A galaxy of stars including
Lee Young-ae,
Jeon Do-yeon,
Song Yoon-ah and
Han Chae-young and actor
Won Bin will appear at the Best Star Award hosted by designer Andre Kim on Nov. 27. At 73, the flamboyant designer is as active as ever, with fashion shows here and abroad attracting many celebrities.
The normal hurdles to casting A-listers do not seem to exist for Kim.
Lee Young-ae, who has drastically cut down on public since after her marriage, will willingly appear for him. So how does he do it?
Kim wakes up at 5:30 a.m. every day and reads 17 newspapers. "Reading newspapers is the best way to absorb a massive amount of knowledge and information with little investment. So I read newspapers no matter what", he says.
That has helped him develop a knack for discovering rising stars and support them. Kim casts them as model for his fashion shows so that they can get media coverage, and that is why they can't refuse him even when they become hugely famous.
Kim Tae-hee has been in Kim's fashion shows since she starred in TV drama "
Love Story in Harvard". Kim also spotted actors
Song Seung-heon,
Won Bin and
Jang Dong-gun early in their career. Lee Song-jung, the wife of top baseball player Lee Seung-yop, modeled Kim's fashion when she was starting her career. But before her career could blossom, she got married and left the entertainment business. For news articles about her, pictures from Kim's fashion shows are usually the only available pictures.
Kim's strong connection to the stars is not limited to Korea only. Michael Jackson used to wear Kim's clothes frequently, and figure skating megastar Kim Yu-na also appeared in Kim's show.
Jang Dong-gun once said in an interview, "After the fashion show was over, Kim gave me a set of clothes as a gift. I went to the United States, wearing some of the clothes, and someone came to me and asked me if I was a member of a royal family in Asia".
Kim gives a personally made Christmas tree to his famous friends at the end of the year. The method of delivery is unique as well. Handsome men in black suits deliver the white Christmas trees to the doorstep of the stars.
He watches all of the dramas or movies that actors close to him appear in and reads all of their interviews. It's only natural that they feel grateful to him.
There is no doubt about the breadth and depth of Kim's network. He has strong ties with foreign ambassadors in Korea, as well as influential politicians and business gurus. Thanks to that extensive network, Kim can easily adjust his schedule when there is clash itineraries for fashion shows or photo shoots.
