Most people search for “Alice Kim” expecting a simple celebrity biography. What they find surprises them. In May 2026, there are two very notable women: Alice Kim, one who walked red carpets beside Nicolas Cage, and one who left investment banking at Bear Stearns, spent two decades at Prada, Diane von Furstenberg, and Victoria’s Secret, then built a patented fashion brand that made Oprah’s editors take notice. This article tells you everything about both, and why the second story is the one most sites refuse to tell properly.
Alice Kim is one of the most searched names in celebrity and fashion circles right now. By the end of this article, you will know exactly who she is, where she came from, what she built, and why her story matters in 2026.
Who Is Alice Kim? The Two Women Behind the Name
If you searched “Alice Kim” today, Google shows you results about Nicolas Cage’s former wife. That is only part of the picture.
- Alice Kim Cage (born December 27, 1983, in Los Angeles, California) is a Korean-American former actress and entrepreneur. She is best known for her marriage to actor Nicolas Cage from July 2004 to January 2016. She appeared in small film roles during that period and later became the founder of a fashion brand called PerfectDD.
- Alice Kim, the fashion founder, is that same person, now operating under her own name, running a company she built from scratch, holding two U.S. patents, and earning recognition from major fashion industry bodies in 2025.
Many competitors and celebrity blogs report these as separate people or mix up details badly. This article gives you accurate, sourced information about Alice Kim in full.
Alice Kim’s Early Life: Queens, Korean Heritage, and a Catholic School
Alice Kim was born and raised in Queens, New York. She grew up in a traditionally conservative Korean-American household as the daughter of Korean immigrants.
Her upbringing was shaped by two things that pulled against each other. Her family valued education, discipline, and modesty. Her school environment was less welcoming. She described herself as “the other”, the only Asian at her Catholic school. That experience left a mark. She felt different, and not in the way children want to feel different.
As she grew up and started to develop physically at a young age, that sense of being different got harder. She has spoken openly about the shame and insecurity that followed her from childhood into adulthood. This background, painful as it was, became the fuel for everything she built later.
Education: From Queens to Dartmouth to Bear Stearns
Alice Kim’s academic record is impressive and rarely reported accurately. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a degree in economics, and began her career in investment banking at Bear Stearns
Bear Stearns was one of Wall Street’s most storied investment banks before its collapse in 2008. Working there straight out of Dartmouth says a great deal about Alice Kim’s drive and intelligence. She was not a casual observer of business; she was trained in the most demanding financial environments in the United States.
After finance, she made a deliberate choice. She walked away from Wall Street and into fashion.
Alice Kim’s Fashion Career: Two Decades at the Top
Alice spent two decades working at renowned fashion houses, including Shopbop, Diane von Furstenberg, Prada, and Victoria’s Secret, which taught her to be an expert in product, fit, and design.
Think about that list. Shopbop is one of Amazon’s premium fashion platforms. Diane von Furstenberg is a globally recognized luxury brand. Prada sits at the very top of the fashion world. Victoria’s Secret is one of the most data-rich companies in the history of women’s clothing fit and sizing.
Alice Kim worked across all of them. She rose to leadership roles, including vice president and divisional merchandise manager. After working her way up to leadership roles, Kim started pitching her idea, only to be met with resistance. Industry insiders told her the concept was too niche. She disagreed.
What She Saw That Others Missed
Alice Kim’s core insight came from personal experience. As a size 32DD, she spent years struggling to find tops that fit both her bust and her frame. Shirts that fit her shoulders were always too tight by the chest, and if she sized up to fit her DD chest, it would be baggy everywhere else, making her look frumpy.
When she researched how many women shared her problem, the numbers stopped her cold. She realized the average bra size in the U.S. is a 34DD, meaning millions of women struggled with the same problem. This was not a niche issue. It was a massive market that nobody was serving properly.
PerfectDD: The Brand Alice Kim Built From Scratch
Approaching her 40th birthday, Kim knew that if she didn’t leap, she never would. She quit her corporate job, and four years later, in December 2020, she launched her brand.
PerfectDD is not just another clothing company. It is a precision-fit solution for women with DD+ cup sizes and smaller to mid-size frames. The name is direct. The mission is specific. And the method is unlike anything else in the market.
The Patent That Changed Everything
Most fashion brands scale patterns up or down from one base size. Alice Kim refused to do that. What differentiates PerfectDD from other brands is that she creates different patterns for every size, taking the average of real women’s sizes, including her own. She described this approach as expensive but necessary.
One of Kim’s biggest breakthroughs was securing two patents for her designs, including a hidden button technology that addresses the common problem of gaping in button-down shirts. That is a real engineering solution to a problem every woman with a fuller chest knows intimately.
The significance of that patent goes beyond the product. Around 10% of U.S. patent holders are women, and even fewer are women of color. Alice Kim is in a very small group.
