WINNER
2009SONIA YOON
With a mature outlook on the world formed by the experience of growing up in Seoul, New York, and London, 27-year-old Sonia Yoon is a rising star with both design talent and business acumen. Although she once dreamed of becoming a fine artist, Yoon ended up studying fashion at Parsons School of Design. That is where she met her classmate, friend and rival Benjamin Channing Clyburn, and the two agreed to launch a label that combined their two names, Bensoni. Their potential as next-generation designers revealed itself in their collective senior thesis project and the uniforms they designed for the restaurant at Saks Fifth Avenue. After graduation they set up an office in Soho and have been producing seasonal collections since 2007.
Bensoni is characterized by the harmony of Asian lines, Western style tailoring, and practicality. Hailed by Bazaar and Teen Vogue, the first collection was a winner with the duo receiving orders from 75 buyers. The Bensoni label can be found not just in the United States but all over the world including Japan and the Middle East.
The meeting of cultures represented by Sonia Yoon from Asia and Benjamin Clyburn from America created a spark that has grown into a strong and beautiful flame. With experience working for Brioni, Benjamin is strong on tailoring, while Sonia, with her feminine sensibilities, creates comfortable clothes with beautiful lines.
They have a charming way of working. Fond of origami techniques, they work out their ideas by folding paper, and this intricate production method and detail has become the foundation of the signature Bensoni style. Gaining much of their inspiration from the warmth and purity of nature, they like to use organic materials and are masters at capturing subtle variations in color. Soft and light, Bensoni is clothes bring to mind the delicacy of feather.
