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Fashion and wellness have never felt more intertwined than they do today, with both industries embracing a more thoughtful, intentional approach to how we live, create, and care for ourselves. At an intimate gathering at AIREM Hamptons last week, The Daily Front Row’s Elizabeth Kurpis moderated a conversation between Dr. Eunice Park, founder of AIREM, and Christy Lynn, founder and creative director of her eponymous brand, Christy Lynn, exploring where fashion and wellness naturally converge. From building businesses with intention to carving out moments of self-care amid demanding careers, the conversation offered an honest look at the perspectives and philosophies that guide each founder both personally and professionally. Below, we’re revisiting some of the most memorable moments and insights from last week’s conversation.
1. Christy, your collections have become synonymous with effortless femininity. Was there a defining moment when you knew exactly what you wanted your brand to stand for?
CL: For me, it wasn’t one defining moment—it was a feeling I kept coming back to. The brand began during my own wedding weekend. I was searching for feminine, effortless pieces that felt special, but not traditionally bridal. I wanted a wardrobe for gathering with friends and family, entertaining, and celebrating—all while still feeling like myself. When I couldn’t find it, I designed it. That became the foundation of Christy Lynn: creating clothing for life’s beautiful moments. And when I saw other women connect with the collection in the same way I had, I knew I wasn’t designing just for myself—I was designing for them, too.
2. You’ve also built an incredibly loyal community around your business. What do you think creates genuine brand loyalty today, especially in a world where consumers have endless choices?
CL: It’s about staying true to what I started with and not compromising as the brand grows. Fit and fabric have always been at the heart of everything I do and the foundation of every collection I create. It’s what I was trained to value—from my education to the years I spent working under designers Nanette Lapore, Catherine Malandrino and Elie Tahari. Beautiful design means very little if the fit isn’t right or the quality doesn’t last.
At the same time, I believe in listening to our customers, understanding how women are living today, and recognizing how the world around us continues to evolve. As designers, we should be open to growing alongside those changes—but every decision we make should always reflect the values we started with.
3. Dr. Park, K-beauty has influenced skincare around the world, but AIREM takes it a step further with what you call “clinical K-beauty.” What does that actually mean, and what are some of the biggest misconceptions Americans still have about Korean skincare and aging?
DEP: I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that Korean beauty is just about sheet masks or having a long, 10-step skincare routine. While those products can certainly be enjoyable, that’s only a small part of the philosophy. Clinical K-Beauty is about combining the preventive mindset and consistency of Korean skincare with evidence-based medical aesthetics. In Korea, the focus isn’t on waiting until aging becomes severe and then trying to reverse it. It’s about maintaining healthy skin over time through regular treatments, collagen stimulation, and personalized care.
At AIREM, we’ve taken that philosophy and paired it with the latest advances in regenerative medicine and aesthetic technology. We don’t believe there is a single “miracle” treatment. Instead, we create customized treatment plans that may combine energy-based devices, injectables, regenerative therapies, medical-grade skincare, and lifestyle recommendations to help patients age beautifully and naturally. Another misconception is that looking youthful means looking different. In reality, Korean aesthetics prioritize harmony, balance, and skin quality over dramatic transformation. The goal is to preserve your unique features while keeping your skin healthy, firm, and radiant. That’s what Clinical K-Beauty means to me—it isn’t about chasing trends or perfection. It’s about delivering scientifically backed treatments with a long-term, proactive approach so patients can maintain healthy, beautiful skin at every stage of life.
Kaleta Blaffer Johnson, Alexandra Longanecker, Tanner Ewing, Amber Elliott
Patricia Reed, Barrie Glabman
4. One of AIREM’s guiding principles is “purposeful aging” rather than trying to erase every sign of getting older. That’s a refreshing shift in perspective. How do you define aging well, and how do you help patients embrace that mindset?
