인제 다시 어두움에서 다시 돌아왔어요. 서버문제가 해결이 됐고 우리 사이트 계속 깨끗이 작동했으면 좋겠어요. 사이트는 조금 아팠으니까 조금씩 포스팅 할께요. 앗. 좋은 소식이 있네요! Seoul Fashion Week에 대한 글을 CNNGo.com으로 올렸어요! 봤나요?

[Buy The Seoul Fashion Report!]

우리는 역시 보는 눈이 남 다른 것 같다. 서울 패션 위크에서 고른 커버 모델 이슬기양은 강원 진이라는 타이틀을 이기고 미스 코리아 미로 선발됐다.

Boy, we can pick ‘em, huh? Lee Seul-gi, the cover model we picked from Seoul Fashion Week, has become Miss Korea, after having already qualified by picking up the prize as Miss Kangwon Province!

[Source: Good Day Sports]

두 시슨 전 때였지만 양희득씨 패션 쇼에서 이슬기양이 나에게는 그 시슨 가장 생기 있고 신선한 모델이었다.

I still remember seeing her in Yang Hee Deuk’s show two seasons ago, when I simply thought she was the liveliest and freshest model of the entire season.

서울 패션 리포트는 미스 코리아를 커버 모델로 삼는 것이 영광이며, 미스 코리아라는 타이틀이 주어지기 전에 우리가 그녀의 끼를 발견했다는 것도 흥분된다. 우연찮게 서울 패션 리포트는 장년에 크게 유행한 60년대 복고풍인 오드리 헵번을 컨셉트로 커버를 장식했다. 또한 이슬기양은 “I Am a Model”에 출현 당시 오드리 헵번의 느낌을 살린 룩을 소화해 냈다.

The Seoul Fashion Report is honored to have a Miss Korea gracing its cover, and pretty jazzed that we saw her true talents well before she was given the crown. Funny how The Seoul Fashion Report was once more ahead of the curve, as we chose a retro-60’s, Audrey Hepburn look for the cover, since it was such a dominant theme from last year. Here’s how she was done up for her competition in the show “I Am a Model,” which also did an Audrey Hepburn thing:

[Source: Segye.com]

짙은 눈썹을 돋보이게 한 우리의 메이크업이 조금은 과하다고 생각할 수도 있지만 그 당시에는 짙은 눈썹이 유행이었다는 것을 잊어서는 안 될 것. 오드리 헵번 그 녀 조차도 짙은 눈썹의 유행을 피 할 수 없었다.

Now, one might say that the eyebrows on our version were a bit much, but you have to remember how crazy eyebrows were back then, and even on Audrey herself:

[Source: Karma Button]

눈썹이 얼마나 짙은지 보이시죠?

See what I mean?

어찌됐든, 외국인 독자들을 위해 미스 코리아의 첫 인터뷰를 하고 싶다. 이젠 그녀는 당 문간 많이 바쁘겠지만 우리를 위해 시간을 내 줄 거라 믿는다.

Anyway, we hope to get a hold of Seulgi and offer the first interview of Miss Korea for the foreign audience. Of course, I’m sure she has a lot to do in the coming days, but I trust she’ll make some time for us.

— Text by FMS
Translation/번역 by infidelik

이 글이 번역 받는 중입니다.

I’ve attended Seoul Fashion Week as a representative of this site, the Korea Herald, and SEOUL Magazine at various times. We’ve been to several, have gotten to know many foreign buyers, journalists, and trend trackers, as well as Korean designers, both famous as well as up-and-coming. I and my staff have learned a lot from the experience, and have seen SFW’s come and go, as well as be good or kinda bad.

And most importantly, we read the online and offline reactions to Seoul Fashion Week, especially the reactions from the foreign press and buyers. And we report back on it honestly and fairly. When we’ve had a good experience, we’ve expressed our appreciation and thank you’s; but when we felt things went badly, we reported back on that as well.

But overall, we feel we do a good service to spreading the news about Korean fashion, because we’re frank and honest, we produce our own original, high-quality content at the same level of any mainstream newspaper or magazine, because we are utterly professional, as photographers, the producer of the world’s first photo book in English on Korean fashion, and as promoters of Korean culture in general.

