Shin Joo-youn wins Project Runway Korea 3
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The third season of Project Runway Korea declared Shin Joo-youn, 25, victorious for her creativity and potential as a fashion designer, Saturday.
"I am lucky to win such a good opportunity. I want to learn design on a more solid basis,” Shin said after winning the Korean version of the fashion designers’ survival reality show that airs on cable channel On Style.
She is a student of Samsung Art and Design Institute (SADI). Unlike most of the other challengers who had experience studying fashion abroad, Shin has only studied in Korea.
Presented at the 2011 fall/winter Seoul Fashion Week on April 3 as a part of the show, her collection was based on the theme of “healing” and offered a variety of distinctive colors and prints.
"I think although we are happy, we have wounds,” she said explaining her collection.
“I wanted to express such feelings through fabric. My last and main costume is in gray ― a color expressing neutralization and contemplation.”
“Designer Chang Kwang-hyo, who appeared on the last episode of the show as a guest judge, said Shin shows talent in her basic skills. "I think she can be ranked among the young, aspiring designers in the Korean fashion scene," Chang said.
Kim Seok-won, designer and CEO of Andy & Debb as another judge of the show said she developed unique use of color and prints of her own based on numerous attempts. “Some of her collections left an afterimage,” he said.
Also judge of the show, Jeon Mi-kyung, Korean Bazzar editor-in-chief said, "Shin has a particular idea fused with the power to create a complete collection in a unified manner." Jeon add that, "Her daring and experimental style could bring controversy to the Korean fashion scene."
As the winner of the program, Shin was awarded with 100 million won to launch her brand and a photo spread in Bazzar.
Runner-up Kwon Soon-su, 25, presented a soft, romantic collection inspired by a trip to Tibet, while second runner-up Lee Se-jin, 25, created a collection influenced by night views of Paris using black velvet and lace.