Yoon Ahn on Jewelry Design, Building Ambush, and Collaborating with Nike

Designer and Creative Director Yoon Ahn takes us on a journey from studying graphic design at Boston University, to meeting Verbal and launching the wildly successful jewelry brand, Ambush.

In this episode, Ahn sits down with Noah Callahan-Bever to discuss how her first pieces of jewelry turned into visions of a fashion platform, and how she developed a process for her creativity. This led to Ahn collaborating with Nike and creating iconic looks for tennis star Naomi Osaka.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro / Future of Fashion
4:20 Growing Up / Parents Influence
9:30 Seeking Out Culture
11:00 High School Style / Discovery of Design
12:50 Graphic Design at Boston University / Meeting Verbal
14:40 Tokyo in 2003 / Early Projects
17:30 First Jewelry Pieces and Collections
19:00 Starting Ambush
23:00 Process for Making Creativity Repeatable
27:15 Running a Business / The Good and Bad
29:30 Relationship with Nike / 2019 Dunk
31:28 Naomi Osaka Collaboration
37:00 Keys to Managing Others
39:40 Navigating a Personal and Business Relationship with Verbal
41:39 Dealing with Burnout
42:20 Building a Fashion Platform, Not a Brand

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COMPLEX is a community of creators and curators, armed with the Internet, committed to surfacing and sharing the voices and conversations that define our new America. Our videos exemplify convergence culture, exploring topics that include music, sneakers, style, sports, and pop culture through original shows and Complex News segments. Featuring your favorite celebrities, authoritative commentary, and a unique voice, our videos make culture pop.