What the Brand Covers
- Tops designed for DD+ cups up to size 20
- Cup sizes in shirts that go up to an M cup
- Button-down shirts with patented hidden button technology
- T-shirts and sweatshirts made from Pima and Supima cotton
- Capsule wardrobe pieces built for real proportions
The Customer Who Canceled Her Surgery
The most powerful proof that PerfectDD works is not an award. It is a customer story Alice Kim shared in an interview with Refinery29 in December 2024. A customer canceled her breast reduction surgery after finding the brand because she finally found clothes that fit. She bought eight more T-shirts and told Kim it was like finding her uniform.
That is the real impact of Alice Kim’s work. Not red carpet moments. Not celebrity gossip. A woman who no longer felt she had to change her body to find clothes that fit.
Industry Recognition: Awards, Fellowships, and Rising Star Nominations
Alice Kim’s work in fashion has earned her serious recognition from major institutions, not tabloids.
Alice is a Tory Burch Fellow (2022), a 2023 Fearless Fund Grant recipient, and a member of Dreamers & Doers and the Female Founder Collective.
The Tory Burch Foundation Fellowship is one of the most competitive business programs for women entrepreneurs in the United States. The Fearless Fund is a venture capital firm focused specifically on women of color founders. These are not honorary titles. They represent real competition and serious selection criteria.
In March 2025, Fashion Group International nominated Alice Kim of PerfectDD for its Rising Star Award in the Fashion Apparel: Ready-to-Wear category. The 2025 nominees included Alice Kim of PerfectDD alongside other designers from brands like Dur Doux, Love Binetti, and Sivan. Fashion Group International has been a pillar of the global fashion industry since 1930, and a Rising Star nomination puts Alice Kim in very distinguished company.
The One Fact About Alice Kim That 90% of Articles Get Wrong in 2026
Here is something most celebrity bios about Alice Kim completely miss: the Alice Kim who founded PerfectDD is not a former waitress who got lucky. She is a woman with an economics degree from Dartmouth, a Wall Street background, and 20 years of fashion expertise at elite companies.
The waitress at Kabuki restaurant in Los Angeles who met Nicolas Cage in February 2004 was Alice Kim Cage, a different person, born in Los Angeles, who had a brief acting career and later separated from Cage in January 2016.
The Alice Kim who founded PerfectDD was born and raised in Queens, New York. She started her career in investment banking and spent more than 15 years in fashion before launching her brand.
Multiple celebrity blogs have merged these two women into one confusing biography, putting false educational credentials on Alice Kim Cage and misattributing the PerfectDD brand. When you read about “Alice Kim” in May 2026, you need to know which Alice Kim the article is actually about. The fashion founder and the former actress share a name and a Korean-American background, but that is where the overlap ends.
Alice Kim Cage: The Complete Story of Nicolas Cage’s Third Wife
For readers who specifically searched for Alice Kim in relation to Nicolas Cage, here is the accurate account.
Alice Yung Kim is a Korean-American actress known for her previous marriage to Nicolas Cage. She was wed to the famous actor for nearly 12 years before the couple split.
Cage met Kim in February 2004 when she served him while working as a waitress in a Los Angeles restaurant. They were engaged two months later before tying the knot on a ranch in Northern California.
Cage’s third wife was Alice Kim. They were married at a private ranch in Northern California on July 30, 2004. She gave birth to their son Kal-El in 2005. They divorced in January 2016.
Their Son: Kal-El Coppola Cage
Kal-El Coppola Cage was born on October 3, 2005, in New York City. His name was inspired by Superman’s Kryptonian birth name, a reflection of Nicolas Cage’s famous love for comic books. Kal-El was raised primarily with his mother and has kept a low profile.
At age 13, he voiced Young Bruce Wayne in Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (2018). As of May 2026, he remains connected to both parents and continues to explore his own path in film and animation.
After the Divorce: A Respectful Friendship
Cage admitted their split surprised him. He was “shocked” when his marriage to Kim ended; he did not see it coming and chose to divert all his emotions from the news into his acting.
What came next was less expected. Kim and Cage seemingly let bygones be bygones and were on good terms. After his fifth marriage to Riko Shibata, the actor celebrated with his ex-wife and their son. They spent Father’s Day together over dinner with their son. This is a co-parenting story that many Hollywood families would struggle to match.
Quick Reference: Alice Kim at a Glance
| Category | Alice Kim (PerfectDD Founder) | Alice Kim Cage |
| Birthplace | Queens, New York | Los Angeles, California |
| Education | Dartmouth College, Economics | Granada Hills Charter High School |
| Career | Investment banking, Fashion, Entrepreneur | Waitress, Actress |
| Known For | PerfectDD brand, Patents, Tory Burch Fellowship | Marriage to Nicolas Cage |
| Children | Not publicly confirmed | Kal-El Coppola Cage |
| Current Status | Active CEO, PerfectDD | Private life, Las Vegas |
| Awards | FGI Rising Star Nominee 2025, Oprah Daily Editor’s Choice | Small film roles (Next, Grindhouse) |
Who Is Alice Kim?
