In the Studio with Sean Kim from Wooj
How long have you been in Greenpoint, and why did you choose to set up shop here?
We’ve been in Greenpoint since April 2024 and it has been a lovely experience for us so far. We used to be located in Bushwick which was nice, but our studio space was much smaller than the one we have now. When you’re working on a manufacturing business, space is your number one resource, and of course, space is the most difficult thing to attain in New York. We were lucky enough to have gotten a tip from a fellow design company (Craighill) about an opening in a building at the end of Manhattan Ave called Greenpoint Design and Manufacturing Center - they’re a nonprofit that offers subsidized space for manufacturers and fabricators. We got a great deal on our space and are paying marginally more than our last location for a space four times larger. My favorite thing about being in the building is being surrounded by a huge variety of talented designers and fabricators. I think we could basically make anything out of any material working with some of the folks in the building.
What projects are you currently working on?
A few too many! We’re working on a large scale pendant lamp for commercial applications but also a couple of new lower cost lamps (accessibility in design is very important to us). Mostly I’m getting prepped for the holidays though, as they are our busiest time of year - shoring up all of our manufacturing processes so we can be as efficient as possible going into our busy season.
Could you talk a little bit about your background growing up in SoCal? You're from Newport, so did you grow up sailing, surfing, etc?
Unfortunately, I’m not much of a swimmer - which made me a pretty bad surfer, but I did spend much of my youth longboarding with my friends around from beach to beach. I had a friend who was a skilled sailor so he would take me on his little sailboat and I would try to make myself as useful as possible.
How would you describe your personal style?
I do a lot of physical and studio work in the clothes that I wear, but I also want to look at least somewhat composed, so my wardrobe consists largely of clothing that is durable, functional, but still aesthetically pleasing. Lots of chore coats (lots of pockets being completely essential), denim, chambray. More oxford shirts than I know what to do with. Many of the clothes that I wear are deeply deeply worn in, but because I made a point of purchasing quality items (things with reinforced stitching, high quality materials, etc), they’ve really lasted me a long time without making me look threadbare (as far as I can tell). I don’t do well with fads because I don’t want to buy something that I’m not going to want to wear in ten years.
What are a few of your favorite QMS items?
I love love love the workman’s jackets. I have one in denim and khaki and I wear them all the time. I love having a lot of pockets and they are extremely comfortable. Honestly I’d have all the colors if I could. Really functional and I get compliments on them all the time.
Follow Wooj on Instagram: @wooj.design
