“Shirts are a symbol of men's fashion. In European men, shirts become common, so sleeves can be folded and unbuttoned, giving shirts different styles. ”

Harry Kim (Sungmin Kim is Korean real name) has been in the world of shirts for 25 years as an entrepreneur who raised the company from scratch empty-handed. Kim established SMK International in 1994 to export individual shirts to high-end European brands in Spain, Germany, France and Italy to become a global trading company. In 2015, the company entered the national market and Myanmar with its own brands 'HARRY KENT' and 'G.VINO'.

SMK International, which has won many awards at home and abroad, has the parent company in Gwacheon city, Korea and three factories in Yangon, Myanmar. It currently produces 600,000 to 700,000 shirts per month in Myanmar and is selling more than 50 million USD. From an ordinary employee, after 35 years in the world of shirts, he has conquered Europe with his shirts. Harry Kim, CEO of SMK International, shows the journey of his global success.

SMK International, established in 1994, currently produces 600,000 ~ 700,000 pieces of shirts and 200 types of shirts in OEM and ODM at three factories in Yangon, Myanmar, and focuses on global SPA brands and retail stores. The company exports to high-end brands in several European countries such as Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Denmark and the Netherlands, with annual sales of more than 50 million USD. At the beginning of the business, the company focused on OEM, but the company grew rapidly by producing the SPA and ODM brand, and since 2015, it has developed its own brands 'HARRY KENT' and 'G.VINO' to serve the domestic market and Myanmar.

Behind the 25 years of success in creating something from nothing is the anguish and passion of CEO Harry Kim, who communicates with buyers with the highest quality and sincerity, values ​​Myanmar workers and has not Lost his deep artistic sensibility. He is a proud ROTCian who has been practicing "The Obligations of Nobility" supporting national welfare facilities every month for more than 10 years and building a school in Myanmar.

"I fell in love with a shirt as the destination in my first job at Daewoo." Harry Kim, who passed the job interview for the Textile development department of the Daewoo Group in 1985 before graduating, began working seriously in 1987. After seven years of learning at Daewoo, he founded SMK International in 1994. He was designated for the textile department in Daewoo and remembers: "It was destiny to work in a team of shirts."

In particular, when I was an employee, I visited the shirt factory, the product research center, the subsidiary and the subcontracting factory in Banyeo-dong, Busan. When the head of the Busan factory asked me "What did you feel?" I replied “The process of making shirts is very complicated that it takes a lot of work and effort. It may seem easy at first glance, but it takes a lot of process to make a shirt. Especially the basic white shirt that is the most difficult. It is more attractive because it is sensitive enough not to tolerate small imperfections. ” As Harry Kim said, the shirt manufacturing process is complicated. The suits also go through several processes, but surprisingly, the shirt process requires more processes and a lot of workmanship. It takes more than two months to manufacture the fabric, and the process of cutting the fabric, dozens of accessories and pieces, and finally turning it into a shirt, is an admiration of art.

In particular, during the final stage, other garments are folded and placed in the plastic bag or hangers, while the shirts are ironed, tilted and folded according to the format. Harry Kim, fascinated by the charm of the shirts, devoted himself entirely to work. Daewoo's experience of being pioneers in five oceans has been the basis of self-confidence, and he realized that making the decision to enter and exit without staying in one place is very important in the OFF-SHORE business. He said it was a great strength to meet many buyers (customers). He wanted to open a new path after 7 years of passionate work at Daewoo. “At 30 years old, when I decided to leave Daewo, everyone asked me why I was leaving a big company. I had no capital, but I wanted to do a business with my name. ” Based on ambitions, at 32 years of age, Harry Kim founded SMK International in 1994.

He opted only for an article "shirts."

In 1994, SMK International was established, but it was not easy in the beginning. Immediately after its establishment in 1994, there were many difficulties, such as weak production base problems and IMF bailouts.

