Yahoo Lifestyle Korean Fashion Designer Kim Rieul, Who Dressed BTS, Dies at 32
The fashion designer Kim Rieul has died at the age of 32.
Born and raised in Korea, he was known for dressing K-pop band BTS and other high-profile musicians.
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The designer and founder of his namesake company was at home in South Korea, when he “jumped out of the window” Tuesday, his brother Jaek said. The designer was known to be “very passionate” in his life and career, according to his brother, who preferred to defer further comment for a few days.
The designer was reportedly at his parents’ home at the time of his death and had been speaking with someone on the phone shortly before the incident. A funeral for Rieul was being held Wednesday, his brother said.
There were reports that a police investigation is being conducted into Rieul’s death. A media request to the Korean National Police was not immediately acknowledged Wednesday.
Over the past decade, Rieul dressed several musicians including K-pop boy band BTS, Tiga JK, Zico and the group Monsta X designing contemporary suits made of hanbok fabric. Dating back thousands of years, hanbok fabric is known as the traditional clothing of Korea. For the group’s 2020 performance on Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show” at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, the designer created more avant-garde suits for members Jimin, Suga and J-Hope in hanbok. In August 2023, Rieul was named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30 Asia” list, which highlights leading influential figures in the region who are 30 years old or younger. He appeared on the cover of some editions of Forbes in select markets at that time.
The founder had started his own company, Rieul, more than five years ago, according to one of his cousins, who had not identified himself in a telephone interview. The creative worked with Samsung, McLaren, New Balance, Hyunjoon Yoo Architects and other brands during his career. Rieul also designed buildings with Daewoo E & C and sold Okjeongsu, the bottled water from the world’s only Korean white jade mine.
“We don’t know why he died,” his cousin said.
The creative used traditional art, design and techniques in his of-the-moment designs. In 2022, for example, he infused traditional Korean ink wash painting for a custom car for the luxury automotive maker McLaren. Inspired by mother-of-pearl lacquerware and Goryeo celadon, the designer once explained that he aimed “to highlight Korean beauty by preserving tradition instead of distorting it.”
By his own account, the designer had received order inquiries from 50 foreign embassies in Korea and had delivered hanbok suits to 30 ambassadors in the past decade.
In an interview with KF Newsletter last year, Rieul said he calls himself a “designer” even though he did not study design as a major, creating ideas not only through hanbok, but also through photographs and videos. Spending his school days in Jeonju, where the city’s hanbok village of traditional houses had been renewed and hanbok rental businesses had popped up for tourists, the designer discovered its modern appeal. After asking some tourists why they rented hanbok, they told him they wanted to because of the beautiful fabric, Rieul told the KF Newsletter. Prior to that, he considered hanbok to be too inconvenient for people in the 21st century to wear. But after recalling that the modern Western suit design had barely changed since the 19th century, he said he was inspired to use fabric used for hanbok for Western-style suits for rental. To start, he went to Seoul’s Dongdaemun Market for fabrics, and then took one of his own suits to show potential tailors the style he had in mind. Three months later Rieul’s first hanbok suit was completed.
For men, traditional hanbok consists of the “jeogori,” a hip-length loose-fitting jacket, and “baji,” wide-legged and roomy trousers that are tied at the waist and the ankles with drawstrings. A “joggi,” vest, or “durugami” robe is sometimes added on top of the “jeogori” and “baji.” Hanbok was widely worn in Korea before the introduction of Western clothing. After the designer created jeans, tennis skirts, rider jackets and other styles in traditional hanbok silk, he was encouraged to post a look on social media. That image of a non-Korean person wearing a rider jacket, pants and a “gat,” a traditional Korean horsehair hat, and “gombangdae,” smoking pipe, went viral and led to a project with New Balance.
The company’s name was meant to prioritize the positive and effective promotion of Korea through hanbok and hangeul, the Korean alphabet, over profit seeking, the designer explained in an interview with KF Newsletter last year. “Considering its mission, I wanted a name that carried inherently Korean characteristics,” he said.
If you or anyone you know is contemplating suicide, a list of suicide hotlines around the world can be found at www.suicidestop.com. In addition, dialing, texting or chatting 988 in the U.S. will route people to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Lifeline’s phone number 800-273-8255 is also available to people, who are experiencing emotional distress or suicidal crisis.
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