Designer Laura Kim’s Career and Accomplishments in Fashion

Laura Kim is a fashion designer. Since 2016, she has been co-creative director, along with Fernando Garcia, of Oscar de la Renta. The two fashion designers founded Monse, a separate fashion label, together in 2015.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Laura became enamored with fashion during childhood. She learned how to sew at an early age and visited textile markets with her grandmother, who worked in the industry. Later, while pursuing a fashion degree at the prestigious Pratt Institute in New York City, Laura interned for the labels Donna Karan, TSE Cashmere, and Oscar de la Renta. She accepted a full-time position at the latter brand following graduation, a decision that would have a powerful influence on her career.

In 2009, Laura hired Fernando Garcia, and the two began a successful professional partnership. Following designer Oscar de la Renta’s death in 2014, the fashion house named the pair co-creative directors of the label. Laura believes fashion can also change the relationship people have with themselves. “I love seeing people in pretty clothes, making them feel better when they’re in a beautiful dress or well-made suit,” she says. “I love it for myself, too.”

Laura Kim is an accomplished fashion designer and stylist, making her a key figure in her industry.

• Early interest in fashion: Laura remembers perusing fabric markets at the tender age of four with her grandmother, who worked in textiles and would pass along glossy magazines. Soon, she learned the basics of sewing, sketching, and pattern making, developing a critical eye toward the latest trends.
• Introduction to Oscar de la Renta: At eighteen, Laura moved to New York City to study fashion at the Pratt Institute, one of the world's most renowned art and design schools. Prestige brands like Donna Karan and TSE Cashmere ushered Laura into their studios as an intern. In 2003, Laura started interning at Oscar de la Renta while completing her fashion degree at New York’s Pratt Institute.
• Collaboration with Fernando Garcia: In 2009, Fernando joined Oscar de la Renta as an intern, reporting to Laura. This marked the beginning of a close professional relationship between the pair, establishing a spirit of collaboration that would span years.
• Launch of Monse: In 2015, Laura and Fernando launched Monse, a luxury fashion label that deconstructs menswear and classic tailoring. Celebrities embraced the fashion brand, including music superstars Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, and Rihanna, as well as Hollywood actors Kerry Washington, Lupita Nyong’o, and Sienna Miller.
• Rise at Oscar de la Renta: In 2016, two years after Oscar de la Renta’s beloved founder and namesake passed away, Laura and Fernando became co-creative directors of the brand.
• Awards and recognition: Laura and Fernando graced the cover of the “Top Designers” issue for The Hollywood Reporter, a premier US entertainment magazine, in 2017. That same year, they also took home the Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent at the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Fashion Awards ceremony.
• Continued success: As one of the chief creatives behind Oscar de la Renta, as well as the brand Monse, Laura regularly dresses celebrities for red carpets and awards shows. In 2021, Laura and Fernando dressed actor Sarah Jessica Parker for the premiere of the style-centric television program And Just Like That…. The design duo also created singer Billie Eilish’s 2021 dress for the Met Gala—the buzzy (and fashion-forward) benefit for the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

Become a better fashion designer with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, Diane von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs, Tan France, Anna Wintour, and more.