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Yoon Ahn is an American businesswoman and fashion designer. She studied graphic design at
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
and graduated in 2000. She is known as the creative director of her brand Ambush and as Dior Men's jewelry design director. Ahn is currently based in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, Japan.


Biography

In 2002, Ahn co-founded the Ambush Design Company, a creative design organization where she created original album covers for her co-founder, Verbal, and other performing artists. In 2003, Ahn moved to
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. In 2006, Ahn co-founded jewelry brand Antonio Murphy & Astro. She designed couture jewelry and accessory pieces for hip-hop contemporaries under the Antonio Murphy & Astro line. Ahn started to gain recognition within the fashion industry as mainstream celebrities such
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
donned her AMBUSH 'POW!' pendant. Through such connections, Ahn was introduced to other designers including
Virgil Abloh Virgil Abloh (; September 30, 1980 – November 28, 2021) was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. A trained architect, Abloh founded his own line of luxury streetwear clothing under the moniker Pyrex Vision in 2012, which he transfor ...
and Kim Jones. In 2012, Ahn and Verbal officially launched their joint high fashion jewelry label Ambush. In 2018, Ahn was appointed as the new Dior Men jewelry line director by then Dior creative director Kim Jones. She made her official debut at the Spring/Summer Paris men's fashion week. Ahn has stated that she does not have a unique fashion genre that she adheres to. Her fascination with pop art references can be seen throughout her designs for both Ambush and Dior Men. Bold, gold, and/or metal jewelry mixed with themes referencing American and Tokyo hip-hop fashion styles remain consistent within her avant-garde designs.


Background

Ahn's father was in the military and her family moved often within the United States and abroad. She spent most of her childhood in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
. Ahn first became fascinated with the fashion industry while perusing mainstream fashion magazines while working part-time at her local public library. She became interested in the New York downtown fashion scene through these magazines before later deciding to commit to a graphic design major. Despite having no traditional training in fashion design, Ahn rose in the ranks of the fashion world through her design background and the experiences garnered through high-profile connections and friendships. While working on Ambush with her co-founder, Verbal, in Japan, Ahn handled the PR side of the business for the label
Billionaire Boys Club The Billionaire Boys Club, or BBC, was an investing and social club organized by Joseph Henry Hunt (born Joseph Henry Gamsky) in Southern California between 1983 and 1989. It was originally simply named "BBC", the initials of Bombay Bicycle Club ...
, a streetwear brand founded by
Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...
and
Nigo is a Japanese fashion designer, disc jockey (DJ), record producer and entrepreneur. He is best known as the creator of the streetwear brand, A Bathing Ape (Bape), and currently serves as artistic director for Kenzo. Additionally he is a member ...
. During that time (2008–2011), she worked with Williams and Kim Jones while executing her Ambush collaboration with
Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...
in the making of Playbutton, Ahn designed a wearable music player. In addition to acting as creative director of Ambush, Ahn continues to operate as a member of her creative consultancy alongside her co-founder, having partnered up and collaborated in the past with brands and e-commence businesses like
Beats by Dre Beats Electronics, LLC (also known as Beats by Dr. Dre, Beats by Dre or simply Beats) is an American consumer audio products manufacturer headquartered in Culver City, California. The company was founded in 2006 by the music producer Dr. Dre and ...
.