On a personal front, through my work on various projects such as my social criticism blog “Scribblings of the Metropolitician,” as well as Korea’s first podcast “Metropoliticking in Seoul” [link to iTunes] Korea’s first video podcast “SeoulGlow,” and a few other things, I was chosen to be a part of the Presidential Commission on Nation Branding. Although I was surprised to have been chosen, I think it was my frank and direct commentary on Korea and Korean culture that someone up there found valuable. I think they realized that my views on how Korea is ACTUALLY seen from outsiders’ points of view is much more important than the ongoing problem in Koreans trying to FORCE foreigners to see only what official bodies, PR companies, and the Ministry of Tourism wants. The reason for the creation of the Presidential Commission in the first place is the result of this ongoing PR failure, the inability of Koreans to separate simplistic notions of national pride and commercial interests from the need to show the TRUE REALITY of Korea. Many parts of that reality hold the charms that foreigners actually LIKE about Korea, but Koreans continue to have no clue about that fact.

For example, Koreans tend to be so concerned about being seen as a “developed country” in the face of white Westerners that they panic every time they come. So, in 2002, the Seoul Metropolitan Government tried to get rid of all the food stalls in the city, lest white Westerners see them and think Korea “dirty” or “backwards.”

God, were they totally, totally off the mark.

One of the charms of Korea IS the street food culture. It’s what many foreigners love about Korea; it’s what half the videos about Korea on YouTube are about; in my own SeoulGlow series, the street food episodes were always the most popular ones. In general, foreigners love street food. Now, after much complaining and finally hearing feedback from a variety of sources, the city government has FINALLY named street food a “cultural treasure” and is supporting the street culture here.

But if took YEARS and a LOT of people yelling and complaining before the city government really GOT IT. Just imagine if they had bothered to listen — to truly, truly listen and ask the right questions — from the beginning? How much more efficient could certain campaigns have been? How much more money could have been saved? How much more money could have been earned? Isn’t this exactly what city bodies should be concerned about?

The same is true of Seoul Fashion Week. What is the goal vis a vis foreign buyers, press, and designers? To make Korea look good? To impress them and make them feel comfortable? To make them “recognize” the “power” of Korean fashion?

No, no, and no.

The #1 goal of the organizers of Korean fashion week should be to simply provide as much support for foreign press, buyers, and designers as possible to accomplish THEIR goals. And that doesn’t mean fancy wireless touchpad ordering systems that no one really cares about — how about spending all that money preparing English-language materials about Korean fashion? Instead of worrying about the food, which is fine but no one really cares about, what about simply supplying foreign visitors with schedule changes in a timely manner?

Not having more than two small packets of information in English to give foreign visitors is simply pretty ludicrous, considering the small amount of money and time it would take to have a few student interns translate some existing Korean-language materials into Korean. We did so in our “History of Korean Fashion” — and we don’t even HAVE a budget. All I have are friends. And if a few people can produce all the material we’ve had on this site — PLUS A 230-PAGE PHOTO BOOK ABOUT KOREAN FASHION AND LIFESTYLE — in our spare time, the embarrassing question is: why can’t an entire staff funded by the city government do the same?

Before this post goes on too long, let me make some concrete recommendations based on not only my own experiences, but those of many other foreign visitors as well. Seoul Fashion Week staff and supporting bodies, you can take this advice or leave it, but this is REALLY what a lot of foreigners think, and will help explain why foreign interest in Korean fashion is starting to fall.

