Marie Claire Maison
Universe Kim (Universo Kim)
February/March 2025
*A creative space for living and working. The Korean[-American] designer's factory-home celebrates a continuity between tradition and modernity. It integrates art, functionality, and sustainability.
*
On Broadway, in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, amid skyscrapers and historic buildings like the United Artists Theater, lies the home, studio, and factory of Christina Kim (designer and founder of the eco-conscious brand dosa), a creative space for exhibitions and projects supporting artisanal techniques and communities. Born in South Korea, [Christina Kim] moved to L.A. when she was fifteen. A globetrotter and tireless explorer, and with a degree in Fine Arts and History, she has influenced the world of fashion with a humanistic approach, placing global artisanal traditions and skills at the center of her universe and work. She has drawn inspiration from fabrics and artifacts from many countries, as well as from the artworks of painters such as Jacob Lawrence and Cy Twombly, and the textiles of Annie Albers, a pioneer of the Bauhaus School. Christina Kim works with traditional textile producers in Japan, China, and especially India. In addition to her Korean background, these are constant points of reference. As a cultured researcher and nomadic designer, she has given a contemporary interpretation to traditional techniques and clothing, experimenting with infinite shades of natural color and introducing a taste for imperfection, human gesture, and chance into weaving, sewing, and embroidery. She creates a highly personal style that combines the lightness of khadi (a fabric central to Indian cultural identity) with a simple, functional elegance. The result is a distinctive, sensitive, and vibrant grace. The same grace is evident in her sun-filled loft, which occupies the entire floor of a historic 1920s building under the Californian sky. The vast open space has exposed brick walls, large windows, and a concrete floor and ceiling, which reflect the essence of her work: Christina Kim's private life is inseparable from her creativity and does not include any luxury items. The closet containing her wardrobe was salvaged from the United Artists building. dosa (named after her mother’s nickname, and meaning “thinker” in Korean) wastes nothing; fabric scraps are preserved and put back into production, a recycling system dosa has been committed to since the 1990s. Everything is neat and refined, yet also casual and comfortable. Each piece bears the mark of a craftsman's touch. King-size pillows, ceramics, baskets, numerous art books, travel diaries, photos, and research objects. A home full of emotion and inspiration that narrates the fascinating connection between traditions and cultures in contemporary style.
text: Chiara Tomasini
photo: Christopher Sturman
producer: Paola Moretti
english translation: Ilaria Mazzoleni