Intel From Seoul - Terminal 27
Intel From Seoul - Terminal 27 ︎
I had the oppurtunity to sit down and interview the founders of CMMAwear and FFFpostalservice, two up and coming fashion brands and write and article on them for L.A. boutique Terminal 27.
Intel From Seoul - Terminal 27
Date: 08/25/2022
Interview By: Joseph Gleasure
Photography By: JIIN
A RADICALLY OPTIMISTIC VISION OF THE FUTURE
When talking about Asia, especially Asian culture, there is a tendency to focus on China and Japan and ignore smaller countries like Korea. Historically, the rapid cycle of trends and fashion’s insatiable lust for newness has largely passed over Korea, meaning that being stuck in the shadow of its larger neighbors has turned out to be something of a blessing. Ideas and culture have been given more time to ferment and blossom before being thrust onto the global market and as Japan’s cultural exports have seemingly stagnated over the past decade, Korea has proven itself worthy of taking up the mantle. Its capital, Seoul, is moving at a frenetic pace. Their entertainment industry is taking the world by storm; their pop music is a global phenomenon, and their film industry is increasingly dominant on the world stage in part for its willingness to touch on themes that the west seems to only address superficially, such as economic inequality and anticapitalism.
Beyond entertainment media, there is a new wave of Korean designers emerging from their technically impressive but oft-overlooked apparel industry. It's a new group of designers who defy convention and refuse to do things the traditional way. Brands like Post Archive Faction (P.A.F.), Kanghyuk, Hyein Seo, FFFPOSTALSERVICE, and CMMAWEAR make up this new vanguard. They've adopted unusual design elements and themes by way of mixing idiosyncratic selections of high and low culture, like meshing Star Wars references with philosophical and political theory. Not only have they learned how to survive as an independent brand in a brutally competitive global market, but they have also taken on a completely new approach to world building—proposing a radically optimistic vision of the future. Their garments embrace technology and all it can offer with a sense of unbridled utopianism. Where so many brands seem to fall short of generative contributions—often receding into an arrested sense of nostalgia, this group of Korean designers seems intent on taking us to the future, whether or not we’re ready for it.
FFFPOSTALSERVICE (Future, Family, Friends) and CMMAWEAR (Comma Wear) are Seoul based brands started by friends and colleagues Jonathan Choe (JC) and Giz Moon (Gizmo). Both designers—who are in their mid to late 20s—started their brands within a few months of each other in 2020. Gizmo runs his brand with his partner and girlfriend Val Choi while FFFPOSTALSERVICE—the name of which harkens back to Jonathan’s first br and as a 17-year-old in Los Angeles—is run by him alone. CMMAWEAR is rooted in utilitarian clothing like blousons and work pants. Almost all of his clothes feature extensive style lines and cargo pockets. Although he opts for a muted color palette, his sinuous panels accentuated by color-blocking recall vintage sportswear windbreakers. Gizmo makes recognizable silhouettes seem unfamiliar yet desirable—offering elevated building blocks to an everyday wardrobe. While operating in a similar sphere, FFFPOSTALSERVICE boasts a more obvious streetwear genealogy. JC wears his influences on his sleeve, utilizing graphic design reminiscent of his meticulously curated taste in sci-fi films, designing items like the dusty cargo pants, paneled nylon pants with vibrant splashes of color, and sweaters with downturned hems that are suggestive of a futuristic yet slightly dystopian atmosphere.
We sent photographer JIIN to join both designers for a day around Seoul, highlighting the supermodern contradictions of the city and the melding of the traditional and the future as a means to understand the catalysts for the current creative revitalization in Seoul. They took us on a tour of the historic garment district to show off their workspaces, the nearby food markets, the impressive mega-architecture, and their vision of what makes Seoul and Korean culture so compelling at the moment. Later I joined them for a conversation on their design philosophy and unorthodox entry into the fashion industry—tapping into the creative scene in Seoul and how it interacts with the global fashion landscape.
