Michael Shin’s playful graduate collection is where childlike imagination meets traditional tailoring

“Bridging the gap between streetwear culture and avant-garde.”

It’s often easy to tell when a child has dressed themselves. Colours and patterns clash, buttons are mismatched and accessories are pulled from the dress-up box (think fairy wings, clip-clop shoes and a firefighter’s hat). This unadulterated attitude towards clothing is exactly what inspired QUT fashion graduate Michael Shin’s collection, So Much Fun.

Merging classic tailoring techniques with off-kilter accessories, So Much Fun is about “complementing existing menswear fashion tropes with child-like elements”. Released under Michael’s brand name, K2JULY, the collection won him a place in Melbourne Fashion Festival’s upcoming National Graduate Showcase.

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As an official media partner of Paypal Melbourne Fashion Festival, Fashion Journal is excited to once again be supporting the National Graduate Showcase, celebrating Australia’s top-ranked emerging fashion design talent. The top 10 leading graduates from across the country will exhibit their collections in a boundary-pushing presentation, showcasing experimental design and innovation. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be profiling each designer through a series of interviews. Next up is Ada Fong.

Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello, my name is Michael Shin. I’m a unisex designer and founder of the brand K2JULY. I’m a recent fashion graduate of QUT. I started my fashion design journey in 2018 when I was 19 years old. I was born in Sydney and have relocated across many states in Australia, My brand name, K2JULY, is a contraction of From Korea to July, this name is quite personal to me as I was born in Australia and am of Korean descent.

Tell us about your collection.

My collection is titled So Much Fun. The concept is derived from a whimsical story of a child who is asked to illustrate a collection focused on menswear tailoring. As the child illustrates the collection, they become distracted during the process and halt their drawings.

As the child goes back to finish their illustrations, their unique interpretation of the adult world alongside their forgetful-yet-playful mind changes the course of a traditional menswear collection. The added features like drip-like hems, fluffy animal accessories and oversized plush brooches help utilize this idea of challenging and complementing existing menswear fashion tropes with child-like elements.

When did you know you wanted to get into fashion and textile design?

When I moved to Brisbane, it was early in the year and I was ready to apply to a university. The original plan for me was to study an IT degree that I had zero interest in. As deadlines drew closer, I was frantically looking for a major and stumbled upon fashion design online at the TAFE close to my home. After some back and forth with my parents, I was allowed to study fashion design at TAFE.

It took a long time to know that fashion was right for me. I seriously had no skills… I couldn’t draw, sew, or design; I was completely out of my element. It was only after I had finished my Advanced Diploma [of Fashion] and gained practical skills, was when I finally knew that I wanted to be in fashion.

Your collection So Much Fun is inspired by playfulness and childlike wonder. How did you draw on your own childhood experiences when crafting these garments?

To be honest, the only things that are remotely related to my childhood experiences are the fuzzy plush accessories. As a child, I had an abundance of plush toys which is probably where the inspiration came from. As for the other childlike elements, such as the slime-like hemlines, puzzle piece cut-outs and ridiculous combinations of pieces, I just imagined what it was like to live as a child who has those things.

How have you subverted traditional tailoring techniques in your designs?

I think the way I approached menswear tailoring was to keep the traditional and most recognizable elements while adding childlike features that either stand out or are subtly presented. The choice to not include darts into my blazers was one thing. I wanted to illustrate an oversized, formless silhouette, something similar to what a child might look like when wearing their parent’s clothing.

Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?

There are two up-and-coming fashion designers who I believe will be big names within the Australian Fashion industry. Emily Park and Aeron Maevin are both talented designers running their own labels.

What about the Australian fashion industry needs to change?

I believe the way men dress in Australia could definitely be improved. The menswear ranges I see are extremely limited and in my opinion, the choices aren’t very fun. I think there are plenty of menswear designers who push the boundaries, but unfortunately don’t cater to men who are still figuring out their aesthetic. [I hope to start] bridging the gap between streetwear culture and avant-garde, creating a stepping stone for people to cross back and forth.

Dream Australian collaborators?

For the already-established Australian designer, I would say that my dream collaborator would be Dion Lee. While I was studying I would visit his stores around Queensland and be amazed by the attention to detail and quality of the clothing.

For more of Michael’s designs, head here.