Yumi Kim
Yumi Kim is an American women's clothing brand founded by fashion designer Kim Phan and known for bold, vintage-inspired floral prints.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Yumi Kim is a women's clothing line created by American fashion designer Kim Phan in New York City. Founded in 2004, the brand developed an identity centered on expressive, vintage-inspired floral prints and feminine ready-to-wear designs. Its aesthetic has been associated with colorful patterning, occasion-oriented silhouettes, and accessible fashion aimed at customers seeking distinctive printed garments. The business initially expanded through physical retail in New York. Its first documented store opened in 2008 on the Lower East Side, giving the label a direct retail presence four years after its founding. In 2009, Yumi Kim added an online store, broadening its distribution beyond local shoppers and creating a direct-to-consumer channel. A second flagship location followed in 2011 on New York City's Upper East Side. Alongside its own stores and website, Yumi Kim products appeared through major online fashion platforms including Revolve and Rent the Runway. These relationships extended the brand's reach into digital fashion retail and clothing rental. The company also introduced an exclusive maternity line in collaboration with Nuuly, adapting its print-led design language to maternity apparel and using a rental-oriented partner to reach an additional customer segment. The brand's New York retail stores closed in spring 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted physical commerce. Yumi Kim subsequently concentrated on its online operations. This represented a shift in channel emphasis rather than the documented end of the brand. In December 2024, the company opened a new flagship store at the Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki, Hawaii, marking a return to physical retail in a different market. Yumi Kim's publicly documented business scope consists primarily of women's apparel, direct online retail, selected wholesale or platform distribution, rental-related collaborations, and maternity clothing. Its positioning is rooted in recognizable prints and a vintage-influenced feminine style rather than in a broad luxury-house model. Public reference material does not establish a parent company, public listing, financial figures, or a separate corporate group.
History
Kim Phan founded Yumi Kim in New York City in 2004. The label emerged as a women's clothing line with a strong visual emphasis on bold, vintage-inspired floral prints. Its design identity helped distinguish it within contemporary women's fashion, where printed dresses and feminine ready-to-wear formed an important part of the brand's documented offering. The company began building a physical retail network in 2008, when it opened a store on New York City's Lower East Side. The location provided a direct point of contact with local customers and established Yumi Kim as more than an online or wholesale label. In 2009, the brand launched an online store, adding direct-to-consumer commerce and enabling customers outside New York to access its products. Continued retail expansion followed in 2011 with a second flagship on the Upper East Side. Yumi Kim also used third-party fashion platforms to extend its reach. Its garments were featured on Revolve and Rent the Runway, connecting the brand with online fashion shoppers and rental customers. The label later collaborated with Nuuly on an exclusive maternity line. This initiative broadened the product range beyond the brand's core women's fashion assortment while retaining its established print-focused design approach. The company's retail model was disrupted in spring 2020, when its New York stores closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that period, Yumi Kim focused its operations on its online presence. The available reference material does not provide financial results, ownership changes, or details of a formal corporate reorganization associated with the closures. In December 2024, Yumi Kim returned to documented physical expansion by opening a new flagship store at the Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki, Hawaii. The location broadened the brand's retail footprint beyond New York and represented a new phase of store-based distribution after the 2020 closures. Publicly available information identifies Yumi Kim as an active women's fashion brand founded and designed by Kim Phan, but does not establish a public listing, parent company, or larger corporate group.
- 2024
Waikiki flagship opens
[1]Yumi Kim opened a new flagship at the Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki, Hawaii, in December.
- 2020
New York stores close during pandemic
[1]The brand closed its New York retail locations in spring 2020 and emphasized online operations.
- 2011
Second flagship opens
[1]A second flagship store opened on New York City's Upper East Side.
- 2009
Online store launches
[1]The company added an online store to expand its customer reach beyond its physical retail market.
- 2008
First physical store opens
[1]Yumi Kim opened its first documented retail store on New York City's Lower East Side.
- 2004
Brand founded
[1]Kim Phan founded Yumi Kim as a women's clothing line in New York City.
Products and positioning
A New York-founded women's fashion label focused on bold, vintage-inspired floral prints, feminine ready-to-wear, and direct and platform-based retail.
Women's apparel · 2004
Women's ready-to-wear
Yumi Kim's core business is women's clothing characterized in reference material by bold, vintage-inspired floral prints. The assortment is associated with feminine contemporary fashion and includes printed garments designed for everyday wear and occasions.
Maternity apparel
Maternity line
The brand introduced an exclusive maternity line through a collaboration with Nuuly. The line extended Yumi Kim's print-led women's fashion identity into maternity clothing and connected the product with a rental-oriented fashion platform.
Brand decisions
2024
Return to physical flagship retailStrategyBackground
Following the closure of its New York stores in 2020, the brand had emphasized online operations.
Action taken
Yumi Kim opened a new flagship store at the Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki, Hawaii.
Aftermath
The opening expanded the brand's documented physical retail presence into Hawaii.
2020
Shift away from New York physical retailStrategyBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted physical retail operations in New York.
Action taken
Yumi Kim closed its New York retail stores in spring 2020 and focused on its online presence.
Aftermath
The brand later resumed physical expansion with a Waikiki flagship in December 2024.
2009
Expansion into direct online retailStrategyBackground
After establishing a physical store in New York, Yumi Kim sought to reach customers beyond its local retail base.
Action taken
The company launched an online store.
Aftermath
The online channel became an important part of the brand's operations, particularly after its New York stores closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recent events
- 2024
Yumi Kim opens Waikiki flagship store[1]
Other · Product launch
Yumi Kim established a new flagship location at the Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki, Hawaii, in December 2024.
- 2020
Yumi Kim closes New York retail stores during COVID-19 disruption[1]
Other
The brand closed its New York stores in spring 2020 and shifted operational emphasis toward its online presence during the pandemic.
- 2011
Yumi Kim opens Upper East Side flagship[1]
Other
A second flagship store opened on New York City's Upper East Side.
- 2009
Yumi Kim launches online store[1]
Other
The company added an online store, expanding its distribution beyond its New York retail presence.
- 2008
Yumi Kim opens first New York retail store[1]
Other
The brand established its first documented physical retail location on New York City's Lower East Side.
Sources1 sources
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