Stony Brook University SUNY Korea

On October 16th, SUNY Korea’s Museum of Modern Costume had the honor of opening its doors to showcase the work of Jaewon Park, a brilliant artist who has brought her Korean roots to life through fashion design. To celebrate the new exhibition, Resonance: 60 years of Jaewon Park’s Design Legacy, SUNY held a reception & ribbon cutting ceremony with faculty, staff, and students joining Jaewon Park in recognizing her remarkable career.

The reception began with a ribbon cutting ceremony led by Professor Linda Kim, during which 10 notable figures had the honors: Designer Jaewon Park, Museum Director Heisoon Shim, Vice Presidents Pyungryun Yu and Hamid Hefazi, Fashion Design Chair Mark-Evan Blackman, Fashion Business Management Chair Robin Baxter, President of the Fashion Group Korea Hyunmi Jang, and first-generation fashion designers of Korea, Taewook Jin, Eunhwan  Oh, and YounHyung Sul. 

Following the ceremony, Heisoon Shim, Director of the SUNY Korea Museum of Modern Costume, commented on the historical weight of this exhibition, stating, “Jaewon Park has been a pioneering figure in the world of fashion, having made significant contributions to elevating the level of Korean artwear by organizing Korea's first international fashion art biennale in the 1900’s.”

Vice President Dr. Pyungryun Yu added a congratulatory remark, noting that the exhibition “beautifully showcases the creativity of Korean fashion. Today we honor the incredible legacy of Jaewon Park . . . who has shaped Korean fashion.”

The opening ceremony closed with words from Jaewon Park herself, who shared some insight into the story behind the essence of her designs: “I worked with the belief that the most Korean elements are the most global. I expressed myself . . . using traditional Korean materials such as ink, Hanji paper, and ramie fabric, which I later developed into products.” Jaewon Park has been closely knit into the fabric of Korea's fashion legacy, participating in various fashions tours all over the world, joining the Korean Chapter of the World Fashion Group in 1992, and being awarded Fashion Person of the Year at the 1st Fashion Awards in 1995. It is SUNY Korea’s joy to house this collection for everyone to see.

The Resonance: 60 years of Jaewon Park’s Design Legacy exhibition is being held in two parts, with PART 1: Black & White from October 16, 2024 to November 11, 2024, and PART 2: Colors being showcased from November 27, 2024 through March 7, 2025. Held in Academic Building A, B-101, come experience Jaewon Park’s unique story for yourself through her iconic pieces.
 

Written by Student Reporter, Kenessa Washington
(kenessa_washington@fitnyc.edu)