The Dior Men jewellery director has been taking the fashion scene by storm, thanks to some choice collaborations, famous friends and her sharp intuition
Yoon Ahn nibbles on a vanilla cracker in her Tokyo studio as we catch up over Zoom. Sporting a blue bomber jacket, gold hoops and a bleached-blonde high ponytail, she pinches the foil packaging with her signature long, pointed gel nails.
“I’m really sorry but I just need some sugar to perk me up in the afternoon,” she says.
Ahn has been running on adrenaline for the last several years. The co-founder of Ambush, a popular unisex streetwear brand beloved by the likes of Kanye West, she is also the director of jewellery for Kim Jones’ Dior Men. Last year alone saw the designer drop hyped collabs with Nike for the Air Max 180 sneaker and Gentle Monster for sunglasses, as well as her inaugural jewellery line for Dior Homme’s spring-summer 2019 collection.
She then made headlines in January when New Guards Group, the Milanese luxury conglomerate that backs Off-White, took a majority stake in Ambush, further solidifying its place among the world’s leading purveyors of all things cool. Ahn also happens to be one of the few women thriving in a traditionally male-dominated arena. “It’s always been very masculine because it’s about ‘living that code’,” Ahn says.
“But I believe culture is a living thing, and it can change and evolve.” While some designers might have found brief respite during the pandemic-induced lockdown, Ahn misses the jet-stream action. “I like rhythm; it’s very important to me,” she says. She bemoans the fact that her next call with Italy for sample review will still be via computer screen.
“I like to make decisions and see things in person,” she says. “I’m very tactile; I need to touch it and see it and communicate on the spot.”