Harlie K

HLK: Brand Story
The journey of HLK began in 2013, when designer and self-proclaimed "shopaholic" Harlie Kim returned to Korea from the United States with her three daughters. Upon their arrival, all three children began suffering from respiratory issues triggered by the city's poor air quality.

At the time, Seoul’s air quality was among the lowest of the world’s major metropolises. The annual arrival of "Yellow Dust" and extreme pollution often forced authorities to warn vulnerable groups to remain indoors.

Harlie soon realized a painful irony: Fashion is the world’s third most polluting industry, accounting for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Harlie was struck by a devastating realization: her consumption of fashion was contributing to the very environment that was making her children sick. Driven by this wake-up call, she committed herself to finding a better way forward, dedicating her craft to the movement of conscious, slower fashion.