NOTHING TO DECLARE

Iris Kim, a prolific commercial, music video and film director who is represented by CANADA in the U.S., has directed an acutely observed slice of immigrant life for Kotn, the progressive New York based apparel brand. The one minute long social media film captures Nataly as she hastily gathers herself and her luggage for a flight to visit family overseas, running into friends and familiar faces in her immigrant community who help along the way.

“We wanted this whole project to feel playful and relatable to immigrant kids who grow up feeling like they live two different lives: one with their family and one with everyone else,” said Kim. “I loved the idea of taking these really ordinary moments and heightening them into something a little more dramatic. There was so much personality in the cast and the clothes, so a big part of directing involved creating space for those interactions and letting the humour come through in a fun and punchy way. Everyone really leaned into the world we were creating, which made the whole thing so much fun to shoot.”

Kotn is a certified B Corporation voted Best for the World™, with the fourth-highest B Impact Score of apparel brands in North America. With each order, the company invests in the creation of jobs, infrastructure, systems, and education to alleviate poverty and create shared, sustainable growth for the communities they are part of.

Kim has worked on a wide range of global brands including MAC, L’Oreal, Vinted, Liquid IV, WNBA, Nike, Google, Waymo, among others. Her music video direction includes work for Interscope Records, Universal Music, Giant Music and Republic Records. Inspired by 90’s rom-coms, with an added dose of raw edginess, Kim’s work is characterized by an abundance of color, humor and fashion.