Doo-Ri Chung, a Korean-American designer based in New York, has US$800 draped dresses hanging at Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Ron Herman in Los Angeles and Harvey Nichols in London. Late last year, Style.com lauded her collection as 'fresh and interesting'.
Last month Hong Kong saw the first showing of a unique shirt-suit combination from Young Kim, another Korean-born designer and artist. CFDA-nominated Richard Chai designed for Marc by Marc Jacobs before launching his own line. Military-inspired pieces from Eudon Choi can be seen hanging next to Costume National and Anne Valerie Hash. And Jessica Alba is often seen sporting a rather lethal-looking spiked cuff, courtesy of designer Joomi Lim.
Korean designers are having their moment in the spotlight these days. A craze for Korean cultural exports, from pop stars such as Rain to video artist Paik Nam-june, began in the wake of South Korea's rapid economic growth and the spread of globalism. Now, a number of fashion designers have cracked highly competitive markets in the United States, Europe and Asia, launching successful lines and being snapped up by the best stores.
Lim, who was born in Korea and moved to the US as a teen, says that she draws her influences from everywhere.
'No doubt, the Korean work ethic has played a big role,' the New York-based designer says. 'But in a design sense, I am more influenced by French culture. Not just because of my French husband but because my love of French culture began in my childhood living in Korea. I just love all the beautiful things French people make - their music, architecture, furniture, dessert, fashion. Even their history is beautiful.'
Lim, a former freelance designer at Victoria's Secret, has parlayed that cosmopolitan outlook into a dramatic collection that can be found at stores such as Bergdorf Goodman and Opening Ceremony, in the US, and the 10 Corso Como outpost in Seoul. The collection, which retails for up to HK$2,400 for an elaborate necklace, has an interesting duality, as in, say, lustrous pearls paired with punk-inspired spikes. Her new collection, Metali-feroce, expounds on the Goth-meets-debutante theme, while core collections feature whimsical pieces made with pearls and crystals.