By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
It's easy to see Hollywood stars showing off their toned figures in well-fitted Diesel or Seven Jeans, but recently a new denim name is being tossed around among the leading fashion icons. It's Kasil and the designer and CEO behind the maker is Korean-American David Lim.
Starting small in December 2002, Kasil has expanded its line and inched its way to where it stands today, where loyal customers including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Lindsay Lohan, Jennifer Anniston, Lucy Liu and John Travolta are often spotted sporting the denim pants.
While Lim is currently designing jeans, the 35-year-old says that he's been around a lot, doing many things that eventually led to his current career.
With a degree in painting from San Francisco Arts School, the Los Angeles native first started working as a muralist traveling around the U.S.
After dipping into that for three years, Lim returned to Los Angeles to help with his father's tailoring business, and this is where the future designer learned how to work with all sorts of different fabrics.
The business is tailored for clients including politicians, celebrities and stylists, which obviously called for a high level of skill.
After experimenting on his own, it didn't take long for Lim to realize his fascination with jeans.
``Denim is like painting in how it develops over time,'' Lim said in a recent Korea Times interview. ``You can get different textures and feelings from it, and it all comes out of that deep indigo hue.''
With his heart-felt love for denim, Lim eventually began bringing his jeans to new clients, which led to opening his business five years ago _ first the women's line and then men's.
Looking back to where he was before, Lim said, ``The funny thing about this journey is, it seems to be so fast that I feel like I just started this not long ago. But within those four years, so many things have happened, both good and bad.''
Now that the business is more stable than before, the designer is looking to grow his collection.
Headquartered in L.A., Kasil is sold in stores across the U.S. and worldwide. Available in high-end boutiques such as Fred Segal, H. Lorenzo, Atrium and Ron Hermann, the brand recently began appearing in Nordstrom.
Kasil has also developed a loyal following in Canada, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, Switzerland and London, with strong expansion throughout Europe.
``From jeans to tops and even shoes _ I see myself starting up other brands in the U.S. market,'' Lim said, adding that he made a trip to Korea late last year to research the market.
On the local fashion scene, the expert stylist said, ``We have a very modernistic view on fashion and trends, meaning we like things that are timeless and valuable.''
He explained that the way we dress is an expression of our lifestyle, and as Koreans, we work hard and also play hard, which indirectly shows in fashion.
The designer, who says he wears Kasil most of the time, says he, too, gets tired of wearing denim all the time.
As people stop wearing something if they get tired of it, Lim is adding a non-denim line to his collection, which is expected to further boost business growth.
In little more than three years, Kasil has grown exponentially from $250,000 in its first year to projected revenues of $4 to $5 million in 2006.
With the booming success, the Korean-American designer is busily working at upping quality, satisfying customers, and continuously working on Kasil's unique style.
``I would say the toughest thing was truly defining what we stood for as a brand,'' said Lim. ``But even though trends may come and go, simplicity is timeless.''