Less 'clean cut': Designer Woo Young-mi revitalizes brand Solid Homme through collaboration

Menswear brand Solid Homme is regarded as Woo’s first son and has been dearly loved by A-list celebrities like Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun since its birth in 1988. After 36 years, she’s finally found a partner for this so-called son.

Designer Woo Young-mi sat down with the Korea JoongAng Daily for an interview on Aug. 6 at the designer's atelier House Wooyoungmi in Guui-dong, eastern Seoul. [SOLID HOMME]

After almost 40 years of steadfast style, Korean fashion designer Woo Young-mi, who heads the two successful brands Wooyoungmi and Solid Homme, is daring to disrupt the "solid" identity of the latter brand with a collaboration.

Menswear brand Solid Homme is regarded as Woo’s first son and has been dearly loved by A-list celebrities like Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun since its birth in 1988. After 36 years, she’s finally found a partner for this so-called son: British fashion brand Stefan Cooke.

Together with the British fashion brand, which is known for its experimental designs, Woo said she’s shaken up Solid Homme’s signature style. Solid Homme’s inaugural collaborative capsule collection, dubbed “Solid Homme 88,” was released to the public on Aug. 8, consisting of 40 pieces, ranging from clothes, bags and accessories to leather goods.

The collection’s pop-up store opened in tandem with its launch at The Hyundai Seoul in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, which will run through Aug. 21. The collaboration will be accessible to its overseas customers on the brand’s official website.

A photo of Solid Homme's first-ever collaborative collection pop-up store at The Hyundai Seoul in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul. The pop-up store will run until Aug. 21. [SOLID HOMME]

The designer is known for setting new milestones in the Korean fashion industry with numerous “first” titles, and for making unconventional moves. She has played a part in making Korean men think about how they present themselves and their fashion sense. She also became the first Korean to receive full membership of the French fashion association La Chambre Syndicale in 2011. In 2002, she expanded her clothing line, debuting her second brand, Wooyoungmi, in Paris, aiming to target the global market. This was a rare and nontraditional choice for a Korean brand, as not many tended to debut overseas at the time.

Now, both brands have over 90 stores worldwide and are staples for global retailers like Le Bon Marché and Ssense. They are also officially presenting their collections at Paris Fashion Week, proving their prestigious position in the global fashion industry.

A new identity

Why all the change after three decades?

To hear from Woo, the Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with the designer, who was showcasing her usual slick style, at her red, six-story atelier House Wooyoungmi in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Aug. 6.

Clothes from designer Woo Young-mi's ″Solid Homme 88″ collection [SOLID HOMME]

“This time, we wanted to shake things up by hitting people with a shock wave that contains something a bit different from our usual approach,” she said.

The designer expressed a strong desire to evolve the brand and slowly break its initial strong identity of clean-cut style by presenting the different sides and possibilities of Solid Homme through a mix of different tones. And the young British brand Stefan Cooke, established by designers Stefan Cooke and Jake Burt in 2020, caught Woo’s attention.

“We were on the same page,” Woo said. “We believed that a new type of synergy would emerge by mixing the two brands and that the brands would both evolve and move a step forward.”

However, the project had to come to a halt due to the pandemic. Plans could’ve gone down the drain, but promises were kept and “in the end, we met again and created a stir,” said Woo.

Woo can now boldly say that the stir was a positive one, as both brands had the opportunity to widen their perspectives during the six months of collaborative work. However, Woo said the process wasn’t always easy, as there was a difference in opinions, which was “beyond what I had imagined.”

Designer Woo Young-mi sat down with Korea JoongAng Daily for an interview on Aug.6 at the designer's atelier House Wooyoungmi in Guui-dong, eastern Seoul. [SOLID HOMME]

One case was when they tried to settle on the shape of the collection’s hats.

“Cooke preferred a certain shape of hat that looked perfect on him when he wore it,” Woo said, adding that her Korean team disagreed. “So, we had to show him what it looked like on our [Korean] brand designer. It obviously didn’t look as good as it did on him. We were able to clearly see the difference with our own eyes.”

