3NY brings the best of Seoul Fashion Week to the Big Apple

At fashion weeks, stylish spectators aren’t the only people to whom designers need to appeal when showing off their latest collections. Behind the scenes, it's the hawk-eyed, sartorially savvy buyers who the designers really want to impress.

Sam Desner, the CEO of 3NY, left, and Marvin Revells Jr., a senior buyer at 3NY [SEOUL FASHION WEEK]

At fashion weeks, stylish spectators aren’t the only people to whom designers need to appeal when showing off their latest collections. Behind the scenes, it's the hawk-eyed, sartorially savvy buyers who the designers really want to impress.

These individuals buy clothes from trade shows through meetings with fashion designers and industry insiders to sell in department stores or other retail shops.

Every clothing brand’s goal is to sell more of their garments to buyers by analyzing customer needs and anticipating each season's trends. And if the buyers are from overseas, it’s a great opportunity for brands to promote themselves internationally.

3NY, a concept store in SoHo, is one of Seoul Fashion Week's biggest clients. The shop marked its 10th visit to the event earlier this month for the 2024 Spring/Summer (S/S) collection at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Jung District, central Seoul.

3NY takes home over 100 million won ($75,200) in clothing from Seoul Fashion Week each year.

Founded in 2010, the store handpicks lineups of clothing and accessories that highlight contemporary fashion designers and their brands all over the globe, especially Asia. Though 3NY began as a women’s boutique, it has shifted into a concept store that presents gender-neutral looks that are “welcome for anyone.”

The Korea JoongAng Daily met with Sam Desner, the CEO of 3NY, and Marvin Revells Jr., a senior buyer at 3NY, to talk about the Korean fashion scene, their favorite Korean designers and their role as buyers during Seoul Fashion Week 2024 S/S.

The following interview was edited for length and clarity.

The tradeshow during Seoul Fashion Week 2024 Spring/Summer [SEOUL FASHION WEEK]

Q. What’s the difference between a boutique and a concept store? What “concept” does 3NY pursue?

A. Desner: A concept store has a concept. I can sell phone cases, hair pieces, toys, outerwear or even just T-shirts, but they have to eventually be one story. A boutique is where people just buy products that don’t necessarily have a common theme. The two are kind of similar but are very different. We focus on Asian designers, those that are very edgy and rock ’n’ roll; and we have lots of upcycled sustainable pieces.

What exactly does a buyer do?

Revells: I think a buyer creates the story, and the story can be anywhere from the clothing to just the merchandising and just the color palette. At least that’s what my responsibility is at 3NY — to try to create the story with clothing.

I try to keep the story consistent. We’ve been focusing on Asian designers for a few seasons now and it’s been working for us. We add onto that story and add a lot of lifestyle pieces, Bearbricks, collectibles, and it’s trying to always understand our customers as well. So that’s why the story keeps slightly changing as people’s lives change.

A look from Greedilous's show during Seoul Fashion Week 2024 Spring/Summer [SEOUL FASHION WEEK]

What does 3NY mean?

Desner:Three is a lucky number for us — we want to show the “three” looks of New York: the edgy look, the cool look and the genderless look. My store is for everybody.

What are your favorite Korean designer brands here at Seoul Fashion Week?

Revells: I just think Greedilous is so colorful. There's a certain energy that comes from that designer. Just the flair too; she uses high-quality fabrications and we just love Youn-hee [Park Youn-hee is the founder and designer of Greedilous]. I think she connects with the clothes and the clothes really speak back to you. It’s like a certain energy that can’t be described other than it’s just being absolutely gorgeous.

Desner:Let’s put it like that. It’s not for everybody. However, whoever wears her clothes makes an impact. It’s like, wow. You become a showstopper.

I have two more designers that I met five years ago, Bona and Jae from Besfxxk [Kim Bo-na and Lim Jae-hyuk are founders and designers of brand Besfxxk]. I was their first buyer. I liked them immediately and now it’s one of the best designer brands at my store. It’s the “quiet luxury” look; it’s very cool and not wild. If someone wears it, you can see the quality.

Revells: Besfxxk has a smart design and uses different shapes and I think gets what genderless fashion is, like a good trench coat or a good blazer. Those things are transitional through genderless lines. And just their whole concept, like “bespoke suiting,” is what makes it so cool. Desner: We also love Romanchic and Seokwoon Yoon.

A look from Seokwoon Yoon's show during Seoul Fashion Week 2024 Spring/Summer [SEOUL FASHION WEEK]

What kind of fashion styles do you aim for, timeless or trendy?

Revells: It’s in-between. We focus on the showpieces. I think it’s been our biggest concept for the last few seasons. It’s timeless, but also avant-garde and artistic. But again, it’s part of our concept that we set the trend. We’re not really following the trends; we’re trying to create. That’s why we’re traveling to find what’s next. People come to us to see what’s going to be next for fashion.

What makes Korean fashion stand out in the global market, when compared to those of other countries?

Desner: To be honest with you, I always like coming back here because the designers here are much better than European designers. Korean brands like Maison Nica have different designs that just work for us and our story.

Revells:I think the Asian market, even though it’s more conservative and has a certain quietness here, the designers take more risks in their shapes and designs. I feel like it’s more art-induced.

A look from Maison Nica's show during Seoul Fashion Week 2024 Spring/Summer [SEOUL FASHION WEEK]

How do you see the future of Korea fashion?

Desner: More and more growth.

Revells: We can’t wait to see more. You guys are just the innovators of so many great things. We mentioned Youn-hee so much, but she just did a collaboration with LG, which was quite new and with where AI is headed, I feel like she’s always on the pulse of what’s next and people really pull at her.

Desner: She really is a go-getter.

Revells: But coming from a woman’s boutique and going to something where it’s all-inclusive, sometimes people just see the clothing, but sometimes this is how you present yourself to the world. So, it’s important for people to feel comfortable in their skin. We’re so excited to see what the future of Korean fashion holds.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]