Remembering Rieul Kim, BTS’s modern hanbok designer
Rieul Kim, the contemporary hanbok designer who rose to fame with his creations for K-pop giants BTS and Monsta X, has died recently. The news was confirmed by loved ones on February 12.
Since launching his eponymous label Rieul in 2016, the 32-year-old designer had captivated the fashion world from South Korea to beyond. Inspired by his upbringing in the historic city of Jeonju, he broke into the scene by using traditional Korean hanbok fabrics to create Western-style suits. His first suit took him six months to tailor.
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Following the advice of friends and family, Kim shared his east-meets-west designs on social media. Within a week, his pieces garnered 20,000 likes. Taking this as a good sign, the wide-eyed designer expanded his universe to include the traditional silks on other forms of Western attire such as jeans, rider jackets, sweatshirts and tennis skirts. He even dared to put his modern spin on historical Korean accessories from gat—a horsehair hat—to the gombangdae smoking pipe.
It was in 2020, however, that Kim’s label experienced a true meteoric rise. Turns out, BTS’ Jimin, J-Hope and Suga wore Rieul designs during their electrifying performance at Seoul’s historic Gyeongbokgung Palace for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. More than 100,000 of the boy band’s Army watched as they sang and danced their hearts out in all-black designs with Kim’s signature traditional Korean touches.
Kim’s popularity grew even more as K-pop legends like G-Dragon, Monsta X and Zico also enlisted him to design their outfits. His list of influential clients then evolved to include athletes and over 30 custom orders for South Korea’s foreign ambassadors.
BTS’s performance on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’
Fashion, including creating customs for influential clients like BTS, was just his starting point. Recognised by the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in 2023, the talent had also collaborated with New Balance and reimagined a McLaren car using traditional Korean ink wash painting techniques. He had also partnered with architectural firms to design buildings.
From the start, Kim aimed to spread awareness of South Korean culture and heritage through his namesake label—a dream no doubt fulfilled. May his legacy live on.
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