A passing thought about The Art of Sarah

Photo Source : Netflix

Watching Korean Drama, The art of Sarah, reminded me of a real life case with a very similar theme, Anna Sorokin. The series explores fake identities, ambition, and instant social climbing. Anna Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey, is a con artist from Russia or Germany. 

She became famous for disguising herself as a wealthy heiress in New York’s elite social circles in the mid-2010s. Like Anna, Sarah Kim (the main character of  The art of Sarah) also creates a fake identity to enter elite society and achieve instant social climbing.

However, some sources explain that the premises and modus operandi of this story are based on real cases involving fraudulent businesses, particularly the “Vincent & Co.” Luxury watch scam in South Korea in 2006. 

Sarah Kim built an elite persona to enter a rich and influential community within the industry. She created a fabricated story, and as the audience, we know that she was manipulating people. With a carefully crafted profile, she convinced her targets through charisma, fashion, body language, and self-confidence.

Some interesting points to talk about, 

Exploiting a gray area

The Vincent & Co. assemble cheap timepieces from Chinese and Hong Kong parts, briefly routing them through Switzerland to deceitfully obtain "Swiss Made" certification. The watches were falsely marketed as rare luxury heirlooms associated with European royalty, including Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana. Through exclusive parties, celebrity connections, and artificial waiting lists, the brand gained prestige among wealthy elites in Gangnam. The scam collapsed after customers discovered the poor quality of the watches, leading to police investigations.

Next, in this serial, the Boudoir  sold handbags that were claimed to be exclusive luxury items worth around 50 to 100 million won, making them seem unreachable to the lower class. In addition, Boudoir used black campaigns and false information to market its products, claiming that the bags were favored by the British royal family. Sarah Kim built Boudoir on a huge lie, pretending that she was the head of the Korean branch while the brand’s headquarters were supposedly located in England. In reality, Boudoir was not an international high-fashion brand, but a domestic label created by Sarah Kim using cheap materials and local tailors.

Both stories fall into a grey area by exploiting marketing loopholes and planting false myths. In Boudoir’s case, the brand was presented as a prestigious century old luxury handbag house from England, even though the entire image was built on deception.

Boudoir /ˈbuː.dwɑːr/

Boudoir as the name of Sarah Kim’s brand, came from a French word, that refers to a private women’s room. Therefore, the word expresses elegance, luxury, femininity, intimacy, and a high-class lifestyle. 

Sarah Kim wanted this name to reflect the image she wanted to build. With the chosen name, Boudoir, especially because it sounds French, it creates an association with high society and upper class luxury brands. 

On the other hand, the name also symbolizes another side of Sarah Kim’s persona. It is as if she hides herself in a private room, distant and unreachable.

The Silver Bag and split identity

source : surfacemag

The bag that Sarah Kim really wanted looked like a bag from Dior. In real life, this bag is very luxurious and artistic. Each piece is arranged like mirror fragments in a mosaic artwork.

For me, every fragment arranged like an artwork carries a meaning. Each piece represents different sides of a person, wounds, secrets, and hidden emotions. Sarah Kim builds a false identity and lives behind a carefully created persona.

A mosaic is made from separate pieces of glass, just like her identity. She has a split identity. By the way, even though something is broken, it can still become an artwork. Imperfection can still look luxurious and elegant.

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So in the end, It starts with an obsession that ultimately demands a heavy price to pay.