It started with just one article, the shirts, with a lot of encouragement but there was a big difference compared when he was in Daewoo. In the early stages, he looked for any business that could generate money, even imported Chinese medicines from Myanmar and delivered them to the Gyeongdong market, made 100,000 T-shirts from China and supplied them to Korea, etc. The decisive factor for the recovery of the business was the IMF Crisis. Four years after the start of the business, the IMF exploded and the exchange rate skyrocketed. Realizing that he had to take his own step in difficult times, he entered the European market taking advantage of the crisis. On January 17, 1998, he took his turn and got on a plane to Europe. After installing a small stand at a large German fair, he showed SMK shirts and met with some of the most acclaimed buyers. The consultations of the buyers, who showed little interest, began to arrive and, as soon as possible, they established a sewing factory and established a foothold for export. As the quality of SMK International shirts rose, word of mouth spread among buyers. Thus, he received an order from KARSTADT, the largest department store in Germany, and laid the groundwork. In 1999, he began dealing with SPA brands such as Zara and Springfield. There was an acceleration of growth. At that time, SMK International, which increased sales, located Vietnam as the production base, established a factory in Myanmar since 2000 and currently produces between 600,000 and 700,000 shirts per month in its three factories in Myanmar. A total of 10 varieties are supplied to 20 buyers in small quantities and 200 types of shirts are produced per month. SMK, which achieved $ 50 million in exports in 2016, is expanding its sales by completing the third smart factory for shirt production in 2018, and aims to export $ 100 million to produce 1 million pieces annually in 2025. Currently, CEO Harry Kim, who has about 30 employees in Korea and 4,000 employees in Myanmar, is the first contributor to Myanmar's job creation and global economic exchange.

The success of the export of shirts to Spain, Germany, France and Italy means that they have been recognized for their quality by meeting the demanding expectations of European body shapes and materials.

With 25 years of history, a solid buyer structure, a solid production base and a solid financial structure, SMK International's biggest attraction for European buyers is due to its unique quality and sincerity.

Mr. Harry Kim, a well-known celebrity among international buyers listed in the World People's Dictionary, the best buyers in Europe trust him to buy the shirts he proposes.

Harry Kim, who is trusted by European buyers of luxury brands and honored as the "Best Supplier" every year, recalled a simple but impressive scene among many awards. On March 20, 2006, while in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, he suddenly received a phone call without prior notice. Although it was a surprise prize, the plaque was filled with a message of thanks from buyers and executive directors.

“The production and specialization of an article has increased our confidence and competitiveness. We do not give up and constantly seek technological development and quality improvement to meet the needs of European buyers. We understood their culture and life, we integrated them with fashion and we maintained and developed relationships. "

Of course, there was a difficult time to do business abroad. In 2009, a department store in Europe, which was a major buyer, entered the judicial administration and a crisis arose in SMK. The liquidity of the company was rigid because it could not receive the money from the sales made, but they felt more hurt by many buyers who had been together for a long time lost their jobs.

Harry Kim, who has built a relationship of trust with European buyers with such excellent quality and warm sincerity, has consolidated SMK's reputation for the past 25 years.

"The most important thing in the business is people"

Second house, Myanmar

“From Bangladesh, Vietnam now only occurs in Myanmar. Myanmar is in the process of reform and openness for a long time after a long period of isolation. And he hopes it will develop more in the next 10 years. ”

How did your relationship with Myanmar begin?

During my stay in Daewoo, Myanmar was very familiar with Daewoo, Myanmar people didn't know the name of the Korean president but the name of the president of Daewoo. Having worked at the Daewoo Textile Development Department to be a pioneer, produce and export production bases abroad in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar, Hary Kim learned that the most important thing in the business was "people". “I have the vision that I want to do business in this country someday”.

“The people of Myanmar are honest, pure and emotionally similar to us. When I started my business, I produced in Bangladesh because I had many business contacts. However, I had difficulty doing business with the people of Bangladesh. Since 1994, I established a joint factory in Vietnam. In 2017, we retired from our Hanoi plant”.

In the end, it was decided to concentrate production in Myanmar alone, and it is now operating on the third floor, which has become a stable place of life for more than 4,000 local workers.

Harry Kim, tears fell for the first time when he recalled the first production and export of shirts from Myanmar 20 years ago.

“One day, in the summer of 2000, at the Myanmar factory, we loaded our first product in a container and took a commemorative photo with the factory workers. I've been through many twists and turns and I don't forget it. I am not alone, SMK International exists today because of the efforts and cooperation of many people who work together.

Myanmar is now well developed in the garment and sewing industries. In this case, it is convincing that his bravery has contributed greatly.

In the early 2000s, Myanmar's labor costs were only $ 10-20. Low labor costs were attractive, but US sanctions and export restrictions were imposed. In addition, due to the nature of the Myanmar army, many western nations avoided trade. So most people asked me why I establish the production base in Myanmar having other countries like China or Vietnam for it.

Harry Kim had to persuade European buyers who were concerned about the political situation in Myanmar. "I have no connection to Myanmar's policy, and the stable livelihood of many workers and families in our factory is one of the top priorities, so I appealed to believe and order that the lives of honest and sophisticated workers could continue".

