The New York City-based hatmaker's success may come as a surprise to Dartmouth students, considering the dearth of fashion design courses on campus. Yet, according to Kim, her liberal arts education has only propelled her to further success.
"I feel like I'm better at what I do because I went to a liberal arts school instead of design school because now I can see things in different ways," Kim said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "I have a combination of left and right brain skills, which results in longevity in the fashion business. For example, during the recession, I was actually on the upswing because I knew about business and psychology I could understand what people wanted."
Perhaps even more surprising than Kim's unusual profession is the fact that the designer began her Dartmouth career on the pre-med track. A fortuitous accident, however, convinced Kim to rethink her career goals.
"I was sliding down a snowy hill on a cafeteria tray and broke my back," Kim explained. "I had to stay in a hospital for two months. It was so depressing that's when I knew I didn't want to be a doctor."
According to Kim, she abandoned her pre-med track to major in psychology, planning to become a journalist. After graduation, she enrolled in a publishing course, and worked at Conde Nast for almost two years. Another fluke accident acted as the catalyst for her hat making business.
"One night on vacation, I had too many drinks and decided to give myself a haircut," she said. "It was so bad I ended up having to shave it all off. I spent the rest of the vacation making a hat to cover it up, and when I got back to New York, people started asking me where I had gotten my hat. I decided to go for it and start a business."
Since then, Kim's hats have spread to high-end department stores and independent boutiques. Celebrities including Natalie Portman, Nicole Richie and even Madonna have sported her designs, and her hats have even appeared in runway shows for such high-profile fashion designers as Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan and Coach, among others.
Kim's Target line, dubbed Eugenia Kim for Target, represents the retailer's first-ever limited-edition collection of hats, according to the New York Daily News. The line draws its inspiration from the resort style of Cuba in the 1940s and 1950s. "Think Cuban ladies smoking cigars pre-Castro," she told the Daily News.
"I love Target. They're like the best company on earth," Kim said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
In addition to the Target collection, Kim has her own line for Spring and Summer 2010. The line includes hats made of both straw and assorted woolen materials, all of which put new twists on classic designs.
According to Kim, her Asian heritage has had a significant influence on her work, both aesthetically speaking and in terms of business.
"What I do is very cosmetic, because it's about your face," she said. "Out of the 3000 people that came to my sample sale, 2000 were Asian. People with fat faces look good wearing my hats. It's just like how people buy clothes to fit their body type you should buy hats to fit your face type. Also, Asian girls just like to buy clothes and accessories."
Kim's team consists of 40 to 50 people. With such a large group, she said she likes to hire a lot of interns.
"I really love working with interns and teaching people everything," she said. "When an intern has a lot of energy, I'll teach them everything I know. I'll even send them to Paris. But you have to be passionate about it."
Kim has hired a lot of interns over the years even some from Dartmouth. Although her experience with them has been mostly positive, she said she has had a few that have an unfortunate Ivy League sense of entitlement.
"Just because you've had an internship doesn't mean you're better than everyone," Kim laughed.
She knows from experience.
"I had a million internships at Conde Nast where I did really stupid things I was literally picking up diet pill prescriptions for people. But I learned so much from it, because I worked my butt off. I worked from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day," Kim said, stressing the importance of always performing to your full potential, especially in New York, where one can easily get lost. Always being exceptional, according to Kim, pays off in the end when people remember you and return the favor.
With a successful design company that is still growing, it appears that all of Kim's hard work has come to fruition.
"I really love what I do ... I love the drama," Kim said. "I get close to my group of co-workers every season. At the end of it, we'll have our own little language. Most of the people I work with are younger than me, but I have more energy than most 22-year-olds, so it's okay."
Kim's energy and determination are consistent with city-girl stereotypes. Indeed, Kim said she loves living in a city and leads a very fast-paced life. Her time at Dartmouth, thus, was a time for relaxation.
"It was a respite from how frenetic my life usually is," Kim explained.
As for Dartmouth's lasting impact, Kim pointed to Hanover weather.
"I don't know if it inspired me in any way it was so cold!" she joked.