STOP TRYING TO PROMOTE KOREA OR IMPRESS FOREIGN VISITORS. OFFER SUPPORT FOR THEIR GOALS.
I’ve already touched on this, but what most Koreans dealing with foreigners don’t realize is that a) most foreigners don’t like the smell of promotional campaigns or nationalistic bragging. It feels fake, it turns people off, and we generally have a negative reaction to it. Stop bragging about Korea or showing off new electronic gizmos and show REAL support, such as in providing ample translated materials (and PLEASE PROOFREAD the translations, because they are embarrassingly bad and look like hastily-finished homework), translators who are not inexperienced or even rude, and think about Korea from your GUESTS’ perspective: why would you take your guests to COEX mall (most of your vistors’ countries have malls, and ones far bigger than Korea’s), or to designer stores where the VAT makes them too expensive to buy here. Many people asked me about going to Hongdae or other places where people could directly see real people and experience real Korea. Most of your visitors here have very little time, yet feel like they haven’t seen Korea because they are take to silly malls and expensive stores. Show them what THEY want to see, not what YOU want them to see. And if it feels like the hosts are tugging at their wallets, it feels even more insulting.

RECOGNIZE THAT KOREA IS NOT YET PARIS, MILAN, OR EVEN TOKYO.
Several buyers were complaining they couldn’t buy anything here because the prices were too high. Korea’s “brand image” in many other countries is still not too great. People in many other countries still don’t know that Samsung is Korean, and still remember when Korean products were associated with LOW QUALITY. So to price clothing at the SAME or HIGHER prices than even French or Italian designers charge means that the buyer has to sell for higher, they have little margin for profit, and they have to try to convince their domestic designers to buy a Korean product for the same price as a recognized French or Italian local designer. One buyer I was talking to was really irritated at what she called the “arrogance” of some of the prices she was seeing. She didn’t return this season to fashion week. I’m just saying.

REDUCE THE HAUGHTINESS, STOP BEING SO ARROGANT.
Koreans have a tendency to be exclusive, to think of ways to rank and categorize people, have the old Chosun-era desire to be the yangban. When this is applied to SFW, disaster ensues. When the 4 foreign fashion designers were invited to the S/S 2009 show, I was told that this event was for “major press only” and only VIP’s would be able to go. “Sorry, but we can’t give you an invitation. We’re reserving places for ‘higher-profile press’ like The Wall Street Journal.” Riiiiiiight. The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post don’t come to SFW. Sorry. And by discriminating between foreign and domestic, big or small, Korean or English press, you shoot yourself in the foot. At the Eley Kishimoto show and others, for example, sometimes HALF the seats were empty. And I remember SFW staff running around trying to get press and people to come fill the seats. I was pretty angry about that, as were a few other people. But it was another case of Koreans thinking anything with foreigners is VIP, therefore, it must be exclusive. Funny thing was, most Koreans attending the show didn’t know these foreign designers, and there were far fewer press there. Great idea. You know, we’re not the New York Times, but do a search for “Korean fashion” in Google. I don’t see any of those famous papers talking about Korean fashion, but I see my Metropolitician, Feetmanseoul, Korea Times, and Flickr links about Korean fashion on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd pages on down. When you type in “Ye Ranji” or “Yang Hee Deuk” or “Rubina” or “Lee Doii”, our site is the FIRST hit on all these searches. I don’t think The Wall Street Journal has been helping you so far, so why do you keep fantasizing about them? Stop beating up on press because they’re not “famous.” On the Western internet, we’re more influential than The New York Times. So be careful.

Another point: two seasons ago, the buyer’s section was closed to the public? WHY?! That was one of the most unnecessarily exclusive, dumbest ideas I’ve ever seen. This season, I see that policy was reversed, but wow — what a waste of time and money. How do you judge who will buy from a designer? Are they all registered with SFW? Maybe they came to just see one particular designer? Instead of reducing access to artificially-constructed VIP areas, allow everyone access, as long as there are no safety or security issues. On that note…

STOP TAKING YOUR PAYING AUDIENCE FOR GRANTED.
Unlike many fashion shows around the world, members of the everyday public can purchase tickets and see the shows. I’m sure the SFW staff would welcome the day when there are enough people to make letting in the unwashed masses unnecessary, but actually, this is one of the things I love about SFW. It’s democratic, there’s a mix of people, it feel less snooty and more festival-like. I think it’s great that fashion design students get a chance to see real fashion shows, and that the Korean public’s relatively high interest in fashion is indulged here.

