About

Michelle Kim is a fashion designer and lifestyle artist known for her maximalist aesthetic and richly layered approach to design. Her work combines new and found materials, vibrant color, pattern, and unexpected decorative details to create pieces that feel both nostalgic and modern, refined yet playful.

Growing up in Queens, New York during the Eighties, Michelle was constantly drawing, sewing, and designing clothes and accessories. She taught herself to sew on her family’s home machine and spent time at her father’s garment factory, where her fascination with construction and craftsmanship first began. As a teenager in New Jersey during the Nineties, she stayed up late recreating runway looks she discovered in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar—long before fast fashion made trend-driven clothing widely accessible. Using vintage garments, household textiles, embroidery, and hand-dyeing techniques, Michelle developed an early instinct for reworking and transforming existing materials into one-of-a-kind creations.

Michelle pursued her passion for fashion and the arts at Carnegie Mellon University before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Parsons School of Design in New York City and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the London College of Fashion.

While still a student at Parsons, Michelle began working for legendary designer Anna Sui, where she spent ten years immersed in the world of print, embellishment, and eclectic storytelling. Following her time at Anna Sui, Michelle launched her own eponymous collection, which gained recognition for its feminine, detail-driven aesthetic and was worn by actress Blake Lively. At the same time, she built a successful career as a freelance fashion designer and consultant, collaborating with clients spanning luxury and contemporary ready-to-wear, activewear, accessories, and lifestyle brands. Her work has included designing for Rebecca Taylor, LoveShackFancy, Foundrae, and Boardroom—the company founded by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman—where she designed premium leather accessories for the brand’s exclusive members club.

In 2017, Michelle relocated to Los Angeles to serve as Design Director for G. Label by Goop. She later worked with Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings brand, leading concept and design initiatives across product categories. Alongside her fashion and consulting work, Michelle creates bespoke commissions for fashion, interiors, tabletop, and events, bringing her signature collage sensibility into every medium she touches.

Most recently, Michelle launched SonnyXBlue, a luxury collection for babies and toddlers featuring one-of-a-kind pieces reworked and reimagined from designer and vintage garments. Rooted in craftsmanship, nostalgia, and sustainability, each piece is thoughtfully created to offer a unique luxury experience for both parents and children—future heirlooms designed to be treasured, remembered, and passed down.

Michelle’s design philosophy draws inspiration from both Gloria Vanderbilt’s holistic approach to living and the Wiener Werkstätte movement, embracing the idea that everyday life should be infused with beauty, individuality, and craftsmanship. For over fifteen years, she has created collectible collage decoupage plates and bowls featuring Liberty of London prints, available exclusively at Kneeland Co. Rarities in Los Angeles. Her signature appliqué and decoupage style was deeply influenced by Japanese garden philosophy and the concept of borrowed scenery—an approach centered on composing existing elements into entirely new visual landscapes.

In 2022, Michelle launched an outdoor tabletop collaboration with Williams Sonoma, translating her layered decoupage work into melamine, textiles, and entertaining pieces designed for everyday use.

Michelle lives in Los Angeles with her partner Bryan, their daughter Sonny Blue, and their rescue dogs, Pom Pom and Tilda. Deeply inspired by family life, wellness, and creativity at home, she approaches design as an extension of personal storytelling and intentional living. She enjoys gardening, cooking, long walks with her dogs, pilates, and creating meaningful rituals around home and family life.

Michelle’s work has been featured in New York Magazine, Paper, Vogue Japan, Women’s Wear Daily, Harper’s Bazaar Korea, People Magazine, and Refinery29.

Portrait by Charlie Nunn Photography