Stony Brook University SUNY Korea

K-Fashion Conundrum

Hallyu is alive and well. The global phenomena of K-Beauty, K-Brand Ambassadors, K-Cars, K- Drama, K-Electronics, and K-Pop, amongst other sectors, have been sweeping the world. Is Korean culture of the present a unique entity or are there parallels from Japan of the past? Is it fathomable that K-Beauty was preceded by J-Beauty, K-Cars preceded by J-Cars, K-Electronics preceded by J-Electronics, and others?

Not long ago, Japanese brands similarly swept the globe with names such as Sony and Panasonic dominating the television industry. Today, these brands have been usurped by LG and Samsung. In December 1997, Toyota introduced the first hybrid, gas-electric vehicle called the Prius. This was over a quarter of a century ago. However, instead of taking the Prius hybrid to the next level, full electric, the Japanese manufacturer rested on its laurels paving the way for numerous competitors such as Tesla to develop and launch fully electric vehicles. A recent visit to Washington DC’s Union Market revealed an interesting yet unscientific observation. The line of cars parked along one row of the parking lot had more Hyundais than Hondas.

More importantly, has K-Fashion achieved equal or greater global success than the aforementioned sectors riding the Korean wave? This depends on the definition of K-Fashion. If K-Fashion includes K-Pop celebrities wearing and endorsing fashion goods, then the answer is certainly “Yes.” On the other hand, if K-Fashion is defined by the global recognition of Korean fashion designers as leaders in the fashion world, then the answer may be quite different.

It takes time to take a deeper dive into K-Fashion. Specifically, there are two distinctions which need to be made. For Korean fashion brands, there are brands which bear the name of the designer and there are brands which do not bear the names of the designers. For the former, think of brands such as Hyein Seo and Wooyoungmi versus brands such as Andersson Bell and Gentle Monster for the latter.

The history of J-Fashion goes back more than fifty years. If challenged to name the top three to five global Japanese fashion designers and their eponymous labels, who would they be? If asked to name the same number of Japanese fashion brands but not bearing the designers’ name, who would they be? Now, replicate these questions for Korean designers and brands. Perhaps, one or two Korean designers or brands come to mind but what about the rest?

The goal of any nation is to increase Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is the total market value of all the goods and services produced by a country within a specified period. Korea has been masterful across many sectors in increasing its GDP through the careful planning and marketing of numerous Korean brands to the world. However, one could argue that K-Fashion is an exception to the trend.

Looking back at the history of Japanese fashion, there are lessons to be learned and perhaps “reinvented” from investments by Japanese fashion designers beginning in the early 1970s. According to Yuniya Kawamura, Professor of Sociology at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York and author of The Japanese Revolution in Paris Fashion, and Fashion-ology: Fashion Studies in the Postmodern Digital Era, one of the key factors was that “Japanese designers went to Paris and were legitimated by French fashion professions, such as editors, critics, publicists, and buyers, who were the gatekeepers of fashion prior to the invention of the Internet. They became members of the French fashion federation that controlled Paris Fashion Week every season. Kenzo Takada who created his own brand in 1970 in Paris and was a pioneer and forerunner for other Japanese designers.” According to Dr. Kawamura, Japanese fashion designers who began the J-Fashion revolution such as Kenzo Takada, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and Rei Kawakubo showed their first collections in Paris from the early 1970's to early 1980's. In retrospect, these global brands are still relevant nearly fifty years later.

Today, the physical landscape of fashion has been transformed by digital technologies such as 3D design software, artificial intelligence, and social networking services (SNS). What will it take for Korean fashion designers to achieve similar global success? The answers may lie in looking back at the history of Japanese fashion designers along with an intimate knowledge of today’s technologies using social media to grow brand recognition and sales.

In a recent conversation with the chief designer of Korean fashion brand MMAM (Maison Museum of Modern Art), Ms. Hyun Park states that her brand appeared five consecutive times at Seoul Fashion Week to build brand recognition. MMAM along with local brands CHARM’S and KIMMY.J were recently awarded the opportunity to participate in New York Fashion Week (NYFW) under the 2023 Concept Korea New York program sponsored by the Seoul City Government.

While programs sponsored by the government sector such as Concept Korea and Fashion Code have contributed to the exposure of Korean fashion labels, is it enough to reach the level of success as Japanese designers have achieved? Probably not. Building a globally recognized brand will require substantial investments by both the public and private sectors to support local brands. Juun.J would be an example. Participation in a few of the major Fashion Weeks around the world is also a must.

Is settling down in Paris a requirement too? It probably would not hurt to take a page from Kenzo or his peers. In the meantime, “Whassup” Korean Fashion Designers? Do we have all the pieces in place to truly go global?

As a footnote, the sequencing of the upcoming Spring/Summer (SS24) Fashion Week schedule commences in early September with New York followed by London, Milan, and culminating in Paris. This leads to another question. How does a city like Seoul become the fifth fashion capital of the world? 

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