Born and raised in Seoul, designer Kay Lee, founder of BNX, is one of the most successful women’s wear designers in the Korean fashion Industry. Her success started when she conquered the Korean market, but she now emerges as a global phenomenon. Her collection debuts in the United States for fall 2007, and has come to be known as the “Marc Jacobs of Korea.” She’s a true pioneer, creating four brands for two different companies, where she spent 12 years as the creative director and currently directs two, one of which is BNX. As of late, there has been increasing emphasis on the emergence of tremendous talent from Asia, and BNX is one of the ring leaders in the department of style. Lee’s 4 brands currently sell the equivalent of approximately $300 million in America.

BNX is an extraordinarily hip, yet elegant collection of romantic, feminine, and chic casual coordinating items from South Korea. The “BN” stands for “Be Natural,” meaning that each and every design strives for artistic expressions of style, while avoiding the potential of becoming aesthetically, ‘too artificial.’ The ‘X’ in BNX symbolizes a refreshing openness to any ideas, either new or old, that can achieve such an elusive balance. The designer seeks a middle ground in her collection. She dresses the woman who is feminine and has a romantic aesthetic, yet her closet is distinctive and wearable, not too loud or expressive. Ultimately, her goal was to build a brand that filled a particular void in the fashion of the late 90’s, when clothing was seen as too refined or too avant garde. Lee uniquely designs BNX by recognizing this “void” and finds ways to fill it will unprecedented styles; which for fall 2007/08 include vintage plaid and tweed inspired jackets with a slight twists of innovation like bubble sleeves and romantic fur collars. Other popular items driving the collection include lurex and wool felt sack and shift style dresses.

BNX was officially born in 2002. After only one year in production, industry publication, Fashion Biz, elected BNX as “the fastest growing brand in 2002.”And in just 5 years, the label has grown to have 200 mono label stores and internationally, the brand has emerged as an $80 million dollar business. Lee is confident that the gap she observed in the late 90’s and early 21st century still exist in the global market, and BNX’s styles are so timeless that they will have their place in the closet of fashion-conscious women everywhere. Her incredible eye has truly quenched the thirsts of fashionistas on a global scale.