But have you ever thought about those long waits in line? Sometimes up to 1.5 hours? How about offering them some basic refreshments? Or in the COMPLETELY EMPTY buyer’s tent this season, how about filling that central dead space with tables and offering wine by the glass? You could actually make even MORE money, while also creating a classy, cocktail-party-like atmosphere. Hire a couple student bands who play quirky, quiet music in the background, and you’ve got something nice. And most importantly? YOU GIVE ALL THE CROWD A REASON TO COME INTO THE BUYER’S tent. Simply choosing to not prevent people coming in this season isn’t enough — give people something to do, make them pay YOU to put a glass of wine in their hands, and DRAW THEM TOWARDS the place where you want people to spend money. Wow — killing three or four birds with one stone — imagine that.

STREAMLINE YOUR REGISTRATION PROCESS.
It’s completely confusing, and registration for the press should be open at least ONE FULL MONTH before fashion starts, for a period of around 3 weeks, with late registration sometime just before it starts. If you require me to upload a picture, don’t then make me stand in line to take another one on the first day of the shows. I came an hour early and had to wait in line for 40 minutes to get my press pass picture. Didn’t I already upload it? I almost missed the first show. Come on, people. And why make registration so hard, anyway? For press that have previously come and gone, just approve them automatically. Spend your time scrutinizing new registrants, not making old ones wait. Basically, things in Korea amount to poor planning, and starting late. Several foreign press members sarcastically remarked about how easy the process is in Japan, and every seat has a name on it, assigned in advance. Very organized. It may make Koreans feel bad to be compared to Japan, but face it: all your “important” foreign guests are. And SFW registration is confusing and badly planned. Get the web site up a month before the show, have registrations completed within 48 hours of applying, just get organized.

STOP DISCRIMINATING BETWEEN “FOREIGN” AND DOMESTIC PRESS
What does it mean to be “foreign” press? Is there an official status marked on the PRESS, PHOTO, VIP, or BUYER cards? Why does it seem like anyone with a Korean face sitting in a PRESS seat is asked to move? My writer, a Korean American, was in a press seat with her PRESS pass, and asked to move. She was told that this was for “foreign” press. She said she was American. That’s “foreign”, right? The usher came back and said it was meant for “overseas” press. Huh? I don’t know about such a status. I did notice that only people with Asian faces were being asked to move. I know that there were domestic press people from the Korea Herald, Bling, and other Korea-based English-language press who weren’t asked to move. They were white and black Americans, but of course “foreign.” I don’t think anyone was checking press credentials, but simply didn’t want Korean faces in the front row. That practice seemed to continue on during the most recent season.

Recommendation? Simply STOP this racist treatment. It is inconsistent, unfair, and only makes the press angry. Not just the Korean Americans or Korean Canadians or Korean adoptees or whatever other situation. If you want to be respected by international guests, stop using Korean countryside, ignorant standards to judge people based on appearance. I’ll tell you that this happened to several members of the press this and last season, and word got around. It LOOKS BAD. So STOP IT. If people have the proper pass, leave them alone.

GO BACK TO THE CLEARER “PRESS” CATEGORIES.
Previously, there was only a PRESS badge, and you had stickers indicating PHOTO and/or BACKSTAGE. Now, one can get a PRESS badge, but have a BACKSTAGE sticker, or get a BACKSTAGE badge with PHOTO on it. Huh? Confusing. Also, the hierarchy was clearer in the past. You were PRESS. Or you were BACKSTAGE, which is higher than PRESS. Anyway, even the SFW staff seemed confused about it in the previous season, which resulted in some pretty embarrassing behavior on the part of the staff giving mixed signals. Make clear categories and stick to them.

CLARIFY PHOTO LINE RULES.
There is a lot of struggle and irritation in the photo line in front of the runway. Everyone wants center line, the spot right in the center of the runway, at about the model’s eyeline. There is always a spot reserved for the “HOUSE” photographer. Fine. Also, videographers get higher priority because they have to pan, and are serving direct video feeds somewhere. Also, fine. But outside of that, there are these idiot photographers who tape their biz cards on the ground, don’t show up all day long, then expect everyone to move out of their spot when the good show comes along.