In addition, the decisive moment of the Myanmar production base was 2012. Harry Kim begged a meeting with the former president of Myanmar, Sein, who would visit Korea in 2012 and was able to meet him at the Blue House of Korea as a representative of Korean commercial SMEs with Myanmar.

“At that time, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Bangladesh received the GSP in Europe. On the other hand, because Myanmar did not receive any tariff benefit, buyers could not place more orders in Myanmar. "

The GSP eliminates tariffs or reduces them by importing products from developing countries to support economic growth by strengthening export competitiveness in developing countries. Many countries are granting GSP, such as the US, Europe, Japan and Korea.

Harry Kim met with former President Sein and said: "We need a GSP to produce and export from Myanmar." After returning home, President Sein captured the details and obtained the GSP on two European visits the following year. Receiving the GSP at that time was the beginning of the activation of the Myanmar manufacturing plant. This allowed Myanmar sewing factories to actively explore the European market, while new manufacturing plants lined up.

“Myanmar has changed a lot now. Inflation and labor costs increased considerably, and the tourism industry was well developed. Even so, it is less open than other countries in the Indochina peninsula and labor costs remain low. ”

In fact, Myanmar's minimum wage increased by 100% in September 2016 and increased by 33% in May 2018 to almost $ 100. When calculating the payment of overtime or four insurance, the average monthly salary per person was close to $ 200.

Harry Kim said: "The inflation rate is faster than the labor cost, so the labor cost will increase in the future."

If you increase your productivity and have your own stronghold, the next 10 or 20 years will be a good opportunity in Myanmar.

Harry Kim, who is trusted by European buyers of luxury brands and honored as the "Best Supplier" every year, aims to export $ 100 million in 2025.

Harry Kim, CEO of SMK International, says "Shirts are art and science." The basis of men's fashion, shirts are 'life and fashion' for European men.

“In Europe and Japan, where there are stores only dedicated to the sale of shirts, there are a variety of options depending on arm length, neck width and torso adjustment. In Korea, there are also several shirt-only stores, the individual shirt market is in the pioneer stage. For the shirt market to become popular, we must satisfy several factors, such as body shape and comfort, and we are confident that SMK can play the role. "

First, SMK shirts are reasonably priced.

The purchasing power of shirts in Europe and Japan is quite high, and by season, new shirts of new colors and designs are purchased to achieve maximum fashion style. In addition, SMK shirts can be enjoyed casually, starting at the price of 20,000 won (20 USD).

Second, it offers a wide variety of styles.

“The bodies of people are different and the needs of clothes are different, so the style of fashion is very different. There is no formal answer, but the role of technicians in creating different styles is very important. The SMK plant in Myanmar leads the production of more than 200 shirts by professional technicians between 50 and 60 years old. ”

Technologists and tailors in the costume and costume department produce patterns, and SMK, which has a large number of its own shirt patterns, is struggling to showcase new works. This is due to Kim's belief that he must constantly change while maintaining his identity.

Third, overwhelming technical skills are fundamental.

SMK exceeded the expectations of European buyers by developing a 100% cotton technology without wrinkles. It is key to change the processing of the fabric, and the patented processing technology is applied to prevent wrinkles by aging the fabric with steam at high temperatures. It is a 100% iron free product that can dry slightly even after washing.

In addition to fabrics, sewing techniques must also be developed, which requires a high level of skill and machinery. In particular, when the sewing process is carried out in the part where the sewing of the fabric is connected, buffering occurs. To avoid this, the advanced technology of gluing the seam inside is applied. The shirt manufacturing method of SMK International is an assembly production process in which many subsidiary parts or materials come together to make certain items.

This made SMK shirts a pronoun to raise the dignity of European gentlemen.

 "As the business is gradually entering the stabilization phase, I have been continuously looking for something to help society."

Since the mid-2000s, Harry Kim has sponsored monthly "Children’s Home", a child welfare center, and has volunteered with all employees and family members once a year.

Harry Kim made a good impression on the people of Myanmar by building a school inside Myanmar. "I heard that Myanmar students who lived an hour from Yangon crossed the river by boat and went to school."

In 2010, he sought expert advice to establish a school, and added an additional building in 2018 to create more academic atmosphere where students can focus on their studies.

Humbly speaking, "Small Institute", the construction of the school gave a great sound to many hearts in Myanmar, and SMK International received the thank-you plaque in 2019 after being selected as 'CSR Excellent Company' by the Korean Ambassador to Myanmar in 2016..

