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From Korea to Haute Couture: Fashion Designer Ji Haye Expresses Beauty of Korea in Paris
2009-05-06 VIEW : 1105
| Written by Ahn Jisu Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo |
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| For the average person, it's hard to conceive that a piece of clothing can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. With so many people struggling to make a living, buying such extravagant clothes seems simply illogical. But Ji Haye says this is not so hard to understand. "Haute couture is not simply about clothes," she says, explaining that the uniqueness of haute couture compares to that of every single human being. "There cannot be two identical pieces of haute couture for two different clients. This is why these pieces are so valuable," she explains. As an internationally renowned fashion designer, Ji Haye has worked in the field for almost two decades, becoming the first Korean to be a guest member of the prestigious Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in France. As a designer, she is proud of selling not simply clothes but her own ideas as unique creations. |
| Representing Her Brand... and Korea Culture plays an important role in Ji Haye's designs. Although she has lived abroad for almost two decades, she is proud to use her Korean background as a motif in her work. "My unique colors spring from Korea. I always tried to look back at my Korean background every time I worked on a collection," she says. As a Korean fashion designer working in France, she was not only representing her brand, "House of Ji Haye," but also her nationality. It was this unspoken duty that she took to heart. "When people look at me in Paris, they see me as the face of Korea. Our country is beautiful with its four seasons. I want to express this in my clothes," she says. Trying to recreate parts of Korean culture in her work, she would come back to her homeland several times a year, sometimes borrowing the craftmanship of native artisans to include in her designs. Ji Haye says she developed this deep-seated respect for her cultural background in France. There she learned that she needed to know and understand her past in order to move forward. As she looked back, she discovered the beauty of her cultural background, with her mother in the spotlight. Ji Haye says she remembers watching her mother dress up beautifully once or twice a year for special occasions. On those days, she would sit next to her mother just to watch her getting ready. She remembers how delicately her mother put on her garments and how beautiful and perfect she looked under the sunlight of a summer day. "That is haute couture," says Ji Haye, as she brings back memories of long ago. |
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| Paris Haute Couture It was with this passion that her collection made its debut in Paris haute couture in 2001. Having only started with the ardent desire to be a part of that world, she says, she did not even realize at the time what a big deal it was to have her own fashion show as a guest member of the haute couture governing body in France. With the help of her friends and colleagues, she successfully pulled off her first collection, after which she was showered with design orders and interview requests. But she recalls that it was not only the attention that she was happy about - it was also the fact that she had made it into the ranks of those select few whose talent for high fashion was internationally recognized. "It's a world that cannot be entered with money or fame. The only way to survive in haute couture is with real ability," she says. But getting there and staying there are two different things. Many shooting stars in the fashion world crumble after their first show, as they are unable to keep up with the demands of this highly competitive field. Ji Haye says that although she has already held over a dozen haute couture shows, she always has to put all her heart and effort into each collection. No wonder her latest show in Paris last month earned such public acclaim. "This show was called 'Oscar Night.' I tried to express the personae of Hollywood movie stars of the past such as Marilyn Monroe and Greta Garbo through my designs," she explains. Her collection was presented under the renowned label of Yumi Katsura, as she heads the Japanese couture line in Paris. As much of her work has not returned from Paris after the show, her shop in Seoul displays only a few garments. Ji Haye says it took about three years to find the right place to set up her shop, which is located in central Seoul. "I wanted to find a place that had great cultural meaning. Gahoe-dong looked like the right place to set up my shop," she says. After that, the place itself took almost two years to build and decorate, applying modern features to a traditional hanok house. She says the reason she was obsessed with making her shop perfect was that she wanted to build a place that resembled a French maison, or "house," where designers would comfortably talk to their clients as if they had invited them to their own homes. This is why in this old-style hanok, you find a bar stocked with coffee, tea, whisky and wine. She says her clients often visit her just to relax. But having clients frequent her in Korea was not easy. Getting people to invest in her high-priced designs was a challenge. "In Korea, people think that haute couture is extravagant," she says, adding that "although sometimes they look for designer brands, they want foreign designers." But these days, things are looking up. As being unique and expressing one's own style has become the new trend, Ji Haye says her designs are becoming more popular. "Although Korean celebrities used to wear only foreign brands, now they look for clothes that can express their uniqueness," she says. Ji Haye's works are now widely worn by celebrities, including top stars such as Jeon Do-yeon and Lee Hyo-ri. Although the Ji Haye couture line has been more widely known abroad than in its native land, with this international designer back in her homeland there is no doubt that it will just be a matter of time until her designs gain as much public acclaim in the domestic market as they have in the world's fashion capitals. |
| (Source: Monthly SEOUL) |
