Yoon on Dreams and Opening up New Doors in Today's Creative Pursuit
She opens up about travel and its impact on her career in RIMOWA’s new campaign.
“Dream without action is hallucination.” The opening phrase in Yoon‘s RIMOWA 120th anniversary campaign is one that she holds close. In her own words, it inspired her to “accept the steps that opens other doors and takes you to different places.” Travel then, alludes to where she now stands in her creative path, Dior Men’s jewelry designer and the Founder and Creative Director at AMBUSH.
Her campaign was revealed alongside her global cultural icons counterparts including twenty-time Grand Slam-winning athlete Roger Federer, Men’s Artistic Director at Louis Vuitton and Off-White™‘s own Virgil Abloh, model and activist, Adwoa Aboah and businessman and restaurateur, Nobu Matsuhisa.
Directed by I AM HERE, watch Yoon’s spot, shot in Tokyo, Japan, above and read our conversation on travel and its power to change dreams into actions – and what that means in the larger context to every individual and the world – below.
You called Rimowa your dearest travel companion. What about the brand and its products that were so special to you, even 10 years ago?
I got the trunk as a gift from the A Bathing Ape collaboration when Nigo did the collaboration with RIMOWA. I’d known of RIMOWA but didn’t personally own it. When start using it, you start realizing how great this product is. That was the start of me changing all my luggage to RIMOWA and I haven’t looked back since. My trunks have been with me for so many years and have gone to so many places.
In that sense, how special was it that RIMOWA asked you to do this campaign?
Very – when they asked me, I said yes without hesitation, because I really believe in the product and felt I could tell a story about how I use RIMOWA and the places I go. I felt really comfortable and natural.
“[Travel] becomes part of who you are, a smaller picture of a bigger picture of your life.”
One thing you said in your campaign that stood out to me was, “Dream without action is hallucination.” And the video certainly was that. What was the meaning behind that phrase?
That was a phrase I read a long time ago but it stuck with me and changed my life. We often sit there and dream about places and things we want to do, but if we don’t actively pursue it, it’s only in our heads. That phrase also inspired me to be where I am as well. It’s hard to enter into worlds that you’re not familiar or comfortable with, but sometimes we need to accept the steps that opens other doors and takes you to different places.
Do you think what you described, jumping into the unknown and tapping on new doors, does it gets easier with time or practice?
Absolutely. I think the hardest thing is taking the initiative of jumping into it. All of us are born with talent but practice makes it perfect. We’re all born with talent, every human, but unless you put it into practice and keep crafting it, you can’t get to the place you want to. Sometimes it’s about going to physical places and meeting with the right people to see and be inspired.
With the year you’ve had, is that on-the-go mentality something that’s changed your creative process?
Yeah, it is one thing to sit behind and look at the world on the computer screen or phone, or even read about it in a book, but it is totally different when you go to those places and soak up the air and mingle with the people you read about. That experience becomes part of who you are, a smaller picture of a bigger picture of your life. You are creating that. You have to go out and see things. There is so much beauty out in the world.
Do you have any secret beauty hacks or rituals post-travel?
Stay hydrated. Drink a lot of water and take Vitamin C to build up your immune system so your body can adapt to the different times and environments. Use heavy moisturizer. I tend to get really dry so I make sure my skin is moisturized before I get on the plane. The air is so dry up there.
Where’s your next destination?
Something that’s been on my mind is how drastically the environment and the world is changing. We all know the climate is changing and I think many places we look at in photos are going to be different in a few years so it’s important to witness that in our lifetime. I personally want to spend more time in the nature. I want to go to Africa if I can afford to take two weeks off and check out the safari.
I want to encourage people to pick up their bag and go out there and see things. Have an experience you can’t forget for the rest of your life.
