Doing something good for others while also benefiting from it gives a positive feeling. KUHO, the minimal-contemporary womenswear brand run by Samsung C&T Fashion Group, helps fashion shoppers help others while at the same time dressing to impress. For over 20 years, the Heart for Eye campaign has helped visually impaired children through sales of a special heart-motif clothing line produced in collaboration with an artist or designer. This year’s campaign helps children (and adults) see the Yeti, usually a very difficult creature to see.
A lovable Yeti
The Heart for Eye campaign sponsors eye surgery and treatment costs for children suffering from visual impairment. It has so far helped over 400 children to recover or improve their sight. This year, the 21st Heart for Eye mini-collection is made in collaboration with the artist Eddie Kang, famous for his “Happy Place” images that resonate with warmth and hope in a world imagined without ill intentions.
Having studied video and animation at the Rhode Island School of Design, Eddie Kang became an artist, exhibiting solo shows in galleries in Korea and overseas.
He has created the iconic character “Yeti” that is probably inspired by Kang’s study of animation. Yeti serves as a guardian, guide, and protector of children that symbolizes love. The cute and friendly Yeti character has therefore been incorporated into this year’s Heart for Eye garments.
A Yeti on my shirt
In this year’s Heart for Eye collection, there are KUHO T-shirts and eco-bags featuring the Yeti character distributing heart-shaped balloons or making a heart shape above its head with its arms, and also a heart shape with the words “Heart for Eye” inside. These motifs capture the essence of Eddie Kang’s work that sends out warm and happy energy to those that see it.
Concurrently, here is an exhibition of some 20 new pieces by Eddie Kang. This special exhibition, entitled “Polaris” after the North Star, will be open on the second floor of ZIP739, a multi-brand shop located in Seoul’s trendy Hannam neighborhood until May 26. Like the North Star has guided for travelers for millennia by maintaining its position in the night sky, Yeti is Eddie Kang’s symbol of hope, guiding children into safe harbor.
A spokesperson from KUHO said, “KUHO is convinced of the healing power of art and wants to convey its authenticity and value through the annual Heart for Eye campaign,” adding, “I hope it will be an opportunity for people to experience the philosophy and spirit of KUHO through this new exhibition as well as through the clothing items created in collaboration with Eddie Kang, who conveys happy energy with a warm gaze.”
