Earlier this February in New York, about 500 people took a close look at a fashion show put on by a Korean designer. Among the audience were fashion directors of popular fashion magazines like GQ, Esquire, Details, Vanity Fair, Bruce Pask and WWD, and buyers from well-known U.S. department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s.

The overall producer of the collection is Choi Bum Suk. The 36-year old designer has been designing men’s clothes for 17 years, showing his own collections for 11 years and participating in the New York Fashion Week for six years.

Choi showed modern, dynamic images in his F/W collection this year, composed mostly of black, grey and navy men’s clothes. Fashion critics said his collection this time expressed more heaviness and stronger masculine beauty than his previous collection shown in New York last September. The New York Times praised his line as one of the best shows in the New York Collection and helped Choi to complete his show by sending a limousine with a message of congratulations.



Choi already received the spotlight during New York Fashion Week in 2010. The New York Times selected him as one of its “magnificent seven,” in an article published on March 16, 2010. Lee Carter of the New York Times introduced him that year as, “the youngest designer to join Seoul fashion week.” The reporter said, “Korea is becoming a new player in the fashion world, and partial credit goes to General Idea founder Bumsuk Choi, who was the youngest designer to join Seoul fashion week. Choi now shows his laser-sharp, graphics-laden, mostly black collections in New York.” Choi was selected as one of the, “top 3 noticeable designers,” by IMG, organizer of the New York Collection and a leading global sports and media business company based in New York.

In his 2009 book, “Lending a wall to the world” (unofficial translation), Choi described himself as, “a young man who loves clothes and knows nothing but clothes.” After dropping out of high school, he began a part time job in a clothing shop. One day, he found an empty stretch of wall in Seoul’s artsy Hongdae district and decided to run a street shop by displaying clothes up against the wall. He started at the bottom of the ladder, learning fashion and clothing design while selling fabric in the Dongdaemun clothing market and while continually running his shop.

He experienced difficulties and faced prejudice due to his lack of experience and education, but nothing stopped his passion for fashion design. In 2003, he launched his own brand, General Idea, and participated for the first time in the New York Fashion Week, one of the four largest fashion collections in the world, along with the ones in Paris, Milan and London. He was the first-ever Korean designer to put on a show there.

Five years later, he has now become the most active Korean designer in the New York Collection. His clothes are regarded as one of the favorite brands amongst famous Koreans, like movie stars Lee Byung-hun and Ha Jung-woo and many K-pop singers. Choi’s brand has entered the market in Milan and Paris, too. He has been actively engaging in design collaboration projects with both Korean and overseas companies like Audi, Samsung Electronics and Samsonite.

Korea.net recently had an interview with Choi, wanting to know more about his life, vision and future plans.

Choi Bum Suk, CEO & Creative Director of General Idea. (Photo courtesy of General Idea)

- Your collection in New York this time was inspired by the sunset and skyscrapers in Manhattan, under the title of “architecture.” Where do you usually get inspiration for your designs?
I get inspiration from everywhere. It can be movies, music, books, an exhibition or a chat with friends, but these days I try to avoid beginning work immediately after getting inspired. When I get inspired by something, I allow it to grow through brainstorming and I draw images in a sketchbook before creating any new collection.

I usually begin work on each season’s collection with three themes. After that, I create a new collection with the largest expandability possible. For this year’s F/W collection, I asked myself one day, on September 6, 2013, to be precise, ”What will I do in New York in five years’ time, on September 6, 2018?” I was walking somewhere in New York with my friend at the time. Then I saw the tall buildings, tinted with the sunset in Manhattan. My friend, who happened to be a photographer, told me, “I will make a collection of this exact moment for you,” and sent me photos he took at exactly 7 p.m. every day, all across New York City. I worked with those photos to create the collection and received a successful response in New York.

- What made you become a clothing designer? Who is your model?
I initially ran a retail shop, but I realized that people followed my choice of clothes and my selections sold well. I found that they followed my choice of clothing and sold them onward at much cheaper prices. So I started designing clothes. People loved them and purchased my designs. So I decided to design more clothes. I watched many fashion designers and gave myself the challenge to become a clothing designer. Then, I made my debut in Seoul Fashion Week as the youngest designer.

My role model is Helmut Lang, who is now retired. I love his simple aesthetic and his background, as he did not major in fashion design either, like me, but he still has the ability to change the world. He is my role model.

- How did you overcome the gap in education and the lack of professional experience before becoming a promising designer?
I was a little bit judged by others and underwent hard times, but I was always confident and overcame difficulties with the belief that I could win. If I could compete one-on-one with other people’s designs, even though I don’t have enough education or professional background, I knew I could win. I think that complex made me into what I am now.

- What motivated you to enter international markets rather than focusing on the clothing business in Hongdae or Dongdaemun? How did you overcome difficulties when preparing your entry onto the global stage?
I always dream and believe that I have to have bigger dreams, to get onto a bigger stage. If I were only in Dongdaemun Market, I guess I might make a lot of money, but I would neither be able to improve my ability in fashion design nor become stronger than I am now. I could make money by doing anything, but it is never easy to improve one’s ability.

I don’t have any suitable words to describe how many difficulties I faced when I first began to enter the global market. I always experienced painful, hard times, but I continued to forge ahead with the belief that I can make one percent of development with one percent of hope.

- Can you tell us about the most memorable collection of yours?
Each collection is memorable, but, among them, I would say my first Seoul Collection would be it. It was the first time that a trader in Dongdaemun Market made his dreams come true and became a fashion designer. I still remember the moment, with all the flashes and shouts, when I appeared on the runway for the finale of my collection. I swear it felt like an orgasm.

- Can you explain to us what you seek for in a good design?
In my brand General Idea, I pursue a unisex design with contemporary sportism. In New York, fashion critics say that General Idea does well in blocking colors and with new textures. So there, a new word—“General Idea-like”—has been made recently. I was happy to hear that. I was happy that they used the term when explaining new texture–blocking, which can be found throughout my collections.

- What do you most hope to do as a designer and a CEO?
For me, of course, my goal is to become one of the top international designers and make my brand one of the top global brands. I will face difficulties and overcome hardships, as I had to do in the past. I will keep dreaming and hope to achieve my dreams, as always...

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
arete@korea.kr