Kim is an 18-year-old TikToker and clothing-line owner, and he began posting to TikTok in November of 2018. He would make posts talking about mental health and well-being.
“I started making super vulnerable videos on TikTok talking about mental health topics,” he said.
Before long, his account started to grow a community. He would end every video with “Keep It Wholesome” and from there his following continued to grow.
Kim then started to transition from just making TikToks to creating a clothing brand.
“So, eventually, it just naturally seemed like the right idea to transition to a clothing brand, since the message was great and people wanted to support it,” Kim said.
Not too long after, he announced ‘Keep It Wholesome - Collection 001.’
He had one motive with his clothing drops, and that was to help others. That is why with every drop he would donate a percentage of the proceeds to a charity he felt resembled his brand and his cause the most.
On September 9, 2020, the ground was broken for a new school in Malawi, a country in southeastern Africa, he had helped fund with @buildOn.
So far, Kim has released five clothing collections. Each one has helped fund a new charity/fundraiser with a great cause. When asked Simon where he wanted to see Keep It Wholesome in the future, these were his words:
“In 10 years I hope to see Keep It Wholesome as a household name," he said. "I think the direction we are going is great and it's been amazing to see the community grow. In 10 years I'm aiming to have built a few more schools and opened up our own mental health foundation and hotline. In addition, I'm looking to start a mediation/journaling/social media app in the near future. I really don't think the future of KeepItWholesome is being a full-out clothing brand, but [rather] the go-to place for mental health resources and helping the youth.”
Credits:
@Simon Kim on Instagram, keepitwholesome.com