The talented Mimi Shim has been Wunderkin Co.'s resident designer for the past two years, bringing little girls around the world beautiful adventure-worthy hair bows. It is truly bittersweet that Mimi has decided to move on from Wunderkin Co. to focus more on spending time with her family, but we are so happy to have had the chance to work alongside her unmatched creativity while we did.
The "Mimi Capsule," launching May 7th at 10am Mountain Time features a collection of beautiful bows created and inspired by Mimi and her minimalist, fashion-forward style. To give this collection a bit more back story, we sat down for a little interview with Mimi to learn all about her background in the fashion industry and her exciting plans for the future. We'll miss you Mimi, but we'll be following along on your journey for years to come.
1.) Tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Mimi and I have been working with Wunderkin for 2 years, in Denver, CO. I have a four year old son (Oliver) and a husband (Zach), whom I’ve been married to for 9 years this month.
2.) Tell us about design training (past jobs, education, etc.)
I have been practicing fashion design and pattern drafting/sewing since high school and supplemented my education with internships with local designers and theaters. I attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and studied in the Fiber/Textile and Fashion departments. After that I moved to Los Angeles and got my first fashion design assistant job. I moved to New York City after almost a year because the same company relocated. Later in NYC I worked for two cashmere sweater companies and specialized in women’s sweater / knitwear design.
3.) Where do you draw inspiration from in your day to day?
Doing yoga regularly clears my head and allows me to get inspired. I get inspired by seeing old buildings that are well renovated, all kinds of art and crafting books, people who are doing what they love, and old movies. Seeing small design details really inspires me, especially mundane ones that no one notices. I think in the everyday world, good design gets unnoticed. Bad design makes your life hard, unnecessarily. Design is everywhere! The other day, I was trying to plug my USB plug into my car and it was in the most ridiculous place ever - the worst design - I had to pull over and get into a weird position to get it plugged in. Things like that makes me want to do better design - it inspires me by annoying me.
My husband Zach also inspires me! He’s a talented builder and when we want to change some things in our home, he comes to the table with lots of great ideas.
4.) What inspired this collection?
I wanted to design a collection of bows for every day that were easy to pair with many outfits. Kind of like the basics you always reach for in your closet, that go with everything. That and I picked fabrics that I always gravitate towards, like denim, strips, and airy sheer, gauzy fabrics.
Mimi Capsule Fable Bows
5.) Where are your favorite clothing brands to shop for adults and kids?
For myself I love: Kinly NYC, Isabel Marant, Caron Callahan, Apiece Apart, Everlane, Madewell, ASOS - I like to mix it up. I know I will wear forever with trendy basics.
For kids I love: Animals Observatory, Go Gently Nation, MABO, and Zara… and I’m not gonna lie - I frequently buy Cat and Jack from Target, especially their bottoms. They are the only company I have found that make pants and shorts with elastic drawstrings and adjustable waists so kids can grow into them and also pull pants up and down by themselves to go to the bathroom. I think I would be more into kids clothes if I had a girl!
6.) We know you’re very interested in home design. Can you tell us a bit more about your current home projects?
We have been working on our house little by little over the course of 3 years. Zach has been doing most of the work - physically and the planning. He’s a structural engineer. I’ll give design input and he’ll makes sure that it’s do-able structurally and within our budget. For difficult things like tile and drywall, we hire specialists contractors. It’s a collaboration but I have not helped with any of the physical aspects (haha).
Our basement is finally finished! I feel like that took forever. Now I need to furnish it, which will take some thought and some time using the space. I take a long time making decisions about furniture and interior decisions for my home - it feels so permanent that I don’t want to get tired of it. I think that’s why I lean towards neutrals. Also, I find it more soothing and less stressful to take my time and let the space grow and change as we do.
7.) What was your favorite Wunderkin Co. collection to design?
The Mimi Capsule! Wunderkin has done so many capsules and collections since I’ve been there, that it’s hard for me to remember which one was my favorite. However, it is most rewarding to find fabrics that worked easily with design and production - making the seamstresses happy because the fabrics were nice to work with. Sometimes those two elements don’t match up.
8.) What are your plans for the near and distant future?
I have a lot of things planned for Oliver for the summer like swim lessons, music lessons, and summer camp. We have some family trips planned as well. My main goal is to be more present with my family. I’m excited about the growing community of young families in our neighborhood. It’s all of the sudden active with lots of kids for Oliver to play with - especially now that the weather is nice.
As far as creative things - I’ve been working on making a quilt (as a gift for my newly wed friends) and will probably have some personal sewing projects to keep my creativity going.
Who knows - maybe I’ll study interior design and expand my design knowledge?
Follow along with Mimi and her future journeys on Instagram here!