Jisu Kim

My work explores the relationship between nature, culture, and material through a process-led approach to design. I am interested in how living systems and traditional communities develop strategies for survival, identity, and expression, and how these can be translated into contemporary textiles. In this project, I draw inspiration from the adaptation of Andean cacti and the layered textile traditions of Aymara women. I reinterpret these systems not only conceptually, but through hand-driven making, using knitting as my primary method. This allows me to translate the cactus’s soft, hair-like protection and the layered structure of Aymara garments into tactile textile forms. Material experimentation is central to my practice. I incorporate both natural fibers such as wool and cashmere, alongside post-consumer waste materials like discarded Christmas tinsel garlands. By doing so, I challenge traditional hierarchies of material value and explore sustainability through transformation rather than replacement. Ultimately, my work exists between nature and waste, tradition and innovation. I aim to create designs that carry narrative, material honesty, and longevity, offering an alternative approach to consumption-driven fashion.