Her clothes are worn by people like stars Lee Jung-jae of “Squid Game” ‘Parasite’ Choi Woo-sik and members K-pop sensation BTSBut when South Korean fashion designer Woo Young-mi made her international debut in 2002, few believed that high-end fashion would come from a country known for its war-torn history.
Woo, or Madam Woo, as she often calls it, is arguably one of the most successful Korean designers. I am the manager. She became the first Korean member of the French Fashion Federation in 2011, and her Wooyoungmi line is now a staple at luxury retailers such as Le Bon Marché, Selfridges and Ssense.
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Woo has lived and lived in Paris for almost 20 years and has been at the forefront of watching South Korea emerge as a cultural powerhouse. She said it’s a phenomenon she’s contributed to and benefited from throughout her career.
Born in 1959, Wu Soul The era of rapid economic development after the Korean War. “The national motto was ‘work hard, live well,'” she said. “Especially for men, caring about fashion was seen as a social evil.”
But Wu had an unconventional upbringing that gave her a natural affinity for art. Her mother, an art teacher, dressed her and her four siblings in unique handmade clothing to help them stand out at school. Her father was an architect who worked only occasionally, interacting with American soldiers, collecting rare items, and investing in his appearance. she remembered. european fashion Magazines and a long leather coat reminiscent of what Clint Eastwood might have worn.
“At that time, 95% man in clothes It’s the same,” she said. “My dad used to wear suits and uniforms to the office and factories, but my dad put 80 percent of his passion into looking good,” she says, eventually designing menswear. She cited him as a reason why she pursues and often draws inspiration from art and architecture.
“Honestly, I was embarrassed by the way the house was decorated, the clothes I had to wear, and everything, but looking back on it now, I think he was a very creative and very cool person,” she said.
Despite her background, she said she never thought of becoming a fashion designer. She failed to pass the law school entrance exam, which she called “fate.”
Osaka and Beyond
Woo said she had “a flash of genius fantasy” throughout her fashion course at Sungkyunkwan University, but it wasn’t until 1983 when she was invited to compete. Osaka A fashion collection that she started with a big dream.
Hyunji Nam, senior editor of South Korean content at Ssense, said Japan and South Korea were in very different spheres at the time when it came to fashion. “By the end of the 1980s, japanese fashion Thanks to names such as Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake, they were already recognized overseas. I had few opportunities to present my work at
The trip to Osaka was Woo’s first time abroad. She was threatened not only as a competitor, but also as a Korean among many countries with a more established fashion history. She recalled other countries coming in groups, a coalition of people from Europe, Hong Kong and Singapore, and she was one Korean. The night before the contest, she stayed up all night with her hands trembling, perfecting her minimalist taste of the hanbok (Korean traditional dress). She was stunned when she received her award.
“In South Korea, no one cared that such a competition existed or that a Korean could win, but it made me think big about fashion,” she said.
Woo bounced around some korean fashion She ran a conglomerate before starting her first business in 1998 with her sister Jang-hee in a small boutique in Seoul. “She was the one who always told me she could do it when she felt she couldn’t,” Wu said of her lifelong business partner, who died in 2015. rice field.
They described ready-to-wear menswear label Solid Homme as “clothes for the ideal man.” “I imagined him to be straight and narrow, the kind of good guy most girls would want to marry,” said Wu. A minimalistic look was born.
Woo said the label hit the market at the right time: just before the summer of 1988. Olympic in Seoul. With foreign tourists and Olympic participants flooding into the capital, Koreans are becoming more interested in what foreigners look like and more open-minded about diverse styles.
In particular, Solid Homme caught the attention of two groups of trendsetters. The first was a group of wealthy teens and his 20s called the Orange Tribe (Orange Tribe), often from Seoul’s Gangnam district. They had traveled abroad and were interested in fashion with a Western edge.
The second was the first ballad singer in Korean music, including Lee Moon Se, Lee Seung Chul, and Yoon Sang. Woman audience. Solid Homme grew through word of mouth and celebrity exposure.
“Solid Homme and Woo Young Mi have been the go-to brands of Korean male celebrities for as long as I can remember,” said Gianna Hwang, a stylist for clients such as Lee Jung Jae, Eric Nam, and Sung Kang. It’s not easy for a menswear company to pull off such a soft yet beautiful look that both brands have.Her clothes are a bit oversized, as is the trend these days, but overall they look amazing. There is a feeling of fit. men’s dressing.“
With more Korean celebrities traveling abroad for fashion shoots today, the conversation about adding a hint of Korean style to their outfits has increased. There are many, but neither Solid Homme nor Wooyoungmi are just Korean brands: Woo, she added, is a “great designer who just happens to be Korean.”
French pastry lesson
Fourteen years after Solid Homme’s success, Woo said doing well in South Korea wasn’t enough. She wanted to create a luxury brand for more sophisticated and sensitive adults, without fear of getting hurt.And she wanted to do it despite her friends and acquaintances expressing her concerns Paris, the fashion capital of the world.
“They said I was crazy,” she said. “First, she said she couldn’t do it because she was Korean.
Others suggested that if she wanted to appeal to Europeans, she should emphasize the brand’s Koreanness and make clothes that look more visibly Asian. I said it was like,” Wu said.
“If you want to make it Korean, you have to sell tteok,” she said of Korean rice cakes. wanted to make Croissant“
The French fashion scene never appealed to her.At Paris Fashion Week, Wooyoung-mi’s show slots were rescheduled many times, even after she sent out invitations, and the models she hired were rescheduled many times. She said she was scouted by another designer. The collection finally debuted at 10:30am on Sunday, the morning after her party, at her biggest fashion week, to less than 150 guests. She said she might have given up entirely if it hadn’t been for the one positive review at Le Figaro.
Wu vowed to become a full member of the French Fashion Federation, believing that the only way to secure his brand’s future at Paris Fashion Week was to have a seat at the table, but the road to get there was not easy. did.
Until 2009, her team operated without an office in Paris, bringing scissors, needles, thread and everything from South Korea and working from hotel rooms. Many times, she was rejected by showrooms that don’t give Korean designers a chance.One of her most humiliating experiences, according to her, was when her owner spoke to her in French. It was a meeting with the showroom. do you know where it is? Are Koreans doing fashion now? ’ — as if she didn’t understand.
“I put it together until the meeting was over, cried and cried After that,” she said. “But I showed there, I did well there, and I left of my own accord, as I promised myself.”
korean men’s brilliance
Over the past decade, there has been a shift in the topic of Korean fashion, especially men’s fashion.
Korean luxury market It has grown rapidly and is currently ranked 7th in the world according to market research firm Euromonitor. Sales of men’s skincare products alone increased by 44% between 2011 and 2017. And of course, the world is seeing more men as Korean men invest more time and money into fashion.
“It wasn’t one thing after another,” Wu said. “I mean all those factors interacted.” She then added, “It was me too.”
Wooyoungmi currently has 44 stores in Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. Woo has also expanded into jewelry, accessories and womenswear. Last year, she collaborated with Samsung on a limited edition of her wearable Woo Young Mi her item. According to South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service data, Solid Corp. will earn 548 billion won ($46 million at the time) in 2020, a 20% increase from two years ago.
“Wooyoungmi raised awareness of Korean fashion overseas by proving that it is possible,” said Nam of Ssense. “Korean designers may become regulars at Paris Fashion Week. Korean brands may sell well in high-end department stores,” she said.
Wu added that it “paved the way for the future” designer come.
This article was originally published in The New York Times.
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