Fashion exec says to do it differently

By Kim Ji-soo

In the trendy series; corner in Hannam-dong, Seoul, there is a section that features women’s jackets made from sports jackets and car seat fabric, and curtains made from air bags and dog-wear. Yes, dog-wear, including caps, which are popular items of the fashion brand RE; CODE.

It is the RE; CODE brand ― an upcycling brand ― overseen by Han Kyung-ae, creative director and vice president of Kolon’s Fashion Division II. The division is also home to Henry Cotton’s and series;. At 53, Han is the highest senior female executive within Kolon Industries.

A strong watcher of market and consumer trends, and breather of storytelling into her brands, she launched “RE; CODE” in 2012, to address inventories that pile up at any fashion brand and share concern for the environment. It is a rare case of upgrading and recycling undertaken by a large company. She and her team work from inventories to create a limited edition of women’s and men’s wear, accessories and lifestyle goods. They are not cheap. The jacket is priced in the 490,000 won-range and tops in the 290,000-won range. The brand has yet to be in the black at the moment.

“RE; CODE is about the process where value is re-created by everyone involved in the process,” Han said in an interview with The Korea Times, held at the shop. “It’s a movement.”

With those declarative sentences, she seems to address the immense potential of the brand.

The dismantling and redesigning require an approach and skills that defy the way things used to be done. So there is porous recruitment from outside. For example, Han has tapped into three sewing artisans in Anyang, who are versed in every part of making clothes, to work with designers to create new designs from the inventory clothing. She also looks out for independent designers for collaboration, and works with inventories from companies such as Shinsegae’s denim brand, BLUEFIT, and the Air Force’s cargo parachutes. The brand runs a communal art shop in Myeong-dong Cathedral, where a library, audiovisual room and an open workshop parlay the meaning of what RE; CODE is doing.

“The brand encompasses the future,” she said, adding that the concept and processes of RE: CODE can be a model for platform businesses.

Han seems excited as she contemplated the brand’s future. A first-generation designer who has climbed into executive management, Han’s forte lies in seeking change, challenging new things, overcoming and producing results.

“Leadership can be achieved by pioneering new work,” Han said.

A design graduate of Sungkyunkwan University, she started working in children’s wear in 1984. She then went into menswear, moving to different companies such as Ssangbangwool and Kolon Industries. In 2005, she rejoined Kolon and launched the series; and RE: CODE.

Having different experiences prompted her always to think outside the box. She not only designs, markets and promotes but holds classes in styling.

“I wanted to make sure the product I designed and planned materialized perfectly,” she said.

Han said having to work in the male-dominated Korean society also led her to develop her way of doing things; her singular career path. “I have no role model,” Han said.

While many wine, dine and golf for business, she delivers in person or in email the seasonal market trends to people at department stores or her brand stores. This grew to the extent that people began waiting for her updates.

“It takes a lot of time and energy to persuade people,” Han said. “But after a year or two, you produce results and people start listening to you.”

Han said she worked a lot to make up for her lack of training in management. Throughout her career, she said she faced challenges, including two layoffs.

“I also built up my strength, which is painting the big picture,” Han said, adding that she hopes the younger generation of women does not have to work doubly or triply hard to prove themselves.

A collaboration on her immediate working board is with traditional Korean attire of hanbok. Han said she is interested in working with traditional Korean culture.