Meet Elena Yejin Gim | Costume Designer, Illustrator, Concept Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elena Yejin Gim and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elena Yejin, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m from Seoul, South Korea. Growing up, I loved watching TV shows. Since I was an infant, my parents would play English content in the background, and I enjoyed it. They told me I would wake up at 5 am to watch the video and chant along. My parents knew the importance of learning a new language outside of their mother tongue because I had an uncle who did his master’s and PhD in the United States in the 70s. That’s how I approached English as a second language unknowingly. Learning English in that way was so natural to me, soon I became fluent in English when I was very young. My parents wanted me to go out to the world and see what’s out there. Since they saw the prospect in me, they motivated me a lot. For as long as I can remember, my dream was outside of Korea.

I was a kid who was fascinated by art. I had a cousin and sister who majored in art and she was my childhood idol so I think it really affected me in some way. When we hung out, we would draw or paint. I loved drawing, going to museums, and go see plays. Unlike other kids, I loved watching period dramas normally my dad’s age group watches. I think I liked the way they dressed. It was so unique and beautiful so I would draw them every day. 

I always knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be an artist. I thought I was interested in fashion because I loved period costumes, I loved watching fashion runways, and I loved to dress up. But also, I really wanted to work in Hollywood as well because Hollywood movies were the ones that I watched growing up. I found out Sungshin Women’s University had a professor who worked in Hollywood in their fashion design major program, so I decided to apply there and I got in.

After I got in, I learned a lot from the professor I mentioned and started to prepare for grad school. I was fortunate to receive offers from several institutions, ultimately choosing UCLA. I’ve been living in LA since.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think I worked really hard to be where I am but unconsciously. My parents exposed me in English early on and I draw and paint in my whole life so everything was pretty natural so others might think differently. Because technically I didn’t “study academics” to be here. Some might say I’ve done nothing and it must be so easy for me to be where I am.
The first year of undergrad, I was majoring in English Language and literature and it was a disaster. I simply chose that major because I was good at English, no other reasons. My GPA was horrible, I skipped school a lot, and I was just miserable. After my first semester, I knew it wasn’t a fit for me so I asked my parents if I could apply to other schools to major in fashion because that’s what I wanted to do all along. I switched school, and I thrived. That’s when I realized you should find what you love and follow your dreams.
I learned how to sew. I learned about the history of costumes, I took fashion illustration and design classes. I get to draw and create art for homework. It was the best thing. I was good at sewing, drawing, and design. I think that is my strength that I’m able to do all that stuff and good at it. I set up these skill sets as an undergrad, and I was lucky enough to go to one of the best costume design schools in the world and develop those skills. I’m really proud of myself where I am now, my improvement is so visible compared to pre-grad school. I’m really excited about what kind of artist I’ll become in the future.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First, I would take my friend to UCLA and Westwood Village. I feel like American grocery stores are a real fascination to travelers. It’s on my mom’s bucket list to go to Trader Joe’s. Then I would take my friend to Apple Pan for a burger. My professor recently recommended there, and it’s so good! That would be the first day and second day I’ll probably go to Beverly Hills and go Erewhon and try Hailey Bieber smoothie with my friend. It’s the experience that you can only do in LA. And buy lunch from Erewhon salad bar and eat at the Beverly Canon Gardens. Then go to Santa Monica and watch the sunset. I would go to the Getty or Getty Villa at one point, and definitely make my friend experience IN N OUT. Also I would dedicate one day in Melrose, The Grove, and Westfield Century City for the shopping. Have brunch at Urth cafe and lunch at farmer’s market, Have to go to Koreatown at some point. I guess after seeing the sunset of Griffith Observatory, I’ll go to Town and go Jinsol Gukbap which is my FAVORITE Korean restaurant in LA. I would try to bring my friend, but in Korea BCD is so popular so my friend would want to go there instead. And have bingsu or ice cream for desert.

Out of all the places I mentioned, I think the Getty is most interesting place. It’s free and it’s so beautiful. If the weather is nice it’s amazing to eat outside and just chill.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shout out my parents for supporting me. They had high expectations of me like being a lawyer, but they let me follow my dreams and encouraged me to study abroad which is not a common experience that anyone can do. I couldn’t have done this without them. I also want to shout out my undergrad professor -who is my mentor. She always inspires me and helps me along my career. Last summer I got to work on an upcoming Netflix TV show in Korea which was a wonderful experience one can ask for.

Instagram: @miganeleart

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@elenagim

Image Credits
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