing I wanted to do.
**Before launching Hyun Mi Nielsen in 2016, you held many high positions at Givenchy, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen. What was one thing that you took away from each house that you now implement--or maybe do not implement--into your own company?**
Generally, I would say there is a method that is more or less the same across all the different places I have worked when it comes to creating a new collection. That's the approach I also use when I work on my own label and when I work as a consultant.
**You've noted that the modern day fashion industry is too two dimensional and fast for your taste. Is that why you are drawn to Haute Couture design as a sort of rebellion to that common practice?**
Hyun Mi Nielsen is a ready-to-wear label. But when I started out it made sense to me to show on couture, because there only was 2 seasons a year so the pace is slower. I didn't want to be caught up in having to produce a pre-collection and a main collection. Showing on couture gives me the freedom to create small collections with an emphasis on technique and craftsmanship which I love.
**In your most recent collection, Mensch, you use a lot of upcycled materials. What made you want to use upcycled materials for this collection? And were those fabrics still are sourced in France or Italy like many of your previously used fabrics in past collections?**
My company is based in Paris so all the upcycled materials were found in flea markets and in vintage shops of Paris, very few things were found in Denmark. I also recycled fabrics from my first and second collections as they worked for what I wanted for my third collection. But the majority of the materials were still sourced from Italy and France.
**Your collections hold narratives that are visible strongly at your shows. You have said that you want your audience to take something away from them. What did you want the take away for the Mensch collection to be?**
For my Mensch collection I was working with two concepts: the concept of finding beauty in alternative things, found objects, mundane objects. And the second concept was movement of material and the sound of the movement of materials, such as the jingling of seashells, the soft rustle of parachute silk and the slow-motion of which a silk chiffon flutters through air. I always hope to touch the audience. I hope they leave the presentations with an imprint of Hyun Mi Nielsen.
**A few of your models in the show were barefoot, which is something you don't see too often on the runway especially in haute couture. Can you explain your decision on that?**
It just felt right. I liked the free-spirited vibe it gave to the looks.
**For those who are not familiar, can you explain what it means to be a guest member of the official haute couture calendar?**
To be a guest member on the official couture calendar means you are invited. That you have applied to the Federation Francaise de la Couture and they have excepted and invited you to show along side the official couture houses such as Dior and Chanel on the official Couture calendar. This application has to be renewed each season.
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All clothing by HYUN MI NIELSEN
Written by Kathleen Juarez
Photography by Niklas Bergstrand
Styling by Elin Bjursell
Models: Carmen Julia at The Face, Maria Nikitsina at Girl MGMT, and Yuanna Li
Casting by RAMA Casting
Makeup by Anna Sadamori
Hair by Yolette Bouchar
Underwear by Yasmine Eslami, Wolford and Falke.
Special thanks to Totem Fashion