Outside of HOUSE or other specifically-reserved spots, it should be first-come, first serve. There are photographers who tell other ones to move because they are “older” or their newspaper is “more important” or whatever. This is really irritating, and where do foreign photographers fit into this? We seem to be the only ones consistently coming to EVERY show, yet when one lazy ajussi decides to come in 2 minutes before the single show he wants to see starts, I have to abandon my spot? There are a lot of bad photographers with bad etiquette who make things harder for everyone.

Recommendation? If there are people taping spots on the floor, they should come to the shows on time, or lose the spot. Even if you reserved the spot, all the other photographers shouldn’t have to shift around because a rude ajussi comes in 2 minutes before a show starts, while other photographers have been there for 20 minutes already. Rules?

– Areas marked with tape should be officially approved, such as “HOUSE.” There should be a time period each morning to mark areas. That requires the taper to actually BE THERE, and gives everyone a fair chance to get access. It also prevents people from TAPING 2 or 3 AREAS. This happens a lot, by greedy photographers.

– All photographers should have access to a white balance check before the show, or the rehearsal. This is VERY, VERY important towards getting good pictures, because photographers need to understand the different lighting conditions of each show. We need to set color temperature and get a sense of which shutter speeds we’ll be using. Why is that access only given to the house photographer? Does SFW only want to help the house photographer make good pictures? I understand giving the house photographer the best spot — we all understand this — but to actively PREVENT other photographers from taking the best pictures possible by allowing only the photo press rehearsal access is just…stupid? If access to rehearsal is impossible, you should offer a white balance check at least. That’s what other shows around the world do, you know.

BUY OUR BOOK.*
Hehe. Well, we proposed this, but I guess it wasn’t a popular idea. Basically, take our book, which is a summary of the season’s best designers, street fashions, trends, and photo essays on Seoul and Korean culture, purchase, say 60 from us at a heavily-discounted bulk rate (say, like 50,000 won instead of the 65,000 list price), and give a copy to each member of the foreign press, buyers, or designers. Anyone with a press pass from an overseas venue or a buyer should get one. I bet you that 50,000 won would go far longer than the expensive foods they were serving, or any of the Korean “special treatment” they were giving.

It was explained to me that one couldn’t be seen as having a commercial interest or conflict in being associated with the book (although they were pimping Numero magazine pretty hard, since they paid the big bucks). Oook. I wonder if the foreigners invited to SFW are going to really hold on to their copy of commercial-filled Numero magazine for years and years. Anyway, we were told not to even show our book around at SFW this year, lest Numero get angry. They said if any copies were seen, they’d throw them in the trash. Thanks, SFW. Although you getting a company to pay you big bucks to pimp their magazine on every table in the building is great, it’s still your choice as to whom you want to enter into associations with, paid or not. And we only had two books floating around. Again, your choice.

CONCLUSION
Of course, Seoul City will never buy our book, and perhaps I’m being too frank here, and yes, I have a personal stake in promoting this item. But that’s what we do — we try to make killer content about Korea, and make it frank and interesting. That’s what foreigners ACTUALLY want. Not, ahem, slick, commercial-filled Numero. Who knows? Maybe that’s what the foreign market actually DOES want — commercial, ad-filled, superficial content that is all, in the end, trying to sell them something. At least, once our book is bought, it gives real information, stuff that people from overseas really want to see.

Anyway — that’s our list of obvious problems we had with SFW. Of course, the last item is a little self-interested, and can be ignored. But it does speak to the greater problem — in trying to elevate the international status of SFW, who is really more self-serving? The city bureaucrats who want the least difficult, least controversial, least edgy, least risky version of fashion?

Fashion is controversial, edgy, provocative, and risky — by definition. But if it is run by people whose interests lie elsewhere — national pride, taking the safest possible route, wanting to cause the least controversy — why would foreigners from FAR, FAR more edgy and provocative fashion cultures come to KOREA? To see recycled western trends, safe and boring designs, and visits to designer outlets with prices more expensive than back in their own countries?

