When I first heard the sad news I was in shock and heartbroken and even today I still can not come to terms with losing such a dear, treasured and valuable friend. I had the privilege to work with Kim on the “L by Lycra” project and she was the leader for the development of the intimate apparel collection. She was stationed in Geneva, we were the development team in Hong Kong and the range meetings took place in Shanghai. Some early brand meetings were in London and one very special & unforgettable collection presentation even took place in New York. My team was thrilled and highly energized to be part of this exciting project and only a person like Kim could manage such a big and complex task. Her multicultural background as well as the fact that she was multilingual enabled her to pull together a very diverse team of people from different cultures, different continents with different skill sets. The way she approached it was to listen and observe first, gather inputs and make everyone in the team feel equally important. She gave us time to develop ideas and concepts and once her vision of a range had evolved she was clear, focused and efficient in its execution. Throughout the entire process she was always well informed and on top of things – nothing would elude her – nothing would be left undone. And although she took her task very serious she would always have time for a chat and a laugh which I especially loved and enjoyed! Her sense of humor and especially her ability to laugh out loud about herself made her so sympathetic, likeable and lovable. Her sparkling personality and joy of life made our cooperation absolutely fun and effortless. Once a days work was done she would organize a dinner for the team to relax. Our regular dinners at Din Tai Fung in Shanghai are legendary and will never be forgotten! Her wedding to Julien and also the birth of Louna Mai fell into the period of our cooperation and we gladly could experience her joy and gratitude for her blessings. At the time it was unimaginable how things would change for her and her family and to even briefly imagine that all of this is irrevocably gone leaves me deeply sad and at a loss for words. Still, I am grateful that I have met Kim and that she has been a part of my life. Her always upbeat personality inspired me to also always be optimistic and to approach any challenge with a positive can-do attitude. She will continue to live in my memories and in the stories I will keep telling about her and our time together to my colleagues, friends and family. My most heartfelt condolences to all her friends and especially her beloved family. In silent sympathy Karl J. Mayer
