In a way, by simplifying and reducing, Lim is channeling his early days as a designer, when his vision was clear and he’d yet to be influenced by retail demands and an increasingly fast system. “I can honestly say we started so humble, and I just want to return to that,” he says. “What I used to do was so siloed, and it was only about what I wanted to make, without consideration of what it meant or how it might help or hurt [people and the planet].
Lim says his less-is-more approach has improved his design process and helped his team “speak the same language” as retailers. “It really clarifies what you’re about [as a designer], and for me it’s really that cool, easy, chic wardrobe for the modern global citizen. If it isn’t something you can imagine in her life, then we probably shouldn’t make space for it.
That said, Lim believes retailers are to blame for one of the biggest obstacles designers are facing right now: the hardline regulations they place on packaging and delivering their collections. Nearly every wholesale account requires items to be individually packaged in poly bags, or thin plastic sleeves, to avoid wrinkles and stains and to streamline the unpacking process. Think about the volume of clothes being shipped to those stores and it’s a serious issue.