MY PREDICTION
Anyway, no one will listen to these recommendations, and it will only make certain people more angry at us. It’s the same thing as the “Smile Korea” campaign or the effort to get rid of street food before the 2002 World Cup — no one will listen to foreign input until it is far too late, until the problem becomes painfully acute. After several more seasons of dropping foreign interest, less overseas buyers, and more complaining from the very, very little press that covers Seoul Fashion Week, and the dream of becoming “The Fashion Hub of Asia” shrinks into the dust of former Korean “hub dreams” (“Hub of Stem Cell Research” or “Hub of Asia” in terms of finance or investment” and “Design Hub of Asia”) — maybe then people will start to listen.

Perhaps in 2-3 years, after the “Korean Fashion Wave” starts, but without attention being given to the increasingly boring and conservative world of Seoul Fashion Week? Like the original “Korean Wave”, it didn’t start at the top, but with the edgy and frankly shocking foreign impact of movies such as “Old Boy” — the foreign market doesn’t want to see recycled stuff they already know, you know. They want something new and truly original, truly Korean.

And that’s what Seoul Fashion Week increasingly doesn’t seem able to provide.

Until the next fashion week, we’ll be getting back to the streets.

이도이의 쇼는 아주 화려하고 밝고 아주 흥미스럽게 구미된 거죠. 에스닉 스타일과 일부러 ‘오리엔털’그타일을 좀 REMIX하면서 그 장르를 좀 놀린 것같더라고ㅛ.

With the bright and colorful Lee Doii show, it was bits and baubles galore. The show was quite fun, and the purposeful Orientalist style was re-presented with tongue-in-cheek verve and a lot girl-power smirk. Good stuff.

아주 볼만 했네요.

A fun show to watch.

그리고 끝나고 이도이디자이너선생님의 많은 젊은 팬들이 막 사방에 나온 거죠.

And she was surrounded by young admirers afterwards.

그리고 또 다른 나이 조금 더 있는 사람들을 만났는데 바로 이도이를 생각을 났네요!

And I even spied some older attendees who seemed just as colorful as the designer herself!

Go, go, you go girls!

모든 수위표가 있는 사진을 클릭하시면 크게 확대됩니다.
Click on any watermarked image to view at high-resolution.

이번에 쇼들이 진짜 재밌게 시작했고 남성컬랙션에서 볼 수 있는 관객들이 엄청 많네요.그 날에 제일 좋아했던쇼는 김동준. 미국의 전통 깡패의 룩대로 것같아요컨셉을 만든 것같아요.

The shows are off to a great start, and it’s a good crowd this year. One of my favorite shows from the day was that of Kang Dong-joon’s, whose idea this year was men just looking gangsta. And smoking cigars.

이주영의 ‘부활’ (Resurrection)이란 쇼도 쿨이었고 그 쇼의 어두움은 아주 재밌었네요.

Lee Ju-young’s “Resurrection” was also pretty cool in its relative darkness.

Photo by Alii Higham

난 개인적으로 가죽을 좋아하는데 모피는 싫어요. 진짜 모피아니겠죠?

I like the leather, but not the fur. Hope that’s not real.

진짜 터프한 사나이다.

Lookin’ tough!

Photo by Alii Higham

그리고 쇼말고 밖에서도 많은 재밌는 사람들을 사람들을 만났어요. 이 분은 ‘The Bastards’의 멤버이고 문신들이 죽인다!

Also met some people in the line! This guy’s a part of a crew simply called “The Bastards.” Cool name. Cool tats, man.

또일상적인 룩들이. 이 분들은 우리 패션일기를 했던 류지의 학교친구들이예요. 멋지다, 친구들아!

And we got some everyday looks from friends of our fashion diarist, Ryuji.

서로 어울리는 회색으로 나온 친구를 두명을 뽑고 찍었어요. 보기 좋지? ㅋㅋ

Here’s a pair of grays I pulled from the group. Looks nice together, eh?

류지찬!

Ryuji-chan!

그리고 우리 독자들이 알다시피 내가 좋아하는 여성스러운 대표적인 한국스러운 룩을 잘 잡잖아요. 애들이 진짜 귀여웠네요! 고, 고, 유고, 걸즈!

And we got even more uniquely Korean looks, too, the kind I like. Puffs and frills and things. You keep working it, girls!