Ximon Lee Is the Winner of H&M’s 2015 Design Award
Courtesy of H&M
A mere six months ago, Simon Lee was still a student at Parson’s School of Design. Today at Stockholm Fashion Week, his nascent label Ximon Lee beat out competitors from all over the world to take home the coveted 2015 H&M Design Award. His winning (and thoughtful) collection was inspired by the 2007 documentary Children of Leningradsky, which chronicles the lives of homeless children living in Moscow. For a young designer like Simon, the opportunity to collaborate with a global brand like H&M—which will manufacture and sell his clothing for the first time—is life altering. I traveled to Stockholm to see the collection in person and also talk with Lee about his story from student to standout designer.
Courtesy of Ximon Lee
Yahoo Style: What inspired you to become a designer?
Simon Lee: I’ve always been interested in fine and visual arts. During high school, I worked at art galleries, which started fueling my interest in design. However, my interest in fashion design didn’t come until my second year of Parsons. I decided to go to school in New York since the city had so much stimulation, resources, and inspirations. When I started at Parsons, I was studying visual arts and graphic design, but one summer I took a sewing class with a friend and that’s when my obsession with fashion design started. The reason being, when you do graphic design, everything is either one or two dimensional, even when printed. However, with fashion design you can see the process go from a two-dimensional drawing to an actual three-dimensional product. You can feel the product and see the movements in the garments, which became an obsession for me.
Related Links: Swedish Brands We Love and No IKEA on the List
YS: What’s the process like for a young designer to work with a global company like H&M?
SL: For me, the process is spontaneous. For example, when it comes to construction or technique, the process happens during the making of the garment. But for a company like H&M, the planning is done in advance so that the product is executed well. It feels great to have an entire team giving me advice on how the finish product can be better.
Courtesy of Ximon Lee
YS: How did you come up with the name for your label?
SL: Well the X comes from my given name, Dongxing, and Xing is my nickname. I thought it would be more personal and nice to have something from my background.
YS: If you could dress any celebrity who would it be?
SL: It would have to be Bjork. She’s always down to try new and weird things. I want someone who would appreciate it. That said, I could definitely see Kim Kardashian in that pinstripe look with a big handbag or something. But if I had to choose between the two, it would definitely be Bjork.
YS: What can we expect from future Ximon Lee collections?
SL: To me it’s less about a particular object or architecture. My inspiration usually comes from a person or group that has a great story. It can be anything really. A girl walking down the street in tacky jeans could be a collection, the guy cutting pork with dirt on his apron in Chinatown—that could be a new story. Those are the things I tend to look at, which is why I love people watching. You get a lot of ideas that way.
Related Links: H&M’s Next Big Design Collaboration
YS: How would you define clothing and fashion?
SL: Clothing is a necessity. For example, the inspiration behind my collection, The Children of Leningradsky, is layered because that’s the necessity when enduring the winters in Russia. You need it; it’s like food. The difference between the two is that you need [or may want] fashion, but clothing is necessary.
Courtesy of Ximon Lee
YS: If you had to choose one look from your collection to best describe your work as a designer, which one would it be?
SL: It would be look 13, the big cropped jacket. I spent the most of my time on that look. It’s the most authentic piece based on the inspiration.
Courtesy of H&M
In Select H&M Boutiques October 2015
