Behind mask is fashion designer

By Kim Se-jeong

Hwang Jae-keun, 40, is a fashion designer more known for his masks than clothes.

His masks are worn by singers on MBC TV’s “King of Mask Singer,” an entertainment program in which celebrities compete in a singing contest with their identities hidden under masks.

His masks are enough to effectively conceal their identities but also artistic enough to entertain TV viewers.

So far, he has made about 200 masks, ranging from masks resembling cartoon characters to ones depicting a dog, a basketball, a guitar, a shoe and a watermelon. “I try to be as simple as possible and look far and wide around me for ideas,” he said.

The show became popular and so did the designer.

Now, Hwang has no time to design clothes anymore. He has even hired assistants to help him with his mask-making.

Also, he has been invited to work on other masks, including one project with Dongdaemun Design Plaza. He also appears regularly on TV and radio shows. He is currently working on pillow designs for children, which will be available in stores soon.

“Some fashion designers ridicule me saying that I am not a true fashion designer,” Hwang said in an interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday. “I do not agree with them, because a mask can be such an important part of fashion, and deserves more attention from designers. To me, masks are just as important as clothes.”

He studied ceramic art at Hongik University in Seoul, before moving to Belgium where he studied fashion design at the University of Antwerp.

“My mom was a fashion designer, and I knew that I always wanted to do fashion design somehow,” he said. “I knew that I would not be accepted in Korea, so I had to find an opportunity outside.”

Arriving back home after school in Antwerp, Hwang joined a Korean design company in Seoul, but quit in less than a year. “I realized I didn’t fit in designing for mass commercial productions.”

That is how he invented his brand “Ze Quun home,” specializing in menswear. He was proud but quickly fell into depression because his inclination for unique styles didn’t produce any revenue.

Heavily in debt, in 2014 he shut down his office and went into hiding.

He refused to answer calls because they came from moneylenders. But one of the calls was from the “King of Mask Singer” production team, which wanted him as its mask designer, as the people there were aware of his work from online and a cable TV show where he had appeared a couple of times.

“The team tried to reach me for several days but didn’t get through. They left me a message, and I answered it,” he recalled.

Hwang can’t be more thankful to the production team, but is also confident that his masks contributed to the show’s success.

People ask him if he’s finished with designing clothes for good.

“I get that question often,” he said. “I am not finished. This is what I am going to do for rest of my life. But, what is happening to me is a now-or-never opportunity, and I don’t want to miss it. But, as soon as I get the chance, I will resume designing clothes.”