Jaesuk Kim may not be a name you're familiar with, but if you're into fashion you're certain to have seen one of his magical illustrations.
The Seoul-born Australian Korean has carved a name for himself as one of the fashion world's favourite artists.
A post shared by Illustrating Susu Girls (@jaesukkim) on Feb 16, 2017 at 5:47am PST
Whether it's Gucci, Cartier, Bulgari or Lancôme, Mr Kim's whimsical pieces of art have been featured in campaigns or projects for them all. 'I'd always loved drawing as a child, but it didn't really begin until eight years ago,' Mr Kim told Daily Mail.
I had an obsession with designer handbags and wanted to design my own, so I started designing a series of quirky bags under the name of "Susu" and illustrating the type of girl that would carry them around.
'Bloomingdale's liked them and got in touch. And the rest is history!'.
Since that fateful moment, a career highlight for Mr Kim the artist has honed his style and collaborated with everyone from Alessandro Michele at Gucci to world-famous design house, Cartier.
A post shared by Illustrating Susu Girls (@jaesukkim) on Dec 31, 2016 at 4:39am PST
'I never pictured myself being an illustrator as a child, I had no idea how to make it a career, but I've been lucky and very privileged to have some success,' he said. Among other things, Mr Kim says that the rise of Instagram and social media has helped him hugely.
I've used Instagram to my favour and I think showing my Susu girls against backgrounds in both Australia and Korea is unique, and helps to illustrate my style.
A post shared by Illustrating Susu Girls (@jaesukkim) on Nov 23, 2016 at 3:56pm PST
'Being unique is the most important thing for an artist today. I see too many artists imitating other people's techniques.
'Stick true to what you want to do, focus and persevere. It could have been easy for me to return to a stable job at some stage, but then I wouldn't be doing what I love now.'
With regard to how long one of his intricate illustrations or characters take him to design, Mr Kim said it can be anything from a day to two weeks:
A post shared by Illustrating Susu Girls (@jaesukkim) on Oct 6, 2016 at 6:35pm PDT
'It depends on whether I know what I'm designing, because a client has given me direction, or if I'm searching for inspiration for my own story to tell,' he said.
The Australian-Korean artist uses everything from acrylics to watercolours to achieve his realistic images, and said that he likes to showcase both elements from Korea, where he was born, and Australia, where he was raised, in his work:
READ:Burberry draws on sculptor Henry Moore in fashion highlight
'I always look at the latest advertising campaigns and editorials both in print and online, but I like to interpret them in my own way.
A post shared by Illustrating Susu Girls (@jaesukkim) on Jan 5, 2017 at 8:02pm PST
I like to showcase what Seoul and Korea are like for people who don't know them as places. It's dynamic, fast-paced and very different to Australia
Mr Kim said he's still got at least one designer name on his bucket list. 'Hermès would be fantastic to work with, because I love their prints,' he said.