S. Korean first lady’s fashion choice: Under-the-radar designers

From 280,000 won jacket to vegan bag, Kim often spotted dressed in up-and-coming local fashion labels

An artist paints a picture of a dog on first lady Kim Keon Hee's hand as she attends a press conference held by animal rights activists in Seoul on Wednesday. She wears a jacket designed by a local brand Et demain.

Youn Bit-na, CEO of Et demain, was surprised to see first lady Kim Keon Hee wearing a 280,000 won jacket from her brand for a press conference held in Seoul on Wednesday.

In a phone interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday, the designer said the first lady had purchased the garment in March this year when she visited a Korean fashion showroom at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul.

The event was held to help promote and encourage budding designers and brands to expand their presence both at home and overseas.

“When the first lady came, she purchased several other garments from other fashion brands, so I was curious when she would be wearing (my brand’s) outfit, but it surprisingly turned out to be yesterday,” Youn said. “Some customers were flabbergasted (after knowing what she wore during the event) since my brand is a new one.”

Kim’s navy two-button jacket is from Et demain’s spring season collection. Et demain is a female contemporary fashion brand founded in 2019.

Apart from purchasing different new fashion brands’ clothes, Youn said Kim had promised the designers that she would often dress in under-the-radar designers’ garments to help them get as much attention as possible.

“The first lady also told the designers that she knows the efforts of new designers and likes them,” she added.

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee greet farewell guests before departing on a state visit to the US at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on April 24. Kim carries Marhen.J's black hazel tote bag made of synthetic leather produced from agricultural wastes. (Presidential office)

Kim, an avid promoter of Korean culture overseas who expressed hopes of becoming a K-culture salesperson, has often shed light on emerging small local fashion brands and designers by donning their outfits and fashion items during her public appearances and solo engagements.

In June last year, when the first lady accompanied President Yoon Suk Yeol to Spain, she appeared carrying cosmetics giant Amorepacific’s “Archive Wappen Eco Bag” when she visited an upcycling brand’s store there.

Kim’s wardrobe choice also garnered the spotlight in January when she was seen sporting an eco-friendly bag made with recycled coffee bags and vegan leather made by a small Daegu-based upcycling brand as she departed for the UAE for a state visit with the president.

More recently, Kim was spotted holding a local fashion brand’s vegan bag while accompanying Yoon to the US in April.

By Park Jun-hee(junheee@heraldcorp.com)