What Does 3.1 Phillip Lim's Future Look Like? Michelle Rhee Shares Her Vision

With all the conversations centered around the lack of women leading major fashion labels, it never gets tiring to celebrate those who break past the barriers. One such example is Michelle Rhee, 3.1 Phillip Lim’s new head of design. She formally stepped into the role in September, following Lim’s exit less than a year ago.

Her appointment positions her in quite a unique position: Many of the brands participating in designer musical chairs boast a considerable history of revolving creative leadership, and thus, give new hires an array of viewpoints to work off of. For Rhee, however, there’s only been one man to articulate 3.1 Phillip Lim’s vision throughout its over 20-year history: Lim himself.  

Rhee will be the first to introduce newness to the brand’s aesthetic, and it’s a responsibility she doesn’t take lightly. “It’s a big honor to be here,” she tells Fashionista. “This is a brand that’s really important to the New York fashion scene, and also to me. It’s been a brand that’s dear to my heart. I’m excited to bring some freshness to this new chapter.”

The Korean American designer arrives at 3.1 Phillip Lim after a 12-year career, having graduated from NYU and Parsons, and cutting her teeth at Marc Jacobs, Derek Lam 10 Crosby and Area. In 2023, she launched her eponymous womenswear brand (which she still oversees). 

Experience-wise, she clearly has what it takes to thrive in this new role. But does she think she’s ready for it?

“I don’t know if anyone is ever really ready,” she laughs. “I think the brand really resonates and speaks to me. My natural sensibility really aligns with who our woman is. I’m excited to inject my personal aesthetic and ideas into the future.”

In September, the brand released a lookbook of Rhee’s debut Spring 2026 collection, giving consumers a glimpse of her vision. Her goal was to craft a lineup that reflects how modern, tasteful women want to dress — versatile, cool and effortlessly chic. 

To achieve this, she studied the brand’s archives — as most new designers do — and pondered how to bring in her own twists. 

“First and foremost, I wanted to make sure I was honoring the history of the brand and what Phillip built ahead of this collection, and then building on top of that,” she says of the design process. “There are already so many great codes that this brand has. It’s cool, but it’s also feminine and our customer appreciates a very distinct fashion angle to her wardrobe. So it’s about taking those elements, seeing how I intuitively react to those ideas and sensibilities and bringing her into the next chapter.”

She points out a butter-yellow python print dress, leather trapeze jackets and a couple of rayon viscose striped knitwear pieces as some of her favorites from the collection. 

Zeroing in on hand-done craftsmanship is also central to Rhee’s vision: “Especially when I dove back into the history of the brand, there are so many pieces that really care about craft, that feel handmade, whether it’s embellishments, embroideries or techniques. We really want to make sure we bring those things back into the clothes and incorporate into the collections going forward.” 

One category Rhee is excited to grow under her leadership is accessories. The label is bringing back its origami-inspired Luna bag, soon to be available in three sizes and multiple colorways and fabrications.

“We speak to our Asian heritage a lot here at 3.1 Phillip Lim, and this bag is based on the concept of origami, dumplings and all these things we want to build moments around,” Rhee says.

In the video below, Rhee walks Fashionista through her debut collection, plus further discusses 3.1 Phillip Lim’s design future. 

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Source: Fashionista.com