The popular South Korean designer, Andre Kim, passed away late Thursday at the Seoul National University hospital at age 74. He was being treated for pneumonia as well as with an anti-cancer drug after an operation for colon cancer in 2005, according to Kim Joong-Do, his adopted son.
Andre Kim was South Korea’s first male fashion designer, as well as the most prominent, who started his craft in 1962.
Kim was regarded as South Korea’s fashion ambassador. His shows were a fixture at key events in the region, such as the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988 and in Beijing in 2008. In 1966, Kim was the first Korean to hold a fashion show in Paris that opened the way for his entry into the world of fashion.
The President of South Korea, Lee Myung-Bak, sent a message of condolences to Kim’s family. Plans are to award Kim the Medal of the Golden Crown, the country’s highest award for contributions to culture, the president’s office said.
Kim was not only well recognized on the country’s fashion scene, he also enjoyed wide popularity among the general public. He wore all-white outfits and put on layers of thick makeup, complete with black mascara caked over his hairless scalp.
Kim was presented with South Korea’s Presidential Culture and Art Medal in 1977, the first of its kind for a designer.