Beyond entertainment media, there is a new wave of Korean designers emerging from their technically impressive but oft-overlooked apparel industry. It's a new group of designers who defy convention and refuse to do things the traditional way. Brands like Post Archive Faction (P.A.F.), Kanghyuk, Hyein Seo, FFFPOSTALSERVICE, and CMMAWEAR make up this new vanguard. They've adopted unusual design elements and themes by way of mixing idiosyncratic selections of high and low culture, like meshing Star Wars references with philosophical and political theory. Not only have they learned how to survive as an independent brand in a brutally competitive global market, but they have also taken on a completely new approach to world building—proposing a radically optimistic vision of the future. Their garments embrace technology and all it can offer with a sense of unbridled utopianism. Where so many brands seem to fall short of generative contributions—often receding into an arrested sense of nostalgia, this group of Korean designers seems intent on taking us to the future, whether or not we’re ready for it.
FFFPOSTALSERVICE (Future, Family, Friends) and CMMAWEAR (Comma Wear) are Seoul based brands started by friends and colleagues Jonathan Choe (JC) and Giz Moon (Gizmo). Both designers—who are in their mid to late 20s—started their brands within a few months of each other in 2020. Gizmo runs his brand with his partner and girlfriend Val Choi while FFFPOSTALSERVICE—the name of which harkens back to Jonathan’s first br and as a 17-year-old in Los Angeles—is run by him alone. CMMAWEAR is rooted in utilitarian clothing like blousons and work pants. Almost all of his clothes feature extensive style lines and cargo pockets. Although he opts for a muted color palette, his sinuous panels accentuated by color-blocking recall vintage sportswear windbreakers. Gizmo makes recognizable silhouettes seem unfamiliar yet desirable—offering elevated building blocks to an everyday wardrobe. While operating in a similar sphere, FFFPOSTALSERVICE boasts a more obvious streetwear genealogy. JC wears his influences on his sleeve, utilizing graphic design reminiscent of his meticulously curated taste in sci-fi films, designing items like the dusty cargo pants, paneled nylon pants with vibrant splashes of color, and sweaters with downturned hems that are suggestive of a futuristic yet slightly dystopian atmosphere.
We sent photographer JIIN to join both designers for a day around Seoul, highlighting the supermodern contradictions of the city and the melding of the traditional and the future as a means to understand the catalysts for the current creative revitalization in Seoul. They took us on a tour of the historic garment district to show off their workspaces, the nearby food markets, the impressive mega-architecture, and their vision of what makes Seoul and Korean culture so compelling at the moment. Later I joined them for a conversation on their design philosophy and unorthodox entry into the fashion industry—tapping into the creative scene in Seoul and how it interacts with the global fashion landscape.
Would you be able to tell me how you got started in fashion, what drew you in and how you ended up starting your own brands? JC I believe you were into archival fashion around 2017. You were one of the big Raf Simons collectors at the time, right?
JC: I started buying Raf Simons and archival clothing around the middle of 2016. I ended up meeting and befriending the owner of Horror Vacuo in Los Angeles and while I was kind of into fashion brands at the time, it was really after meeting him where things took off. In 2016 I wouldn’t have been able to tell you that a brand like Raf Simons would blow up the way it did when it comes to secondhand clothing selling for thousands and thousands of dollars.
It was basically just before archival fashion blew up and the market was ruined forever.
JC: Exactly after that the market was just destroyed, people were actually willing to pay these insane markups.
So just being exposed to the right people, the right brands—at the right time—is how it started for you?
JC: Yeah, that’s basically how it started for me because at the time the idea of dressing up or even being into men’s fashion wasn’t common in The United States.
Now Gizmo, you moved around in your youth, but spent around a decade in Tokyo? Is that where you got into fashion?
