RVN designer Ted Kim has had a hectic few days, thanks largely to Katy Perry.
Gearing up for her Super Bowl halftime performance, the pop star wore a customized cheerleader-ish dress to a NFL press conference Thursday.”This week we’re getting the Katy Perry Storm which is a great thing with the Super Bowl coming.” he said.
Reached by phone in Los Angeles Friday, Kim said Perry’s stylist Johnny Wujek asked him to whip something up only a few days before the event. Never one to hold back when it comes to fashion, Perry also wore RVN for her cover shoots for Billboard and ESPN magazines.
By chance, Kim also got buckets of Super Bowl-related publicity last year when Beyonce wore RVN leggings during a pre-game rehearsal. Photos and footage from a promo that was taped during her warm-up were beamed all around the globe, Kim said.
With a resume that includes a four-year run with Donna Karan, whom he calls his “design mother,” and eight years at Michael Kors that culminated with the role of design director, Kim introduced RVN two years ago. The name is meant to be an abbreviation for “revolution,” which describes his view of his label.
The word resonates with Kim, who said Kors had once asked him to be part of a different revolution. “It was an amazing experience to see what was a 30-person operation become, what is today an $18 billion corporation [based on the current market cap],” Kim said.
RVN, a $5 million business, will soon be returning to its New York City roots, when Kim opens a Lower East Side office in May or June. This weekend he can sit back and enjoy the game without worrying about any of Perry’s potential wardrobe malfunctions. Jeremy Scott will be handling her halftime show.