Juun.J is one of the best Korean designers right now (and a master of neoprene apparel) and thanks to the Internet his business is booming all across the world. His "street tailored" designs have been worn by Pusha T, Wiz Khalifa, G Dragon, and Rihanna. The latter helped push sales through the roof in an entirely different continent.
With an upcoming collaboration with artist Josh Luke on the way, Style.com caught up with the designer to talk about street tailoring, innovation, Rihanna, and the Internet. Check out a few excerpts from the interview below.
On the concept of “street tailoring" and how it has changed or evolved over the seasons:
"My design identity and philosophy is “reinterpretation of classic.” All my designs are based on classic, and get re-created through the street taste. I always observe people on the streets to get inspirations for street tailoring. Fashion on the streets is very common, yet at the same time, very avant-garde. So-called fashion leaders are always great to observe, but I observe seniors with aged clothes or military personnel closely, as well. I get ideas from them because they are more fashionable and hipper than models on the runway sometimes. My street tailoring evolves based on changes I see on the streets. For example, I presented oversized patterns for much of 2013, whereas I put more emphasis on sharper tailoring in 2014."
On how being based in Korea affects his work as a designer:
"Even though I have fashion shows in Paris and stay there to get inspirations for new collections, I do spend most of my time in Seoul, Korea. Korea, especially Seoul, is a place where everything happens very quickly and has a high level of technology. People work very diligently, and everything gets done at a lightning speed. Therefore, it does not take much time to realize what I think. I think Korea has a great environment to focus on innovation since it’s easy to test adapting special functions and techniques for fashion."
On how the Internet helps his business:
"The development of Internet greatly helps Juun.J’s business. Through the Internet, Juun.J’s recognition in the USA and Asia is rising even though the fashion show is held in Paris. It’s very exciting for me to have famous artists such as Kanye West and Rihanna to easily contact and show interest in Juun.J. Also, the Internet makes it possible for an item to sell out in China the day after Rihanna wears that specific item in a different continent. As you can see, Internet spreads news very quickly to famous artists and the public alike, and it helps greatly for Juun.J’s business."
On working with Josh Luke and how he approached the collection.
"It’s always a pleasure to work with Josh Luke, who is such an extraordinary, talented artist. To make things more exciting and fun, graphics in the upcoming global pop-up are works that I especially like. I focused presenting street tastes in high-end style when preparing this global pop-up. The collection will have everything that streets offer: strong contrast in graphics, highlight of gold and silver, and showing sophisticated embroidery. I believe this collection will show beauty that is different from the past Juun.J graphic items."
Read the entire interview here.
[via Style.com]