DEP: I believe aging is a privilege, and my goal has never been to help patients look like a younger version of someone else. It’s to help them look like the healthiest, most confident version of themselves at every stage of life. Purposeful aging is about being proactive rather than reactive. Instead of chasing every wrinkle or waiting until significant aging has occurred, we focus on preserving skin health, stimulating collagen, and maintaining facial structure over time. Small, consistent treatments often produce more natural and longer-lasting results than dramatic interventions later on.
5. Christy, as a female founder, you’ve built a business in an industry that is incredibly competitive. Were there moments when you questioned yourself, and how did you push through it?
CL: I question myself all the time. I don’t think there’s ever a day I wake up feeling 100% confident in everything I’m doing. What I’ve learned is that confidence isn’t what leads to success—showing up is. Even when something doesn’t go as planned, I still show up to understand why, learn from it, and keep moving forward. That’s how I’ve grown, and it’s what continues to push both me and the brand ahead.
6. Your designs also have a timeless quality that women return to season after season rather than chasing trends. How do you balance creating something that feels current while designing pieces you hope women will treasure for years?
CL: I always try to put myself in my customer’s shoes. Will she wear this more than once? Will it still feel special season after season? Even for an occasion piece, I want it to have a life beyond a single event.
The purpose of Christy Lynn has always been to create clothing that makes women feel elevated in their everyday lives. I love designing pieces that transition from day to night and remain timeless rather than trend-driven. I believe in quality over quantity and creating clothing that can be cherished for years, even passed down through generations. When I see multiple generations shopping together and each woman finds something she loves, that’s when I know I’ve done my job.
Esther McNulty, Lauren DiPietro, Christy Lynn, Lauren DiPietro
7. Dr. Park, AIREM beautifully combines cutting-edge technology with centuries-old Korean self-care rituals. How do you decide when innovation truly improves a treatment versus when tradition still does it best?
DEP: For me, innovation and tradition aren’t competing ideas—they’re complementary. The best patient outcomes often come from combining the wisdom of time-tested rituals with technologies that are backed by science. Korean beauty has always emphasized consistency, prevention, and caring for the skin over a lifetime. Those principles haven’t changed, even as the technology has evolved. What has changed is our ability to stimulate collagen more effectively, accelerate healing, and achieve results that simply weren’t possible a decade ago. When I evaluate a new treatment or device, I always ask the same questions: Is it supported by clinical evidence? Does it improve patient outcomes? Is it safe across different skin types? And most importantly, does it fit into a long-term approach to healthy aging rather than offering a temporary trend?
At AIREM, we don’t adopt technology because it’s new—we adopt it because it meaningfully benefits our patients. That’s why we carefully curate every treatment we offer and often travel to Korea to evaluate emerging innovations before introducing them in the U.S. I personally meet with companies at their headquarters, visit leading clinics, and carefully evaluate the science, safety, and clinical outcomes behind every technology. I take the process of selecting devices for AIREM very seriously, ensuring each one meets the highest standards before bringing it to our patients.
8. Christy, your business celebrates intentional living rather than excess. You’ve built a brand around longevity instead of instant gratification. Why has that philosophy become so important to you?
I believe designing with longevity isn’t just good design anymore—it’s a responsibility. The way we consume fashion is changing, our climate is changing, and women are becoming much more thoughtful about what they add to their wardrobes.
When I was a fashion student, online shopping and social media didn’t exist. I’d wait every month for the latest magazines, study every collection, and save my favorite pages for inspiration. There was a real sense of discovery. Today, you can scroll past a hundred beautiful dresses in a minute. That means our job as designers isn’t just to create something beautiful—it’s to create something worth keeping. Pieces people will wear, love, and make memories in. That’s the kind of longevity I hope every Christy Lynn piece has.
9. Dr. Park, you’re constantly working on other people. Where do you personally go to recharge, and what does self-care actually look like when you’re the one everyone else depends on?