When I started my brand, I didn’t really know what the manufacturing cycle looked like. This is where I learned that manufacturing and design are two totally different processes, so even if you go to a design school, manufacturing is still something you have to learn. The process of figuring out how to make items producible was a lot of fun, but also a huge learning curve. I was just living in my factory for the first year of my brand. I had this repository of knowledge in my head, but at the time, lacked the vocabulary to communicate my ideas. Eventually, it all came together and made sense, I was sort of working in reverse: my idea was developed from a finished product and I had to learn the entire process of how to get to the finished product. Coming from an environment where curiosity and obsession were nurtured helped put me in the right mindset to succeed because I was always asking questions. I was fortunate when I launched my brand because I was surrounded by designers who were already running successful brands. I’m still learning, but now I completely get the manufacturing side which makes things a lot easier.
JC: I started my first brand in L.A. when I was 17 years old, it was a pretty basic screen-printing brand, I did hats and t-shirts, the basic “start your own brand” starter kit. It was called F&F which stood for Family and Friends. It didn’t do very well which was discouraging, but I realized I needed to learn so much more and sought out opportunities where I could learn under someone more experienced, where I wouldn’t be spending my own money and time.
JC: I started buying Raf Simons and archival clothing around the middle of 2016. I ended up meeting and befriending the owner of Horror Vacuo in Los Angeles and while I was kind of into fashion brands at the time, it was really after meeting him where things took off. In 2016 I wouldn’t have been able to tell you that a brand like Raf Simons would blow up the way it did when it comes to secondhand clothing selling for thousands and thousands of dollars.
It was basically just before archival fashion blew up and the market was ruined forever.
JC: Exactly after that the market was just destroyed, people were actually willing to pay these insane markups.
So just being exposed to the right people, the right brands—at the right time—is how it started for you?
JC: Yeah, that’s basically how it started for me because at the time the idea of dressing up or even being into men’s fashion wasn’t common in The United States.
Now Gizmo, you moved around in your youth, but spent around a decade in Tokyo? Is that where you got into fashion?
When I started my brand, I didn’t really know what the manufacturing cycle looked like. This is where I learned that manufacturing and design are two totally different processes, so even if you go to a design school, manufacturing is still something you have to learn. The process of figuring out how to make items producible was a lot of fun, but also a huge learning curve. I was just living in my factory for the first year of my brand. I had this repository of knowledge in my head, but at the time, lacked the vocabulary to communicate my ideas. Eventually, it all came together and made sense, I was sort of working in reverse: my idea was developed from a finished product and I had to learn the entire process of how to get to the finished product. Coming from an environment where curiosity and obsession were nurtured helped put me in the right mindset to succeed because I was always asking questions. I was fortunate when I launched my brand because I was surrounded by designers who were already running successful brands. I’m still learning, but now I completely get the manufacturing side which makes things a lot easier.
JC: I started my first brand in L.A. when I was 17 years old, it was a pretty basic screen-printing brand, I did hats and t-shirts, the basic “start your own brand” starter kit. It was called F&F which stood for Family and Friends. It didn’t do very well which was discouraging, but I realized I needed to learn so much more and sought out opportunities where I could learn under someone more experienced, where I wouldn’t be spending my own money and time.
Moving away from how you got started for a second, you spent the day exploring Seoul. What were the specific places you hit up, and what’s significant about them? What are the must-see spots for a fashion crazed visitor who finds themselves in Seoul?
Gizmo: We really wanted to showcase local Korean culture. We didn’t focus on retail shopping. We wanted to show what makes Seoul unique. We went to Dongdaemun which is a massive fabric market, it’s the heart of the Seoul apparel industry. The surrounding neighborhoods have all the factories, textile companies, vintage stores, and really good food markets. It's this mix of futuristic developments and buildings, very rough street-food areas, and open-air markets. It's pretty much where everything is happening in Korea. First, we went to this cool building called DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza) which is normally where fashion week is held in Seoul, and it hosts all the cool art exhibitions. Then we went to eat at a nearby market which is a unique feature of Korea, right JC?
JC: Yeah, coming from the states, you don’t really see open markets. We kind of have that but it's not as raw or authentic as it is in Korea.
It is kind of like a night market then?
