by KARIN CHAN
editor@charactermedia.com
Model and TV personality Irene Kim has been named Estée Lauder’s newest global beauty contributor.
Self-described as a “girl with a huge heart and cramped closet” across social media, Kim stormed into the fashion scene with what Yahoo calls “Hurricane Irene.” Her Instagram account, which boasts over 552,000 followers, was met with excitement by fans when she broke the news. Estée Lauder’s feature page on Kim lists favorite items like her mother-approved Advanced Night Repair.
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Named an It Girl by Vogue, the 27-year-old Kim moved to Seoul in 2012 after studying textile design at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology.
Now her signature look, Kim’s rainbow tresses are spotted by street photographers wherever she goes, whether it’s New York Fashion Week or KCON. The vivacious model which she will attend to enjoy performances by SISTAR and other K-Pop groups.
“I first dyed the ends blue two years ago because I got bored of my black hair,” Kim told Estée Lauder. “I remember people telling me that I wasn’t going to get any more work because it was just not normal for Asian girls to have colored hair! But now, it has become a part of my identity. My rainbow hair definitely influences my style and makeup, but it doesn’t define me.”
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The vivacious model currently co-hosts two fashion TV shows: Mnet America’s K-style and South Korea’s Style Live. In her most recent episode of K-Style, Kim reveals her modeling debut was just two years ago while chatting with a friend about injecting her personality into a bag design.
Playnomore, a Korean accessories and apparel shop, has featured three purses designed by Kim; one of the purses has already sold-out on the website. Kim expressed on the show that if she is not modeling, then she wants to become a designer, pointing to Karl Lagerfeld as an inspiration.
Kim has a message for young women on what beauty means to her. “Beauty is confidence and how you carry yourself,” Kim told Estée Lauder. “It’s really about finding something you love and making it your own.”
See Also
Soo Joo Park Named L’Oréal’s First Asian American Spokesmodel
Claudia Kim Named the First Asian Ambassador for Bobbi Brown
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Featured image via Irene Kim/Instagram
