An all around digital creative and street style star, Australian influencer Kim Jones just launched her latest foray of over a year in the making, The Fore-a platform dedicated to championing local talent and emerging creatives by launching them into the global zeitgeist.
“The Fore is a digital manifestation of my current emotional, mental and physical state,” Kim shares on an Instagram post upon announcing her newest project to her whooping 767,000 followers. The brand’s ethos is to highlight and serve as a conduit for young and emerging designers, creatives and entrepreneurs. “It’s been such a process – and one that has demanded a lot from me on a very personal level. ”
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Spearheading The Fore’s debut is a collaboration with Marine biologist turned world-renowned accessories designer Ken Samudio. This isn’t the first time that the duo worked together. “Ken is very aware of himself as a designer, unapologetically. He has established himself as a designer internationally, working with the likes of Luisa Via Roma and Swarovski, Moda Operandi and others.”
Given his background as a marine biologist, Ken Samudio looked to the aquatic life for inspiration and transformed them into beautiful and intricate pieces along with Kim’s love for abstract expressionism and her favorite artists, even naming the creations after them. Each purchase gives you access to four pieces which are interchangeable and flexible to your mood.
“That flexibility and tactile nature of our pieces was something we wanted to inject to excite our customers and show them that we have a lot more of up our sleeves and that the best of design can be found within the Philippines,” says Kim.
The Fore’s proof that there’s a pool of talent thriving in Manila, waiting to be discovered and unveiled. Kim says that “the idea of young entrepreneurs being given access to a platform such as this is really the only thing that made the sleepless nights and stress levels worth it.”
When asked where she sees The Fore thriving on a digital landscape, Kim doesn’t hesitate to tell us that there’s an opportunity within the digital landscape now to merge editorial and e-commerce. “The great thing about launching a series of collaborations with entrepreneurs and designers is that my audience is often deeply interested in realising and understand the backstory. We’re working on creating a more immersive experience for our customer that provides that context within the retail space and a deeper understanding of our brand and products.”
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