Hopeless Romantics: Juntae Kim

When Juntae Kim founded his namesake label in 2022 after graduating from London’s Central Saint Martens, he initially intended to stay in the English capital. But the South Korean designer was forced to move back to his native country due to Brexit. Today he is still based in Seoul and can’t think of a better environment that encourages the fast-paced reality of young brands.

Inspired by 70s punk, classic tailoring, and 17th and 18th century historical garments, the genderfluid brand aims to deconstruct binary limits, which are especially present in the more conservative Korean society. Juntae Kim, whose brand has been worn by Travis Scott, Ty Dolla $ign, Dua Lipa, Noah Cyrus, and others, sat down with Claire Koron Elat to discuss the different wants of European vs Asian buyers during Fashion week, getting support from the Korean government, and the Korean customer’s mind shift.

CLAIRE KORON ELAT: You grew up in South Korea, then moved to London for your studies, and now you’re back in Seoul. What is your perspective on the Korean fashion industry versus the European one?

JUNTAE KIM: The Korean industry has so many emerging brands, but also established ones. After I graduated from Central Saint Martens, I launched my brand there, but then there was Brexit, and I had to go back to Korea to start my business.

My aesthetic is quite focused on British fashion—very conceptual and romantic. When I came back to Seoul, the Korean industry seemed much more commercial and refined and minimal to me. Korean fashion is very technical because the curriculum in colleges is very different. British fashion is more conceptual and creative, and it focuses on very different types of people, because there is more diversity in their society. After living in London, I got to know so many different communities and aesthetic notions from different countries and cities. And I wanted to look at these diverse communities from an Asian perspective.

CKE: Do you see a difference between Korean and European buyers when they come to your showroom?

JK: There is a big difference. Korean and Asian buyers are more conservative. They want to see the very minimal pieces, hoodies and T-shirts, and sometimes more refined pieces but without any details or emblems. For the European buyer, it depends on the country. The Italian buyers also want to see more conservative pieces, but UK buyers are more accepting of diverse pieces. When we start a new collection, we usually organize different lines within the collection to appeal to different countries, so we’re not just focusing on one specific country in our sales and design development.

CKE: Why did you decide to do your showroom in Paris?

JK: We want to be at the center of fashion, which is Paris, and bring this reaction back to Korea. Also, our ultimate goal is to do runway in Paris.

CKE: I feel like that is a question that every young brand has to ask itself—when is the right time to do runway, and should you even do it.

JK: I feel like it’s the same process for every brand. You launch the brand, open a flagship store at some point, do a smaller scale presentation in Paris, and then do a huge catwalk show. But it’s a money question.

CKE: Do you do any presentations during Seoul Fashion Week?

JK: Our brand aesthetic focuses more on European countries and the US. And Seoul Fashion Week is very much focused on commercial brands. I think to do something in Seoul, there needs to be more support and funding from the city for Korean brands who are active abroad. They’re not taking much action towards that. But I don't mean this in any negative way.

CKE: It’s interesting that you feel this sort of disconnect but still decided to return to Seoul.

JK: It was not my intention. Brexit made me move back. But now Seoul feels very reasonable because there are so many stores we can buy fabrics and other materials from. And it’s also very fast-paced, so it’s a suitable environment for a young brand to grow in.

CKE: Do you think it’s much faster than Paris or Milan?

JK: Yes. And I think it’s because there is a lot of money and production costs are not expensive. Also, the Korean fashion industry is very competitive. We have so many brands and so many special things in Seoul without Seoul Fashion Week or government support.

It’s quite a small city and there’s a community that includes the emerging designer and established designer in Korea, and we can discuss the development of the brands together.

All the channels are growing at the same time. And we have factories from the original suppliers. However, it needs to be remembered that many designers who are doing well in Korea went to foreign countries or studied in London and then moved back to start a business here

CKE: Looking at your designs, you combine historical and contemporary elements, and work a lot with East Asian tropes. How did you develop this approach?

JK: When I studied in London, my intention was to explore historical references that I wasn’t exposed to in Korea. I became very interested in 17th and 18th century historical garments and costumes. I take inspiration, for example, from corsets or doublets and translate them into something contemporary through the lens of an East Asian designer. That way, it’s a fresh approach to contemporary menswear also catered to both East Asian and Western customers.

CKE: You also work a lot with the idea of gender fluidity in your clothing and escaping binary codes.

JK: Yes, I think that Korean society is pretty binary. So, our kind of slogan as a brand is to unravel binary construction. Studying abroad opened this entirely new view for me, and I didn’t want to constrain my work through any boundaries established by the society I live in.

CKE: And are your Korean customers open to that?

JK: We try to approach them in a soft way. And it’s not the only aesthetic that we push, we have many different keywords we work with, such as kitsch or romantic, and it all just blends in naturally. At first, I think the customer didn’t really understand it, but now they’re starting to be more accepting.

CKE: Do you think there is a reason for this shift?

JK: My designs have become more minimal. As we gain popularity within Korea, they’re not just viewing the brand as a social thing. They’re interested in the identity of the brand and our aesthetic. They don’t think of it as something that is following trends. And that’s why I always tell my buyers and customers and even my team that consistency is very important for the brand to establish an identity and aesthetic. There are so many outdoor and gorpcore brands on the market, but I don’t my brand is very close to these.