GEMMA KAHNG

Designer Gemma Kahng was born and raised in Korea. As a child growing up in Korea, her favorite hobby was designing and making paper clothes for her paper dolls. Without realizing it she was preparing for her career as a fashion designer.

She came to the United States with her family when she was 14 years old when her father accepted a teaching position at a university in Michigan. Because she didn't know any English, she felt most comfortable in her art classes and she decided to continue studying art in college.

She enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago majoring in fashion design. As soon as she graduated, she came to New York City to start her career as a fashion designer. At first, she started as an assistant designer and freelance designer on 7th Avenue, gaining knowledge and experience in the fashion business. In 1989, she felt she was ready to launch her own collection. Her first collection was a small collection representing her personal unique style. As soon as it was launched, her collection was carried by nearly 30 prestigious stores and a full-page editorial in Vogue magazine.

From then on Gemma Kahng was on her way to become a successful designer. Her collection was carried by most major department stores and featured regularly in magazines such as Vogue and the New York Times.

Gemma's design concept is inspired from everything she studies. She is interested in the arts, architecture, films and most importantly fashion history from various periods, as well as costumes from many different cultures.