Alice Kim is a Korean-American entrepreneur and founder of PerfectDD, a fashion brand for women with DD+ cup sizes. She holds a degree in economics from Dartmouth College, began her career at Bear Stearns, and spent 20 years at fashion houses, including Prada and Victoria’s Secret. She launched PerfectDD in December 2020 and holds two U.S. design patents.
Is Alice Kim Nicolas Cage’s Ex-Wife?
Alice Kim Cage is Nicolas Cage’s third ex-wife. They married on July 30, 2004, and divorced in January 2016. They share one son, Kal-El Coppola Cage. The Alice Kim who founded PerfectDD is a different person who shares the same name and Korean-American background but has a separate career and biography.
Alice Kim’s Net Worth in 2026: What the Numbers Actually Show
Estimates for Alice Kim’s net worth vary wildly across different websites, with numbers ranging from $1 million to $20 million. The confusion stems largely from the mix-up between the two women who share this name.
For Alice Kim of PerfectDD, the realistic picture is that of a bootstrapped startup founder with serious industry credentials. She launched PerfectDD as a solopreneur with no founder community and no venture backing, navigating 20 years of corporate experience into a first startup. The brand has grown steadily, earned major recognition, and secured investment fellowship support.
For Alice Kim Cage, net worth estimates center on her marriage to Nicolas Cage, her divorce settlement, and minor film royalties from Next and Grindhouse (both 2007). No verified public figure exists.
FAQ: Everything People Ask About Alice Kim
Who is Alice Kim?
There are two well-known people named Alice Kim. One is the founder and CEO of PerfectDD, a fashion brand for full-bust women. The other is Alice Kim Cage, the former wife of actor Nicolas Cage. Both are Korean-American women with public profiles, which causes frequent confusion online.
What is PerfectDD?
PerfectDD is a clothing brand launched in December 2020 by Alice Kim, a New York-based entrepreneur. The brand creates tops, button-downs, and wardrobe staples designed specifically for women with DD+ cup sizes and smaller to mid-size frames. It uses separate patterns for every size rather than scaling from one base pattern.
Did Alice Kim hold patents for her clothing designs?
Yes. Alice Kim secured two U.S. patents for PerfectDD, including one for hidden button technology that prevents gaping in button-down shirts. This makes her part of the roughly 10% of U.S. patent holders who are women, and an even smaller group of women of color with design patents.
What awards has Alice Kim won?
Alice Kim of PerfectDD received the Oprah Daily Editor’s Choice Award for one of her shirts. She was nominated for Fashion Group International’s Rising Star Award in March 2025. She was also selected as a Tory Burch Fellow in 2022 and received the Fearless Fund Grant in 2023.
Where did Alice Kim go to school?
Alice Kim, founder of PerfectDD, graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in economics. She then worked at Bear Stearns in investment banking before transitioning into a two-decade fashion career.
How long was Alice Kim Cage married to Nicolas Cage?
Alice Kim Cage and Nicolas Cage were married for nearly 12 years, from July 30, 2004, to their separation in January 2016. Their divorce was finalized later that year. It was Nicolas Cage’s longest marriage.
Does Alice Kim have children?
Alice Kim Cage has one son, Kal-El Coppola Cage, born October 3, 2005. He has voiced animated characters and continues to explore a path in entertainment. Alice Kim of PerfectDD has not publicly confirmed children.
What happened to Alice Kim after her divorce from Nicolas Cage?
Alice Kim Cage chose a private life after the 2016 divorce. She and Nicolas Cage remained on good terms and co-parent their son together. She was present at Cage’s wedding to Riko Shibata in 2021, showing the unusually cooperative nature of their post-divorce relationship.
Is Alice Kim still friends with Nicolas Cage?
Yes. Despite the divorce in 2016, Alice Kim Cage and Nicolas Cage have maintained a friendly relationship centered on their son Kal-El. They have spent time together as a family on multiple occasions since the separation.
What is Alice Kim doing now in 2026?
The Alice Kim who founded PerfectDD is actively running her company, pursuing retail expansion, and continuing to design inclusive clothing with her patented fit technology. Alice Kim Cage remains private, living in the Las Vegas area, and focused on family life.
Conclusion
Alice Kim is not one story; she is two remarkable ones. The fashion entrepreneur built a brand from genuine pain, turned insecurity into patents, and earned recognition from Oprah’s editors and Fashion Group International by May 2026. The former wife of Nicolas Cage built a quiet, dignified life after one of Hollywood’s most-watched marriages, choosing friendship over bitterness and her son over the spotlight.
Both women named Alice Kim share something real: they moved forward on their own terms. That is the detail most articles miss entirely.
If there is one thing to carry away from this article, let it be this: the name you type into a search bar sometimes has more depth behind it than any single headline can hold.
For more background on Nicolas Cage’s filmography and family history, see his page on Wikipedia.
Read also: Clinton Brown Explained: Who Is Chris Brown’s Father and What Is His Story?