Though there were some hardships, the designer strongly emphasized that the process was a win for both teams.

“Our team and Cooke’s team both really enjoyed the process and had fun.”

Each collection is a chapter

Clothes from designer Woo Young-mi's ″Solid Homme 88″ collection [SOLID HOMME]

For Woo, finishing a collection is like “closing a chapter.”

After closing a chapter, she quickly moves on to the next, saying, "It's like you don't have time to dwell on your ex-boyfriend."

When asked how she copes with the stress of a project, she said with a smile, “In fact, I never was able to overcome those stresses. I just went with the flow.”

Woo has released dozens of collections, as both brands are 36 and 22 years old, respectively. Every time, she is obligated to create and launch something new, which is a painful and stressful process.

“I wish there was something that could get rid of all the stress by simply eating something,” the designer added.

Though she doesn't have a specific coping method, she revealed a routine she incorporates after finishing every collection: cleaning up her surroundings.

The routine seemed true. As the reporter entered her office room, it was all tidied up, with everything seemingly put into order, giving a warm but chic atmosphere, just like her brands.

“I’m not good at concentrating when I have messy surroundings,” she said, describing the routine as a way to empty her mind after a hectic period.

During her tidying sessions, the designer sometimes finds new inspiration for her next collection, saying, “A thing that seemed nothing to me a month ago sometimes becomes something.”

Realizations after almost 40 years

Though she has been in the industry for almost 40 years and has met many fans around the world who express their love toward her brands, directly or indirectly, she revealed that she recently realized that she was enjoying doing her work.

Draft designs for Woo Young-mi's Solid Homme capsule collection [KIM JI-YE]

“When I was younger, everything felt extremely overwhelming,” Woo said. “It still does now, but back then, there were moments when I really wanted to give up, and I wondered how I could avoid such situations. However, recently, I’ve started to think that I actually enjoy my work.”

She added that an unknown strength exists that enables her to move forward with her work.

“[When developing something from concept to completion,] I put in all my energy, even pouring in my soul. I definitely get exhausted and worn out, but somehow, in those moments, I feel like I’m drawing strength from somewhere unknown.”

However, loving and enjoying one’s work cannot always lead to success, especially in a cutthroat field where you are evaluated by your results.

For Woo, the fashion scene is a survival game, saying that she believes that she has to constantly change in order to survive, which caused her to make bold moves.

“It is essential to keep moving and continually change,” Woo said.

Woo Young-mi, the designer

Woo also says that her role as a designer is to dedicate herself to her customers, trying to understand their views and lifestyles.

Clothes from designer Woo Young-mi's ″Solid Homme 88″ collection [SOLID HOMME]

“My job is to make the customers feel a sense of satisfaction and happiness when wearing my clothes and for them to look even more objectively stylish than before,” Woo said.

“So, I always think about ways to make the customers look even better in their point of view,” she added.

In order to do so, she keeps reminding herself of her role, saying, “I hope I can be remembered as a designer who has dedicated herself [to her customers].”

However, the designer also seems to show a desire to help young, talented designers.

In 1993, Woo created a fashion show called “New Wave” with other young designers who majored in fashion to provide a stage for them to present their work. The fashion show is often referred to as being the predecessor of one of Korea’s biggest fashion events, Seoul Fashion Week, which is held every year.

Clothes from designer Woo Young-mi's ″Solid Homme 88″ collection [SOLID HOMME]

“[While making the collection,] I thought that it would be great if long-established brands like us could give young designers a chance, providing them with support,” she said.

Starting off with this collection, the designer aims to keep meeting up with various other designers with different tastes, which she describes as a “collision,” but in a good way, for the brand to evolve.

“I believe that the evolution of a brand is very important,” Woo said. “Fashion is destined to continually bring out changes and innovations, and we tried this by releasing this collection, which was such an enjoyable process.

“We hope we can keep on doing such projects when we have the opportunity.”

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]