Gizmo: Not really! Its referred to as Shijang [市場] and it also operates during the day. Its operated since the 60s so it used to be seen as a hub for older generations, but since retro things are coming back, it’s really popular with the younger crowd who's into dated aesthetics. It’s so hyped now, to the point where we had to line up for an hour before we could get in and eat. It’s that mixture of old and new which adds to the appeal. After that, we went down to Han River. Seoul is really famous for its river that splits the city into north and south and it has a ton of bridges to explore.
Gizmo: We really wanted to showcase local Korean culture. We didn’t focus on retail shopping. We wanted to show what makes Seoul unique. We went to Dongdaemun which is a massive fabric market, it’s the heart of the Seoul apparel industry. The surrounding neighborhoods have all the factories, textile companies, vintage stores, and really good food markets. It's this mix of futuristic developments and buildings, very rough street-food areas, and open-air markets. It's pretty much where everything is happening in Korea. First, we went to this cool building called DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza) which is normally where fashion week is held in Seoul, and it hosts all the cool art exhibitions. Then we went to eat at a nearby market which is a unique feature of Korea, right JC?
JC: Yeah, coming from the states, you don’t really see open markets. We kind of have that but it's not as raw or authentic as it is in Korea.
It is kind of like a night market then?
Gizmo: Not really! Its referred to as Shijang [市場] and it also operates during the day. Its operated since the 60s so it used to be seen as a hub for older generations, but since retro things are coming back, it’s really popular with the younger crowd who's into dated aesthetics. It’s so hyped now, to the point where we had to line up for an hour before we could get in and eat. It’s that mixture of old and new which adds to the appeal. After that, we went down to Han River. Seoul is really famous for its river that splits the city into north and south and it has a ton of bridges to explore.
What does your design process look like? Where do you start creating clothing, is it with a sketch, an idea in your head, or a digital image? Aitor Throup for example made miniature models, for you what’s the most fundamental aspect of design, is it the cut, the fabric, the proportion, or a specific silhouette?
JC: I’ll start with a reference piece for the base and then I’ll start changing the silhouette, adding new details to it through an intensive editing process where I’ll make sure the fit and the hardware work together. This iterative process has been rewarding and the knowledge gained is invaluable. Basically, all the mistakes I’ve made in the past have helped me streamline my process and become more efficient when designing. Like Gizmo mentioned earlier, we have a lot of friends with a more formal design education that we can go to, to solve technical problems like, is this fabric suitable for this design, Is it too light? Too heavy? I’m still new to this process and constantly learning, but now that the ball is rolling, we’re able to ramp up production and drop larger collections. This autumn for example, I’m doing my first full collection. It's been a long time coming and a dream of mine for the last few years so it’s incredibly rewarding to see it come to fruition.
At a design level what inspires you, is it real life, fantasy, ideas in your head, or a specific philosophy? Where do you find inspiration?
JC: My ideas, silhouettes, and styles are inspired by my favorite sci-fi films. Interstellar, Mad Max, Tomb Raider, and especially Star Wars. I draw on the overall environment and the protagonists for my ideas, hence the brand's tagline of 'A Never Ending Sci-Fi Motion Picture' everyone has come to know.
JC: Yeah, the brand storyline really aligns with Star Wars actually, although less about Imperial war (laughs). More about how rough everything is and how it's all about occupying grey areas. You can imagine flying to a different planet or taking over a galaxy. Through my brand, FFFPS, I hope to encourage my customers to explore new frontiers of their personal style.
Now Gizmo you’ve done a handful of interviews including a fairly notable one with Sabukaru where you explain the concept of your brand and your design process briefly. Given that you’ve developed your vision so quickly, has the concept or idea behind CMMAWEAR evolved as well?
Gizmo: Yeah, the branding part and the name are covered by my partner Val but, we’ve recently put into words what CMMAWEAR is.
CMMAWEAR is a mixture of 'becoming aware of' and 'comma+wear' as a reminder to pause and learn who we are, expressed through our design language. Our designs tend to find beauty within comfort. We find motifs in nature and everyday life and try to interpret that element through design with a surprise element or hidden function. What we think of beauty will change as time progresses, and it is our mission to deliver the beauty that we envision to the consumer. I think it will be fun to see how the changes appear as our experience accumulates.
