STUDIO kIM

Behind every perfectly altered seam at Studio Kim is a story of survival, resilience, and quiet excellence. 

Kim Huynh is the heart and hands behind Studio Kim, a tailoring and alteration shop in Toronto's west end that has become a trusted space for craftsmanship, care, and human connection. With more than 25 years of experience, Kim’s work goes far beyond fabric; it carries memory, discipline, and love.

Step into her shop and you’re greeted not just with skill, but with kindness. Kim welcomes nearly everyone the same way, with a warm smile, a gentle “Hi, honey!” and an earnest effort to remember your name. It’s a small gesture, but one that turns a routine visit into something personal, something human.

Originally from Saigon, Vietnam, Kim Huynh arrived in Canada as a refugee, first settling in Halifax before eventually making her way to Toronto. The early years were demanding, marked by unfamiliar systems, a new language, and the quiet pressure to start over with very little. But Kim adapted the way she always has, patiently, deliberately, and with her hands. Those years of adjustment would later shape not only how she built her business, but how she treats every person who walks through her door.

Tailoring became both her anchor and her voice. Long before Studio Kim existed, Kim taught herself the secrets of garment construction by home sewing and studying old clothing books in the library, learning how clothes are meant to move with the body, not against it. 

She opened her first shop on King Street, later relocating to Queen Street, where Studio Kim continues to thrive today. The success of her business isn’t built on trends or speed; it’s built on trust and community. Kim believes that if customers leave happy, success will follow, and it has.

Inside the studio, she works alongside a small, skilled team, including her best friend from Vietnam. Outside of work, Kim finds peace in nature, watching birds and walking along Lake Ontario, moments of stillness after a lifetime of motion.

Ask Kim Huynh what she’s most proud of, and she doesn’t point to her dramatic escape by boat, where she met her husband (a tale Hollywood would kill to have), or to the three decades she’s spent building a successful business from scratch. Instead, her answer comes without hesitation. It’s her two daughters, one now a veterinarian and the other an optometrist. Kim never pushed them toward Studio Kim or asked them to follow in her footsteps. She wanted them to pursue what genuinely interested them, even if it meant building lives far from the shop. In the end, that freedom, hard-earned and deliberately given, is what she views as her greatest achievement.

Kim’s journey is not just about building a business. It’s about belonging, gratitude, and the quiet strength of starting over and choosing to keep going. Studio Kim is more than a tailoring shop; it’s a third place, a space where you know you’ll always be greeted with an enthusiastic “Hi, honey!”