Interview with Peggy Huyn Kinh

Archive August 2009

studiohomme: What are you wearing these days?

Peggy Huyn Kinh: It’s always the same thing with me, I’m very vintage. I like to mix and match items from the great designers with others I’ve designed myself.

sh: What are you wearing today?

PHK: An Yves Saint-Laurent Rive Gauche classic blouse with necktie, a Chanel skirt from four or five years ago, Céline lizard skin pumps which I designed in 1994 and the matching clutch.

sh: Which are your origins?

PHK: Half French on my mother’s side, and a quarter Chinese and quarter Vietnamese on my father’s side.

sh: How does this triple culture influence your designs?

PHK: It has no influence at all as I am very Parisian. Perhaps I lack a certain degree of objectivity…

sh: Do you have any fetish accessories?

PHK: My lucky charm is a spiral black-and-white medallion made from silver and enamel which I designed back in 1996. My favourite Hermès bag is the ‘sac sceau Mangeoir’ in black Box with Palladium eyelets.

sh: Which men inspire you?

PHK: General de Gaulle, Alain Delon back in his prime, Steve Mac Queen, Barack Obama, Keanu Reeves, David Hemmings and Mehdy Belhaj Kasem.

sh: Which artists are you into right now?

PHK: Among today’s artists I would say Agam, James Turell, Hugues Decointet, Matthew Barney and Jean-Marie Massaud. Among those no longer with us I guess that would be John Lautner, Henning Coppel, Verner Panton and Joe Colombo.

sh: If you were buying a gift for a man, what would you choose from studiohomme?

PHK: No hesitation there… A Ruby helmet. The black Belvédère.

sh: And how about if you were buying something for yourself?

PHK: The same, but in a smaller size.