Instagram Star Turned Model Irene Kim Has Kendall Jenner on Speed Dial
Irene Kim at the Dazed + Calvin Klein party. Photo: Instagram/Ireneisgood
The Dazed + Calvin Klein party on Friday night was dark, loud, and totally packed. But even in the midst of a Brooklyn warehouse party—where Zoë Kravitz graffiti’d on the wall, Cleo Wade debuted her new “Hillary Is A Badass” tee (expect to see them on her bff, Katy Perry, soon), and models, deejays, and artists kicked back tall glasses of straight vodka—you could spot Irene Kim a mile away.
The Seoul native is tall, gorgeous, and technicolor, with purple-pink hair and sporting a bright white shearling jacket. And though some party attendees were searching for CK model Justin Bieber (who never made it—alas!), the Snapchat generation was steadily accosting Kim throughout the night, mostly asking the newest Estée Lauder model (their first from Korea, and with Manic Panic hair) for selfies. We asked her for an interview instead—and found out lots about her new campaign with Kendall Jenner!
Yahoo Style: You wear lots of Calvin Klein in your street style posts. When did your obsession start?
Irene Kim: Sixth grade in Korea. I had the baggy jeans, the T-shirt, and I even bought boxer shorts from the boy’s department. I was a full-on tomboy. But the funny thing is, if I wore that stuff now, people would say I was so on-trend!
You’re one of the first models to get signed based on your social media. How are castings going in New York? Is the industry nice to you, or do you feel like you have to prove yourself in a different way?
Honestly, I’m really lucky because I made my entire career on being myself. Like, my personal pictures and style were the first things that got me jobs. So I feel like on castings, they like me more, because they feel like they know me. And all I can do is be myself.
Is it weird having so many fans who feel like they know you, just because of Instagram?
It’s like a good kind of weird. I’m grateful people like my personality, and it’s really cool when girls want to meet me because they feel like we’re already friends. I mean, I do, too!
As one of Estée Lauder’s new recruits, you must have to work with Kendall Jenner, right?
Oh my gosh, yes. Kendall and I did a whole campaign shoot together for an exclusive Sephora campaign that’s launching in March.
Sephora is a huge deal, for you and Kendall! What’s it like on set with her?
She is professional, shows up on time, is so courteous to everyone working on-set. She behaves like a total pro. But she’s also really cool and really funny, which people might not know. On our shoot, she was super down to earth. We had great chemistry. I was nervous because she’s Kendall Jenner, you know? But it was a blast.
Dark lips are all over the runways so far. What’s your favorite?
The one I’m wearing now is the Estée Edit Collection. The color is called Killing It. That’s really the name! It’s not out until March, though. But you know, any dark lip, blot it before you go out, especially in the middle. It stays longer that way, and if it fades, you get a cool ombré effect.
One of your signatures is your rainbow hair. But in the beginning, you were told not to do it, right?
My parents hated it. My agency didn’t approve of it either. Nobody was on board with it, so I had to sneak off to a salon in Hongdae, the punk district of Seoul, to have it done myself. Seriously. And I’m glad I followed my instinct because I love it, I feel more myself with it… And it’s fun to shoot on Instagram!
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