Seoul Metropolitan Government, WWD Korea Organize Seoul Fashion Forum
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Seoul Fashion Week, an event celebrated with the Seoul Fashion Forum, drawing industry leaders to discuss and shape the future of Korean fashion. The forum, a collaboration between WWD Korea and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, was held at DDP Art Hall 2 on Feb. 5.
The event, titled “Fashion City Seoul: Potential and Competitiveness of K-Fashion,” opened with an address from Yong-tae Joo, deputy mayor for the economy. His introduction set an ambitious tone, outlining Seoul’s aspirations to firmly establish itself on the global fashion map. The event included a conversation between James Fallon, chief content officer of WWD and Fairchild Media Group, and Antonio De Matteis, chief executive officer of Kiton Group, who discussed luxury fashion’s future and global brand competitiveness.
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De Matteis shared insights into Kiton’s dedication to craftsmanship and sustainability and underlined the importance of direct production control and fabric innovation as part of the brand’s strategy to captivate the Asian markets — notably Seoul and Tokyo.
Matteis explained the quality defined by Kiton as a comprehensive concept that encompasses the quality of life of its employees and the relationship between companies and customers beyond simple product.
For the past 25 years, Kiton has been supporting young artisans to continue the brand’s tradition by striving to cultivate successors. Young artisans with an average age of 35 are currently active, and a new generation of artisans continues to be nurtured through their own tailoring school, Matteis noted.
“We are planning to expand the Asian market, including Seoul and Tokyo, and Kiton’s biggest strength is that it can directly manage the production process,” he said.
In addition, emphasizing the differentiation of the fabrics that make up Kiton’s clothes, he added that the key factors for growing into a global fashion brand are its brand identity and unchanging quality. Being family owned is a key attribute and the next generation of the owning families already are involved in the company.
Matteis also took a cautious stance on the concept of “luxury.” He explained that he values sustainability and tradition to create long-term value, saying, “Luxury is not just a rare thing. You can’t be a true luxury if you don’t make it yourself.”
He added, “Korea is a rapidly developing market centered on the younger generation, and it is regarded as one of the few markets that look to the future in Europe,” and that he plans to display a greater presence in the Korean and Japanese markets in the future. Kiton is increasingly expanding its product offering to include more accessories as well as growing its womenswear offering. It has increased the proportion of women’s clothing to 20 percent of revenues, with the goal to have its business be equally split between men’s and women’s in the future.
The forum also spotlighted the pioneering role of Lotte Department Store’s CEO Gabriele Chung in commercializing K-fashion in his previous position as one of the founders of the specialty store BoontheShop, which introduced emerging overseas brands to Korea. Addressing the “Current Status and Future of K-Fashion,” Chung emphasized the pivotal role of the MZ and Alpha generations in driving K-fashion’s global popularity through social media platforms and stressed the necessity for strategic support for Seoul Fashion Week to rival its international counterparts. MZ refers to people who are born between 1981 and 2012, which includes Millennials and Generation Z generational cohorts. The term is commonly used in South Korea.
Gabriele Chung, CEO of Lotte Department Stores.
“In order for Seoul Fashion Week to stand shoulder to shoulder with major overseas fashion events, it needs systematic support and marketing strategies,” he explained, emphasizing the importance of continuous support in various fields such as the government, retail platforms, and influential celebrities and influencers beyond the discovery of emerging designers with originality.
Gabriele said Korean designer brands need active support from department stores and distribution channels in order to be recognized in overseas markets. He concluded his speech by saying that Lotte Department Store will help promising designer brands expand their overseas expansion and connections with global buyers, and that “the growth of the fashion industry will lead to the strengthening of the competitiveness of the Korean distribution industry.”
The concluding session brought together fashion and pop culture luminaries such as Vogue Korea’s Kwang-ho Shin, chief editor, Gee Eun, visual director, and actor Eun-se Ki on a panel moderated by chief editor of WWD Korea So-young Park that explored the synergy between K-fashion and the broader K-culture wave. The discussion included K-fashion’s role as a cultural export and the potential of storytelling through design to enhance its global allure.
Throughout the sessions, participants concurred that embracing unique and innovative perspectives, particularly through integrating traditional Korean aesthetics with contemporary design, will be crucial for K-fashion’s growth on the world stage. Moreover, there was a collective acknowledgment of the need for greater support from various sectors, including government and commercial enterprises, to nurture emerging talents and solidify Seoul’s standing as a dynamic leader in global fashion.
As Seoul Fashion Week continues to evolve, the strategies discussed at the Seoul Fashion Forum aim to propel Korean fashion even further onto the international scene, making Seoul not just a follower of global trends, but a trendsetter in its own right.
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