LOS ANGELES (BLOOMBERG) - Bling Empire star Kane Lim has launched a streetwear brand called B.L.I.N.G, an acronym for the phrase Because Life is Not Guaranteed.
The 32-year-old Singaporean cast member of the popular reality series on Netflix has been hard at work while the show is on hiatus, working with his business partner Jonathan Koon, a marketing and fashion entrepreneur, to design a 60-piece, luxury activewear collection in less than two months.
"I wanted to come up with some fun athleisure clothing for the fans who really enjoy the show," Lim told Bloomberg in an interview. "It's not easy creating a new fashion label and I was thrilled Koon wanted to collaborate with me. He has worked behind-the-scenes with Jay-Z and Kanye, and ongoingly, has really creative ideas."
There are two capsule collections so far in B.L.I.N.G.
There is the colorful Prism collection which they created for Pride Month, where 10 per cent of sales benefit the Trevor Project, which focuses on suicide prevention in LGBTQ+ youth.
Then there is a line inspired by pandas, Lim's favourite animal. In the next few months, they will be adding more items to the website, "some playful, avant-garde pieces and a variety of black-and-white tee shirts with super cute pandas", said Lim.
As he hopes to build a socially responsible fashion brand, each collection ties to a charity that is close to Lim's heart.
"It's truly important to me that consumers can buy a piece and a portion of that sale goes to one of the many causes I am passionate about," he said.
"Kane has a vision to use his influence as an Asian-American celebrity to help others and I have always wanted to connect fashion and charity - this collaboration is a natural coming together of the minds," enthused Koon.
Several cast members of Bling Empire (2021 to present), which follows a group of rich Asians in Los Angeles, will also be doing collaboration capsules with B.L.I.N.G.
"While our core athleisure items serve as a foundation for the brand, we also want to highlight a capsule design product as well as a charity," said Koon.
