The daily life of Kim Da-in, founder and CEO of Matin Kim, who entered the fashion industry in her 20s and achieved sales in the 100 billion won range, was revealed.
On the 19th, KBS2's 'The Boss's Ears Are Donkey Ears' featured Park Myung Soo and Oh My Girl's Hyojung meeting Kim Da-in, the founder of the 100 billion-won sales legend Matin Kim.
Kim Da-in started as a blog market and in 2018 she branded Matin Kim, becoming a 'boss' who achieved 100 billion won in sales, and Park Myung Soo and Oh My Girl's Hyojung conducted the opening outside her house.
Kim Da-in's home was none other than Trimage in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, with a Han River view and adjacent to Seoul Forest. Entering Trimage, known as the residence of soccer player Son Heung-min, the group BTS, Girls' Generation's Taeyeon, and singer Kim Jaejoong, Park Myung Soo showed excitement, saying, "It's my first time going inside, so I'm excited."
Unlike previous bosses, Kim Da-in was lively and showed high energy, and she greeted Park Myung Soo enthusiastically, saying she had wanted to meet him so much. Kim Da-in did not major in fashion at university, in fact she did not attend university, and in her early 20s she entered the fashion industry as a purchasing agent in Dongdaemun Market with only 60,000 won.
It wasn't smooth from the start. When she first stepped into Dongdaemun Market, reality was far from ideal, and she was even criticized by merchants asking, 'Did you come shopping at a department store?' Kim Da-in bought two jackets with 60,000 won but couldn't sell them and became penniless; after vowing to succeed through tears, she received 300,000 won from her mother, sold out two coats she bought with that money, gradually grew, and eventually became a boss with 100 billion won in sales.
As someone determined to lead K-fashion from the front, Kim Da-in had many concerns. She said, "I'm going crazy, too. Behind the scenes it's much harder than it looks. Fashion trends change quickly, and it's not easy to keep up," adding, "In daily life I habitually observe a lot to watch trends."
Kim Da-in then moved to the company building and held a meeting to review the 2026 S/S release garments. At the sample preview meeting, Kim Da-in showed exceptional decisiveness and execution. Some watching the video in the studio clicked their tongues, saying, "It seems the staff will have a hard time," but Kim Da-in's passion, which grew the brand by identifying and reflecting customer needs, did not go out.
Regarding the Matin Kim legend, Kim Da-in said, "My husband and I say that it's not just in areas with many young people but also in areas with a variety of age groups that you see people wearing our products, and then you think, 'They're really famous,'" adding, "You have to keep encountering people wearing my clothes for 100 billion won in sales to happen." Hyojung said, "It seems like five out of ten people should be wearing them."
After leaving the 100 billion-won sales legend Matin Kim and establishing a new brand, Kim Da-in said she achieved annual sales of 10 billion won in two years and said, "I wanted to try challenging myself while I was still young," expressing her determination to continue taking on challenges.
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