"K-fashion has long way to go"

/ Courtesy of pushBUTTON

By Rachel Lee

There is this quiet, shy man who broke into the tedious Korean fashion scene with his witty, bold and provocative pieces that are trendy yet retro.

“You’ve got to try really hard to make people want what you suggest,” designer Park Seung-gun of pushBUTTON said in an interview with The Korea Times at his atelier in Itaewon, Seoul. “It’s important to stay with a brand identity and philosophy, but salability and wearability make this job even more demanding because you can’t just dismiss these elements at the same time.” pushBUTTON, launched in 2003, has a cult following among women in their 20s and 30s for its quirky, fun elements of design.

Park is a man of many talents ― previously he was a singer, model and promoter. After years of trial and error, he decided to aim for his ultimate goal. That is, becoming a “proper” fashion designer. pushBUTTON had arrived.

“There were hardly any local designers 10 years ago when I launched the label with my partner,” said the 39-year-old creative director. “People came to tell me that I was acting insane because I settled in Itaewon, which was empty at that time. Literally there was nothing in that area.” Now Itaewon is one of the hottest fashion spots for both designers and shoppers.

His 15SS collection at Seoul Fashion Week held last month, once again, proved his imaginative approach to both women’s and men’s fashion. Inspired by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, the collection gives an answer to the question: “If Frida Kahlo were alive, what would she look like today?”

He captured the spirit of the artist by mixing and matching with curved sleeve dresses with mixed prints, and midi skirts teaming up with pushBUTTON’s leopard print jackets. They look feminine, relevant and modern.

Indeed his work was one of the highlights of the fashion week, but the designer says K-fashion is still far from becoming a center for fashion.

“Well, Korea is better than ‘Made in China.’ That’s for sure. And thanks to a K-pop craze such as Psy’s Gangnam Style, an increasing number of foreign buyers and media have slowly taken an interest in us. Still, fashion capitals like London and Paris don’t care much about us,” said Park. “What’s the point of Seoul spending so much to take them here? Nobody cares. They just come and go without any interest. It is all in vain.”

In order for K-fashion to grow and become attractive, Park stresses the importance of nurturing local designer brands.

“Stop promoting local designers as a group representing the country. And stop emphasizing that they are ‘Korean.’ It will never work,” said the artist. “Just like Kenzo and Comme des Garcons, they’ve become famous as fashion designer brands not a brand symbolizing J-fashion. You buy their stuff and find out later that they are Japanese. That’s the right approach in this industry. Incubation is the key to success.”

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Since launched in 2003, pushBUTTON has gained popularity both at home and abroad. It has over 15 stockists worldwide including the United Kingdom, China, Hong Kong and the United States. The label has also collaborated with numerous beauty and fashion firms such as Amore Pacific and Puma.

Push Button 15SS Collection

/ Courtesy of pushBUTTON