Ten Korean fashion designers will be offering their works at the world’s biggest fashion trade show in Paris this year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced yesterday. It is part of the city’s “Seoul’s 10 Soul” project, which aims to globalize Korean fashion brands by 2020.
Tranoi, which started in 1993, is the most influential fashion trade show in the world with about 120 mens’ brands, 300 womens’ brands and more than 9,000 buyers participating each year. It is held quarterly.
The lucky designers are Gang Dong-jun, Sheen Je-hee and Choi Bum-suk for mens’ wear Kim Jae-hyun, Song Ja-in, Lee Suk-tae, Lee Seung-hee, Ju Hyo-sun, Choi Ji-hyung and Hong Hye-jin for womens’ wear.
They were selected during the Seoul Fashion Week which was held in March. Among 150 participants of SFW, 47 designers registered for the project. The candidates were narrowed down to 32 by seven Korean juries then to 10 by nine foreign juries. Both the jury panels were composed of press, buyers and professors. The key criteria included creativity, global competence, the brands’ business situation and production line in and out of Korea.
“They were selected; they meet the standards,” Michael Hadida, Tranoi's director, told The Korea Herald about the 10 designers.
“I’ve been looking closely at the designers at Seoul Fashion Week during the last two or three years and became confident about their potential and possibility to succeed in Paris. And I finalized the decision to participate in this project seeing Seoul city’s determination and passion.”
In Tranoi, the designers will not be given showrooms clustered together in a “Korean pavilion” but will each be designated a spot in one of the four venues -- Parc Royal, Carrousel du Louvre, Palais de la bourse, Montaigne -- based on the character of each brand.
“Tranoi is a fair that all designers dream of participating in. I thought of the fair ever since I debuted, but it was hard to participate as an individual artist due to financial problems and strict screening process. I was happy to know that Seoul city is supporting designers to participate in Tranoi,” said Choi Ji-hyung who runs her brand Johnny Hates Jazz.
Other than participating in Tranoi mens’ collection in June and womens’ collection in October, the designers will also showcase their works at “Seoul’s 10 Soul Collection” which will take place in Paris in October as well, just in time for the Paris Collection.
By the end of the year, one finalist among the 10 will be chosen and be provided full support for one full year in 2011, including a large-size showroom, promotion by Totem, Paris’ largest fashion brand PR company, and the opportunity to participate in 2011 Paris Collection.
This project, which Seoul city poured in 1 billion won ($9,750) this year, will be expanded every year, according to Seoul government.
“This year we only selected 10 for Paris, but will include another 10 for London next year, another 10 for New York the year after that and will continue sending about 30 designers to the three cities until 2020,” said Choi Hang-do, director of the global economic headquarters at the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Among the 270 to 300 designers who will get to showcase their collections in the three big fashion cities, half will win the chance to get support for one full year and about three among them will become a global big brand like Chanel or Louis Vuitton by 2020, Choi explained.
Designers are hopeful about the project.
“It would be hard to turn a brand into something like Louis Vuitton or Chanel right away, but I do hope my brand will become a big brand like that, which can be prosperous for hundreds of years,” said Kim Jae-hyun director of her brand “Jardin de Chouette.”
“There are no buyers at Seoul Collection. So Korean designers focus on reporters and know pretty well what they want but don’t have the chance to meet buyers or know what they want. This is an opportunity to get close to the buyers,” said Choi Bum-suk, creative director of the brand “General Idea.”
By Park Min-young (claire@heraldm.com)
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| Michael Hadida (fifth from right) and Choi Hang-do (third from left), director of the global economic headquarters at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, pose with Korean designers selected as “Seoul’s 10 Soul.” (Seoul Metropolitan Government) |
Tranoi, which started in 1993, is the most influential fashion trade show in the world with about 120 mens’ brands, 300 womens’ brands and more than 9,000 buyers participating each year. It is held quarterly.
The lucky designers are Gang Dong-jun, Sheen Je-hee and Choi Bum-suk for mens’ wear Kim Jae-hyun, Song Ja-in, Lee Suk-tae, Lee Seung-hee, Ju Hyo-sun, Choi Ji-hyung and Hong Hye-jin for womens’ wear.
They were selected during the Seoul Fashion Week which was held in March. Among 150 participants of SFW, 47 designers registered for the project. The candidates were narrowed down to 32 by seven Korean juries then to 10 by nine foreign juries. Both the jury panels were composed of press, buyers and professors. The key criteria included creativity, global competence, the brands’ business situation and production line in and out of Korea.
“They were selected; they meet the standards,” Michael Hadida, Tranoi's director, told The Korea Herald about the 10 designers.
“I’ve been looking closely at the designers at Seoul Fashion Week during the last two or three years and became confident about their potential and possibility to succeed in Paris. And I finalized the decision to participate in this project seeing Seoul city’s determination and passion.”
In Tranoi, the designers will not be given showrooms clustered together in a “Korean pavilion” but will each be designated a spot in one of the four venues -- Parc Royal, Carrousel du Louvre, Palais de la bourse, Montaigne -- based on the character of each brand.
“Tranoi is a fair that all designers dream of participating in. I thought of the fair ever since I debuted, but it was hard to participate as an individual artist due to financial problems and strict screening process. I was happy to know that Seoul city is supporting designers to participate in Tranoi,” said Choi Ji-hyung who runs her brand Johnny Hates Jazz.
Other than participating in Tranoi mens’ collection in June and womens’ collection in October, the designers will also showcase their works at “Seoul’s 10 Soul Collection” which will take place in Paris in October as well, just in time for the Paris Collection.
By the end of the year, one finalist among the 10 will be chosen and be provided full support for one full year in 2011, including a large-size showroom, promotion by Totem, Paris’ largest fashion brand PR company, and the opportunity to participate in 2011 Paris Collection.
This project, which Seoul city poured in 1 billion won ($9,750) this year, will be expanded every year, according to Seoul government.
“This year we only selected 10 for Paris, but will include another 10 for London next year, another 10 for New York the year after that and will continue sending about 30 designers to the three cities until 2020,” said Choi Hang-do, director of the global economic headquarters at the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Among the 270 to 300 designers who will get to showcase their collections in the three big fashion cities, half will win the chance to get support for one full year and about three among them will become a global big brand like Chanel or Louis Vuitton by 2020, Choi explained.
Designers are hopeful about the project.
“It would be hard to turn a brand into something like Louis Vuitton or Chanel right away, but I do hope my brand will become a big brand like that, which can be prosperous for hundreds of years,” said Kim Jae-hyun director of her brand “Jardin de Chouette.”
“There are no buyers at Seoul Collection. So Korean designers focus on reporters and know pretty well what they want but don’t have the chance to meet buyers or know what they want. This is an opportunity to get close to the buyers,” said Choi Bum-suk, creative director of the brand “General Idea.”
By Park Min-young (claire@heraldm.com)