JC: I’ll start with a reference piece for the base and then I’ll start changing the silhouette, adding new details to it through an intensive editing process where I’ll make sure the fit and the hardware work together. This iterative process has been rewarding and the knowledge gained is invaluable. Basically, all the mistakes I’ve made in the past have helped me streamline my process and become more efficient when designing. Like Gizmo mentioned earlier, we have a lot of friends with a more formal design education that we can go to, to solve technical problems like, is this fabric suitable for this design, Is it too light? Too heavy? I’m still new to this process and constantly learning, but now that the ball is rolling, we’re able to ramp up production and drop larger collections. This autumn for example, I’m doing my first full collection. It's been a long time coming and a dream of mine for the last few years so it’s incredibly rewarding to see it come to fruition.
At a design level what inspires you, is it real life, fantasy, ideas in your head, or a specific philosophy? Where do you find inspiration?
JC: My ideas, silhouettes, and styles are inspired by my favorite sci-fi films. Interstellar, Mad Max, Tomb Raider, and especially Star Wars. I draw on the overall environment and the protagonists for my ideas, hence the brand's tagline of 'A Never Ending Sci-Fi Motion Picture' everyone has come to know.
JC: Yeah, the brand storyline really aligns with Star Wars actually, although less about Imperial war (laughs). More about how rough everything is and how it's all about occupying grey areas. You can imagine flying to a different planet or taking over a galaxy. Through my brand, FFFPS, I hope to encourage my customers to explore new frontiers of their personal style.
Now Gizmo you’ve done a handful of interviews including a fairly notable one with Sabukaru where you explain the concept of your brand and your design process briefly. Given that you’ve developed your vision so quickly, has the concept or idea behind CMMAWEAR evolved as well?
Gizmo: Yeah, the branding part and the name are covered by my partner Val but, we’ve recently put into words what CMMAWEAR is.
CMMAWEAR is a mixture of 'becoming aware of' and 'comma+wear' as a reminder to pause and learn who we are, expressed through our design language. Our designs tend to find beauty within comfort. We find motifs in nature and everyday life and try to interpret that element through design with a surprise element or hidden function. What we think of beauty will change as time progresses, and it is our mission to deliver the beauty that we envision to the consumer. I think it will be fun to see how the changes appear as our experience accumulates.
What do you credit as the reason behind why the world is seeing so many incredible South Korean brands at the moment? Is it the local culture, the creative scene, does the industry do a good job of supporting new designers, or is it something else?
JC: Japan has been leading the charge in fashion for the past decade, from streetwear to avant garde, there is no doubt Japanese fashion has been a crowd favorite until now. A new generation of young Korean designers have taken the stage by implementing new ways to design. With the abundance of new designers, Korea has established a creative scene that is being watched worldwide. The reason I moved to Korea is because I believe that, right now, we’re having such a moment with everything. Not just fashion, but music, film, entertainment, beauty, lifestyle, and food. Especially because Tik Tok has become such a big thing, it's a great tool for having a window into someone else’s life in another country. There’s this trend going on where people are moving to Korea and filming their daily lives, and coming from the United States that lifestyle is incredibly desirable.
Gizmo: This change is happening in the Korean fashion scene as well. We saw it happen in Japan 20 to 30 years ago: designers like Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo, and the whole Ura-Hara scene started doing well internationally. I think Seoul is experiencing something similar and hope we can build on it more.
In what sense? Is it a community based thing? Or more of an overarching trend in Korea?
Gizmo: Well, there’s this really close-knit community of designers who are pushing each other in a good way. All of our designer friends know each other and are in a similar age group. It's really this new movement in Korean design that’s pushing through to the rest of the world. We’re moving away from Korea’s association with fast fashion. There’s still a ton of that, but brands like Post Archive Faction and Kanghyuk are the notable ones who are getting taken seriously.