Actions like these by Harry Kim is not only a business relationship, but the obligations of the nobility with genuine love for the workers and people of Myanmar.

Harry Kim spent more time abroad than Korea because his main job was to produce and export abroad. Most of the time he consulted with buyers, supervised production and management, encouraged workers and persuaded raw companies and subsidiaries.

One day, during the family reunion, his wife handed him a calendar where Harry Kim's days away from home (abroad) were marked in a circle and looked at him silently. At the moment, he seemed to have his face down. Determined to spend more time with his family, he currently spends around 100 days abroad. Fortunately, the Myanmar plant, which has been successfully located, is well managed by sub-corporate employees and Harry Kim only visits 5 or 6 events a year or when important customers come to the plant.

However, even now, buyer management and marketing depend entirely on Harry Kim. When meeting mainly with buyers in Europe, Shanghai and Hong Kong, he told employees: "No matter how difficult are the buyer's demand, you should not give up and negotiations should be patient and sincere".

“I saw a movie about Yoo Kwan-soon's story. I was surprised by the scene in which the Koreans were lazily divided, selfish and therefore ruled by Japan. I encourage my employees to think diligently and live diligently with a sense of mission. Buyers, production sites and customers are always called fingering. Finally, I encourage my employees to never give up. The moment they begin to believe in impossibility, the mounted tower collapses”.

Harry Kim, who has a monthly reading debate with the employees as a mentor, recently shared a philosophical book about the life of Matsushita Konosuke.

“The writer wrote about the history of Nietzsche, Nietzsche's philosophy has intrigued me since college, and I was also interested in the ideological connections between Nietzsche and Wagner. I would like to say that life begins with nothing and ends with nothing. No matter how well I build my business, I must easily transfer to the next generation, so I want to put aside my greed and do my best in the given reality. ”

"César, who crossed the Rubicon River, was a hero," said Harry Kim.

In addition, as the work "chair" of the poet of Cho Byung-hwa, the main theme is to realize the justification for the generational replacement and transfer my company with thorough preparation and vision.

“In the long run, I look forward to the day of making shirts in North Korea and exporting them to Europe, and I hope that the activities of entrepreneurs are the basis of unification. In Myanmar, I plan to maintain and develop existing production and diversify into a distribution business to represent the future of SMK at the center of Myanmar's economic growth. "

SMK International aims to produce 1 million shirts in 2025 and export $ 100 million annually. In 2021, the company plans to establish a branch in Europe to expand the Harry Kent and GVino brands throughout Europe.

“The role I did not have in Daewoo was to work abroad. As general manager, I would like to be a representative abroad. Ultimately, I want to enter the European market as well as the domestic market with the Harry Kent and GVino brands, not OEM or ODM".

Gift of life ... Painting and music

Harry Kim, who is warm and sensitive, has been married to his wife Sally Lee (Heesoon Lee is Korean real name) since 1990, who was a high school teacher. He has a son and a daughter. After 20 years of teaching, Mrs. Sally Lee is currently CEO of Dogok Español. The daughter specialized in art and the son who graduated from university this year and entered a conglomerate to work. The family is the source and vitality of Harry Kim.

On the other hand, in addition to SMK International, it also has a family business. Fascinated by food and culture while traveling with his wife to Spain, he planned a Spanish restaurant. He opened the Spanish restaurant "El Olivo" in 2011 in Korea to introduce Korean culture and life to Europeans. It was a milestone.

"After my children entering university, I decided to create a company called “Dogok Español” because I thought it would be better for my talented wife to continue with social life than to stay at home."

“Dogok Español” presents quality Spanish food and imported high quality wine to Korea through the Spanish restaurant "El Olivo" and the wine importing company "Bodega". On May 24, 2019, “El Olivo” invited the Spanish ambassador in Korea, Spanish buyers and acquaintances to celebrate a wine festival.

Harry Kim is also visualizing the dream of creating a complex cultural space in Gwacheon, where the headquarters of SMK International is located. It will be transformed into a space where many people can enjoy happiness through the gallery, a building of the SMK headquarters near the Spanish restaurant “El Olivo”.

At the same time, the aspiration to create a music room was also revealed. Harry Kim has enjoyed classical music from a young age, especially in opera. Tosca, one of Puccini's three operas, aria soprano "live in music and live in love ~", and he expresses that music is a gift of life. He was a member of the "Thursday Music Club" circle, which produced many musicians at the university.