DEP: For me, recharging often means spending quiet time with my family, traveling, or simply creating space to disconnect and reset. One of my greatest sources of inspiration is visiting Korea each year. While I’m there, I explore the latest innovations in aesthetics, but I also immerse myself in the culture of wellness. There’s a deep appreciation for slowing down, being intentional, and making self-care a regular part of everyday life rather than something you only do when you’re exhausted.
Mae Moceo
Christy Lynn, Christophe Chung
10. Luxury today is as much about experience as it is about product. The Christy Lynn shopping experience feels incredibly personal. Christy, how intentional have you both been about creating an emotional experience around your brand, not just selling a product?
CL: We’ve been very intentional with everything we do. I believe luxury today is less about exclusivity and more about how you make someone feel. Whether it’s one of our stores or a pop-up, I want it to feel like you’re stepping into our home. Every detail—from the flowers and music to the scent and styling—is meant to create a warm, welcoming experience. The clothing is just the beginning. If someone leaves feeling inspired, connected, or simply a little more beautiful than when they arrived, then we’ve created something far more meaningful than a sale.
11. If you could leave everyone in this room with one piece of advice—whether they’re building a business, changing careers, or simply navigating a busy season of life—what’s one lesson you’ve learned that you hope they carry with them?
CL: When you trust your own voice and find the right people to walk alongside you, that’s when the magic happens.
12. Looking ahead, what excites each of you most, not just professionally, but personally? Is there a project, goal, or chapter you’re particularly looking forward to?
DEP: I’m especially excited about the future of regenerative aesthetics. We’re moving beyond simply treating the visible signs of aging and toward helping the body repair and regenerate itself. One innovation I’m particularly excited about is our partnership with Acorn Biolabs, which allows us to harvest and preserve a patient’s own stem cells right here in our office. It’s an exciting advancement because it gives patients the opportunity to bank younger, healthier cells today that may have future applications in regenerative medicine and personalized aesthetics as the science continues to evolve. At AIREM, we do this by collecting approximately 50 hair follicles from the patient and send them to the Acorn lab. Patients then have the option to bank their stem cells for future use, particularly as new advancements become available and are approved in the U.S. Because stem cells are more potent the younger you are, early banking is ideal—especially for those interested in future aesthetic or therapeutic applications.
We’re also incorporating this technology now by using a custom stem cell serum derived from the patient’s own preserved cells, which is shipped back to us and used as part of post-procedure care to accelerate healing. Additionally, we’re using this serum in advanced hair restoration treatments to help stimulate hair growth. I truly believe regenerative medicine will play an increasingly important role in how we approach healthy aging—not just by restoring what has been lost, but by supporting the body’s natural ability to heal, regenerate, and maintain healthier skin over time.
CL: I’ve spent the last six years growing alongside the brand, trying to understand where we fit in the world. Those early years were filled with exploration—making mistakes, navigating finances, and building both our wholesale and retail business. For the first time, it feels like we’ve found our foundation. We’ve built wonderful wholesale partnerships in the U.S. and Europe, my team finally feels grounded, and even personally, Christophe and I are finally finishing the home we’ve been renovating for the past two years.
As I’ve entered my 40s, I’ve realized I’m evolving just as much as the women I’m designing for. For the first time, I’m less focused on what’s next and more focused on why. That shift has brought a lot more clarity to how I design, lead, and think about the future.
Christy Lynn, Dr. Eunice Park, Elizabeth Kurpis
Dr. Eunice Park
Amber Elliott
Elizabeth Kurpis
Christy Lynn
Esther McNulty
Alexandra Longanecker
Tanner Ewing
Mae Moceo
Kaleta Blaffer Johnson
Autumn Furr, Susan Sokol
Christy Lynn, Barrie Glabman, Lauren DiPietro, Elizabeth Kurpis
Esther McNulty, Lauren DiPietro, Christy Lynn, Lauren DiPietro
Leah James, Jessica Hill, Timea Czira, Sofia Ferrara, Juliet Cavallaro, Lauren DiPietro
Dr. Eunice Park, Christy Lynn, Elizabeth Kurpis
Images: Kevin Czopek/BFA.com
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