In recent years, under the dual role of the South Korean government's strong support and the global radiation of the Korean Wave culture, the visibility of South Korean fashion is getting higher and higher. The new generation of designers who continue to emerge are constantly enriching and updating the Korean fashion language, and actively expanding the international market.
From April 22 to 29, five Korean designer brands sponsored by the Korea Creative Content Agency (" KOCCA ") released their new Autumn and winter 2022 collections through the "2022 AW online and cloud Ordering Fair."
The "2022 AW online and cloud ordering meeting" is jointly planned by DECANT (Decant), the Korean B2B integrated business platform of Agency Team Corp (KOCCA official designated agent), and DADASHOWROOM of Shanghai Fashion Week.
Taking this opportunity, Sumptuous Chi conducted an exclusive interview with the founders of these five brands, through their first-hand experience and unique observations, we were able to comprehensively understand the core driving force of the continuous iterative development of the Korean fashion industry from three dimensions:
The four key words of the Korean fashion industry are: fast, change, inclusive and creative
Korean culture has become a powerful driving force for the development of the Korean fashion industry
From education to the sea, the government is heavily supporting the fashion industry
The four key words of the Korean fashion industry are: fast, change, inclusive and creative
"Fast" is the consensus of the five designers for the Korean fashion industry, where "fast" first comes from consumers' sensitivity to fashion trends. "The Korean public as a whole is very interested in fashion, and they like to dress themselves, which has led to a variety of fashion styles." Kathleen Kye, who was a finalist in the LVMH Prize Young Designer competition in 2014 and won the Samsung Fashion Design Fund Award the following year.
Second, brands and companies can respond quickly from the design, supply chain and other levels. Lee Gayeon and Hong Hyejin mentioned that "the ability to properly express originality and fashion design" and "having high-quality raw materials and fast production and delivery" are the driving forces of the Korean fashion industry.
Before starting her own eponymous label, GAYEON LEE worked as an assistant designer for American designer Marc Jacobs in 2014; Hong Hyejin won the title of "SEOUL'S 10 SOUL" from 2012 to 2015, which was supported by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
South Korea's open and inclusive fashion industry atmosphere provides creative soil for designers and brands. According to Hong Hyejin, "One of the reasons why the Korean fashion industry has been growing is that ordinary people are not averse to accepting new things and have their own distinct aesthetic."
Lee Chung Chung, who was born into a family of fashion designers, said: "In the era of information and images explosion, Korean brands can still integrate and recreate with an inclusive and creative vision." Lee Chung Chung's father is Lee Sang-bong, a well-known fashion designer in South Korea (who co-founded the brand Lie Sang Bong with his wife). In 2013, Lee Chung Chung launched her fashion line LIE.
In this context, the Korean fashion industry is highly competitive, more people are eager to try, and new and old brands are frequently replaced. KoTae Yong added: "While various brands are born, many brands are dying." KoTae Yong launched the Beyond Closet brand in 2008, initially focusing on menswear design, with the continuous expansion of consumer groups, Beyond Closet gradually developed into a neutral fashion brand.
The "change" of South Korea's fashion industry is mainly reflected in the transformation of sales channels, content marketing and clothing styles, five designers said: in terms of sales channels and content marketing, South Korea's fashion industry has gradually shifted from offline to online in recent years, and the proportion of online channels is increasing, this trend is particularly obvious in the post-epidemic era; In terms of clothing style, after the epidemic, people are more inclined to choose comfortable casual clothing.