It sounds like Korea is going through a cultural revitalization.
Gizmo: Since we’re all in the same generational cohort as each other, it's very dynamic. It's like a renaissance right now.
JC: It's definitely a crucial moment for Korean designers. Tokyo fashion has historically overshadowed us and the rest of Asia, but as Gizmo said, there is the new Korean Fashion, a new generation of designers that have started to take over because Japanese designers haven’t been able to capture more of the market. Everything comes in waves though.
JC: Japan has been leading the charge in fashion for the past decade, from streetwear to avant garde, there is no doubt Japanese fashion has been a crowd favorite until now. A new generation of young Korean designers have taken the stage by implementing new ways to design. With the abundance of new designers, Korea has established a creative scene that is being watched worldwide. The reason I moved to Korea is because I believe that, right now, we’re having such a moment with everything. Not just fashion, but music, film, entertainment, beauty, lifestyle, and food. Especially because Tik Tok has become such a big thing, it's a great tool for having a window into someone else’s life in another country. There’s this trend going on where people are moving to Korea and filming their daily lives, and coming from the United States that lifestyle is incredibly desirable.
Gizmo: This change is happening in the Korean fashion scene as well. We saw it happen in Japan 20 to 30 years ago: designers like Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo, and the whole Ura-Hara scene started doing well internationally. I think Seoul is experiencing something similar and hope we can build on it more.
In what sense? Is it a community based thing? Or more of an overarching trend in Korea?
Gizmo: Well, there’s this really close-knit community of designers who are pushing each other in a good way. All of our designer friends know each other and are in a similar age group. It's really this new movement in Korean design that’s pushing through to the rest of the world. We’re moving away from Korea’s association with fast fashion. There’s still a ton of that, but brands like Post Archive Faction and Kanghyuk are the notable ones who are getting taken seriously.
It sounds like Korea is going through a cultural revitalization.
Gizmo: Since we’re all in the same generational cohort as each other, it's very dynamic. It's like a renaissance right now.
JC: It's definitely a crucial moment for Korean designers. Tokyo fashion has historically overshadowed us and the rest of Asia, but as Gizmo said, there is the new Korean Fashion, a new generation of designers that have started to take over because Japanese designers haven’t been able to capture more of the market. Everything comes in waves though.
It is safe to say then that you both consider yourself Korean or Seoul designers? And what does that mean for your work?
Gizmo: It’s actually a no for me, I don’t want to be completely boxed in this term and the reason relates to my personal identity. I’ve lived all over the place, ten years on and off in Korea, 5 years stateside, and 10 years in Tokyo. So, three completely different cultures have all mixed inside of myself to uniquely make me who I am.
JC: 100%. It’s in our blood and I would never say I am an American designer, I am American, but I am … Not American if that makes sense.
It’s the experience of every child of immigrants, right? You belong but you don’t belong. There’s this dualism.
JC: Exactly, yes, it’s always been a challenge to find out where I fit in, I went to school around a lot of non-Koreans, and as basically the only Asian in my classes it was difficult to find my true self. This was part of the reason I moved to Korea in the first place. I feel very much at home here, you know, with my people. I’m eating the food of my culture, which motivates and excites me, it's what pushes me to design every day. Moving here is probably the best decision I’ve ever made.
Do you ever feel like you have to design a certain way for the global or western market, or are you more interested in designing in a Korean style? I tend to agree with Gizmo that Gorpcore and Techwear aren't the right fit for your brands either.
JC: No, we’re not Techwear at all.
Gizmo: I think that derives from the stereotype of Asian men wearing all-black and vaguely athletic-looking clothing. Again I don’t think there is a term for it yet, but if we’re able to maintain a strong foundation for the next generation of Korean designers, then we’re gonna be looked back on and someone will coin a term for what we’re doing. At the moment we’re just living and working, so we’re not so worried about defining it.
Trying to establish and develop the Korean fashion industry yourself is a lofty, yet admirable goal, I mean ten years ago there was Juun. J and Wooyoungmi and it felt like that was it for Korea.
