Michelle Rhee will be the head of design for 3.1 Phillip Lim, the brand confirmed on Tuesday.
A graduate of NYU and Parsons, the Korean American designer has served on the creative teams of Marc Jacobs, Derek Lam 10 Crosby, Area and her eponymous womenswear brand, Michelle Rhee, which she founded in 2023.
In her new role, Rhee, who joined the house in April, oversees 3.1 Phillip Lim’s ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories lines. Her first collection for the brand will make its market debut in New York on Sept. 10.
“3.1 Phillip Lim has always stood for a modern elegance that feels effortless, yet deeply meaningful — a balance of strength, softness, and cultural resonance,” Rhee said in a statement. “As I step into this role, I feel honored to carry forward that heritage and excited to imagine what the next chapter of 3.1 can look like — one that continues to celebrate resilience, identity, and the beauty of everyday dressing elevated.”
Following the company’s 20th anniversary, co-founder and creative director Phillip Lim stepped down from the brand last November to pursue new projects. Since then, co-founder and CEO Wen Zhou has assumed sole leadership of 3.1 Phillip Lim.
With this new chapter, Zhou is aiming to return the house to its origins and double down on its values of “resilience, community, and the Asian American creative spirit,” the brand announced in a statement.
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