Ambush

Ambush, before officially debuting in 2012, gained initial international attention from the famous Ambush "Pow!" pendant. Ambush became an immediate success soon after its official launch. Jewelry designs often include heavy and bold motifs as seen in the brand's collection of gold chainmail accessories and line of earrings re-inspired from everyday objects. A year after its initial launch, Ahn's Ambush began partnering with brands such as
A Bathing Ape , also known as BAPE, is a Japanese fashion brand founded by Nigo (Tomoaki Nagao) in Ura-Harajuku in 1993.
and later with
Reebok Reebok International Limited ( ) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had bee ...
. After launching in 2008, Ambush collaborated with A Bathing Ape in creating the Kaiju "Strange Beast" Collection. The collection featured a line of clothing, accessories, and footwear that featured Japanese-inspired designs of the classic A Bathing Ape half-shark, half-alligator prints along with Ahn and Verbal's experimental fashion influences. As creative director, Ahn often designs new pieces to fit within Ambush seasonal themes, as seen in their "Nomad" collection. Starting in 2012, Ambush collaborated with international brand Reebok where the brand released two special designs of the classic Reebok Pump Fury HLS sneakers. While the brand initially started as a couture jewelry line, Ambush expanded its couture offerings to encompass unisex high-fashion streetwear that complemented the line's jewelry in 2015. In that same year, the brand premiered its autumn/winter 2015 collection internationally for the first time in Hong Kong and Paris. In 2015, Ahn and Verbal simultaneously debuted on the Business of Fashion's list for the Top 500 People Influencing the Fashion Industry for 4 more years following their initial ranking in 2015. In the following year, Ambush debuted its first flagship store in Tokyo. In 2017, Ambush was one of the final top 8 contestants in the competition for the
LVMH LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French multinational holding company and conglomerate that specializes in luxury goods and has its headquarters in Paris, France. The company was formed in 1987 through the ...
Prize. In 2018, Ambush made a runway debut at Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo. Ambush holds a history of collaborations with major brands such as
Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...
,
Off-White Shades of white are colors that differ only slightly from pure white. Variations of white include what are commonly termed off-white colors, which may be considered part of a neutral color scheme. In color theory, a ''shade'' is a pure color mi ...
,
Gentle Monster Gentle Monster (, stylized in all caps) is a South Korean brand of luxury sunglasses and optical glasses founded by Hankook Kim in Seoul in 2011.
,
Bulgari Bulgari (, ; stylized as BVLGARI) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1884 and known for its jewellery, watches, fragrances, accessories, and leather goods. Headquartered in Rome, the company was acquired by the French conglomera ...
,
Sacai Sacai (stylized in lowercase) is a Japanese luxury fashion brand founded by fashion designer Chitose Abe (née Chitose Sakai) in 1999. ''Vogue'' magazine has cited Sacai as influential in breaking down the dichotomy between casual and formal clo ...
, and
Converse Converse may refer to: Mathematics and logic * Converse (logic), the result of reversing the two parts of a definite or implicational statement ** Converse implication, the converse of a material implication ** Converse nonimplication, a logical c ...
. Some of the most recent collaborations in 2020 were Bulgari Serpenti Through the Eyes of Ambush (2020) and Ambush x Converse Chuck 70.


Dior Men (2018-2022)

Ahn was appointed as the Dior Men jewelry director in 2018 by previous
Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...
creative director Kim Jones. Her initial jewelry design showcases for Dior were at the pre-Fall show in 2018 and the Spring/Summer 2019 show. When speaking about the themes of the pre-Fall show premiering in Tokyo, Ahn stated "It will be very Japanese, but very Dior and very futuristic." At the SS19 Dior Men show in Paris, Ahn walked the Dior x
Kaws Brian Donnelly (born November 4, 1974), known professionally as Kaws (stylized as KAWS), is an American artist and designer. His work includes repeated use of a cast of figurative characters and motifs, some dating back to the beginning of his ...
-inspired runway with Jones where they both made their Dior debuts.


Collaborations

Yoon Ahn, under her brand Ambush, has collaborated with multiple brands, including A Bathing Ape,
Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...
, Off-White, Louis Vuitton, Dr. Martens,
Sacai Sacai (stylized in lowercase) is a Japanese luxury fashion brand founded by fashion designer Chitose Abe (née Chitose Sakai) in 1999. ''Vogue'' magazine has cited Sacai as influential in breaking down the dichotomy between casual and formal clo ...
, and
Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known as Colette or Colette Willy, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a Mime artist, mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaki ...
. In 2015, Ahn made an appearance in
ASAP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a member of the hip hop music, hip hop coll ...
's " L$D" music video. Following a number of Ambush x Nike Dunk High colorways, the partnership continued with an iterations of the Air Adjust Force "White/Black." In June 2022, Ambush and Zellerfeld have united to fashion a brand new 3D-printed 100S Clog that is being released both in physical form as well as an NFT.


Awards and honors

* Ambush's Verbal & Yoon on the
Hypebeast Hypebeast may refer to: * Hypebeast culture, a contemporary youth culture focused on clothing styles *Hypebeast (company) Hypebeast is a Hong Kong–listed company that focuses on contemporary culture and lifestyle. It was originally founded in 2 ...
100 — 2014–2017 * Ambush's Verbal & Yoon Ahn on Business of Fashion 500 — October 2016 -2023 * Yoon Ahn listed Vogue Japan's Rising Star of 2017 * Yoon and Verbal listed on
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...
Forces of Fashion


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahn, Yoon Living people 21st-century American businesspeople American businesspeople in fashion American people of Korean descent American women fashion designers American fashion designers Artists from Seattle Boston University alumni Businesspeople from Seattle Year of birth missing (living people)