Vol.119_Le Vermillon
‘Le Vermillon’ means the color ‘vermilion’ in English. Please introduce the brand.
Le Vermillon is the first brand launched in the 2017 FW, and is currently ahead of its third collection. Introducing a brand in few words and using fancy words is what I do not like to say, and I do not think it’s fun for people to understand and probably most of them will not find it interesting. So it is difficult to explain the brand, but I can only explain that Le Vermillon is a brand that I can imagine to the fullest and the designer is Jihyun Lee, and it’s my brand. haha.
How did you start up the brand?
I wanted to make an image of the clothes that I made for the school assignment during my study in Japan and then I came to Korea and took photos of my garment in a look-book format. I got a lot of inquiries about the images from the people who have thought it was a new brand and they were asking, “Where can I buy these clothes?” and “Where is the showroom?”
so I had to tell about the situation and I was very sorry for the people who found me for the garment and after all receiving a lot of these inquiries at one point I was running a brand.
The mood of the images and photos shown on the website of Le Vermillon is unique. I’m curious about the inspiration and the concept.
I always set a theme when I work on video. The first 2017 FW video I worked on was the concept of grandmother and death, it’s a story about an old women who was actually homeless and died alone. The next 2018 FW concept that is being released this time has not defined yet, but it is “intemperance”. From a certain moment in Korea, it seems that there is a little recognition that “women are not beautiful unless they are natural.” I can not tell you what word I’m talking about, but for example, being ‘I’m dressed’, or following up ‘the trend’ is too much, and I was impressed by the fact which are making people cannot express themselves free. I think people, especially women basically have a little foolishness of putting more beauty in their own exterior and I think it is very Instinctive behavior being women. I think the foolishness is not all bad, is it? So, I would like to show you that you can imagine such a scene in this collection and enjoy lifting yourself with all the foolishness of the woman.
I see a lot of unique materials in your brand such as silk, noir, crocodile pattern, velvet. Le Vermillon only How is the material and patterns are determined in Le Vermillon ?
The most important part of making clothes is the fabric. Le Vermillon likes the fabric in silk houses in the ‘hanbok’ (Korean traditional clothes) market. Therefore the customers say that patterns and materials are unique, and I like the feel of the Korean traditional style. Le Vermillon’s fabrics and patterns are more of a pattern than you might think. I think it’s unique because it is not widely used by other brands, and I like the fabric so much. If it is pretty, I buy it unconditionally, so sometimes there are too many fabrics that can not make clothes. It’s a challenge. after a few modifications, I get a silhouette that fits the fabric.
Do you have any plans to develop patterns later?
Yes, I would like to develop and produce patterns once the conditions are reached. I like jacquard fabrics that can be woven with patterns or graphics on fabrics which I like the feel of the fabric itself. When you look at the fabric that is expressed by stacking the layers of the fabric in this way, it makes me exciting.
Please describe the 2018 FW presentation you are preparing for March.
The 2018 FW presentation will be held at a 30-year-old mansion house in “Venice”, Jong-no. I went out to drink tea with my friend, but the space was so fun that I convinced the boss to come up with the space for a show.
In the meantime, it seemed that the feeling of clothes evaporated once the two parts of the presentation were finished. For example, they feel like their clothes are out of power. So, in this presentation, the audience will sit on a the table where it is placed originally, and the presentation will be done in front of the audience where they are sitting and the models will come around and show off their own figure.
What are your interests in Seoul?
I think I should do some eye care. I do not really care about the health of my eyes, I try to see only good things, and things that others have not seen much.
Recently I feel interesting in Seoul is Jong-myo in Jong-no. It is located between Jong-no 3 and Jong-no 4 in Seoul, and it is a place for gods. I think it is not just a tomb buried in man but a tomb of soul. Especially, there is a place called ‘Wol-dae’ which is the mediating space where the dead and the living meets, and now I am standing here and receiving energy is a great power.
What is the plan for this year?
We will do a look-book at the end of the 2018 FW presentation in March, and our biggest plan will be creating a space to organize Le Vermillon’s workshop and giving some spaces for the customers to have a look around. Once it’s over, I’ll have to breathe and sleep a bit. haha.