Gizmo: They’re OG's and as designers they’re amazing, but they were still corporations, so it was different from what’s happening right now with the smaller brands.
What’s happening now is smaller, independent, more grassroots?
Gizmo: Yeah, it’s all about the smaller businesses right now. People looking from the outside will see these brands and think they’re fantastic, but the reality is that these brands are constantly struggling and creating purely out of their passion and love for design. Even P.A.F. being hugely successful hasn’t really changed the fact that they’re a smaller brand. It’s not comparable to these big foundation brands. One bad season can be an earthquake for us.
It sounds like you guys are in a tenuous position that causes a lot of pressure. Do you cherish this position because of the creative freedom it affords, or would you prefer to have a little more stability even if it meant more corporate or vanilla designs?
Gizmo: It’s fun because you’re trying to find a balance between the fun design stuff and commercial products. The pressure leads to a good product. Val and I had to start everything by ourselves so we tailored towards more commercial products and “drops” in the earlier stages but now we are slowly starting to expand and building towards a collection.
JC: That's what makes me analyze my work. Every drop I’ve released has taught me a little bit more about what the best way is to present my designs, what’s going to give me the best chance at success, what’s going to make me a better designer. I put in a lot of work to figure out the best time to release product and how to entertain my customers. It’s extremely hard to get Gen-Z’s attention in the first place, but operating outside of the traditional fashion calendar has benefitted both our brands.
Jonathan mentioned that he’s in the midst of planning a full collection this fall. Beyond that, what are the next steps for CMMAWEAR and FFF Postal Service?
Gizmo: Trying to scale the business and designing more of a capsule collection leading up to a full collection sometime next year. Right now, we’re recruiting and growing our team. Hopefully, in two or three years we’ll have a collaboration with a big brand so we can reach a mass audience. I don’t put any limits on what kind of products we can create, whether it's furniture or other lifestyle objects. Short term, we’re currently building an atelier that allows us to create more experimental pieces done in-house rather than relying on a factory.
After our talk, I found myself reflecting on Gizmo’s invocation of the heyday of Japanese fashion design, the near-riot Rei and Yohji caused in ’81, the birth, growth, and eventual slow stagnation of Urahara and Japanese streetwear in the 1990s and 2000s, and menswear’s Cambrian period of the 2010s, the sudden and intense burst of interest in men’s fashion which was anchored by Japanese brands like Undercover, Kapital, Visvim, Junya Watanabe and others. Where men, especially straight men, expressing themselves through clothing went from the dizzying and unthinkable to commonplace and expected. While it may be too early to call what’s currently happening in Korea ‘generational’ it certainly seems like CMMAWEAR and FFF Postal Service are well on their way to establishing a Korean design dynasty and cementing their legacy for good.
Gizmo: Trying to scale the business and designing more of a capsule collection leading up to a full collection sometime next year. Right now, we’re recruiting and growing our team. Hopefully, in two or three years we’ll have a collaboration with a big brand so we can reach a mass audience. I don’t put any limits on what kind of products we can create, whether it's furniture or other lifestyle objects. Short term, we’re currently building an atelier that allows us to create more experimental pieces done in-house rather than relying on a factory.
After our talk, I found myself reflecting on Gizmo’s invocation of the heyday of Japanese fashion design, the near-riot Rei and Yohji caused in ’81, the birth, growth, and eventual slow stagnation of Urahara and Japanese streetwear in the 1990s and 2000s, and menswear’s Cambrian period of the 2010s, the sudden and intense burst of interest in men’s fashion which was anchored by Japanese brands like Undercover, Kapital, Visvim, Junya Watanabe and others. Where men, especially straight men, expressing themselves through clothing went from the dizzying and unthinkable to commonplace and expected. While it may be too early to call what’s currently happening in Korea ‘generational’ it certainly seems like CMMAWEAR and FFF Postal Service are well on their way to establishing a Korean design dynasty and cementing their legacy for good.