By Honorary Reporter Natalie Rapisarda from Australia

Imagine designing clothing for the music video of one of K-pop's biggest groups. That's what fashion designer Hong Ki-young did for BLACKPINK.

A fashion design major at Gacheon University in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do Province, he began his career in 2008 at the fashion brand Chan+ge by Lee Hyun-chan. While an assistant for two years, he started thinking of his own fashion ideas. A few months later, his enthusiasm was noticed by a noted image consultant. Hong went on to establish his own brand hong kiyoung in 2012 in Seoul and opened his first store in 2016. He also participated in numerous exhibitions and designed clothing for both men and women and shoes popular among many K-pop stars including TVXQ, Shinee, Dindin and Giriboy. This year, he designed a jacket worn by Lisa of BLACKPINK in the group's record-breaking YouTube video "How You Like That."

The following are excerpts from an interview with the designer.

How did you get to design a jacket for BLACKPINK?

I was first contacted by YG Entertainment (the group's management agency) to make garments for the new BLACKPINK music video, especially for Lisa's scene. I booked a meeting and designed the new apparel. After concluding the deal, I followed the producer's requests for Lisa's attire and custom designed new apparel for her.

What garment did you design?

I designed a jacket made of jacquard fabric featured in the rap scene of her walking to the camera at the 1:13 mark of the video. I originally designed a suit with matching elegant silhouette pants but only the jacket appeared. I personally believe it was more stylish for Lisa to wear my jacket without the pants. It was a better fit with the scene's color.

How was the process of designing the jacket?

I was given a rough explanation of the scene and a short timeframe to produce it. BLACKPINK's management wanted everything to be perfect and we had little time. To meet the delivery date, I made an immediate decision on the design. I arranged all the garments and tried to maximize the glamorousness of the singer as well as the scene.

Will you put up the jacket for public sale?

If I wanted to make money, I could sell the jacket to the public. But I made it especially for Lisa and the music video. Lisa was very satisfied with my jacket and bought both the pants and the jacket suit. I have no plans to commercialize it yet.

How has COVID-19 impacted your business?

Fundamentally, it's become really difficult to do business abroad. It's hard to meet people since everyone is afraid to show off their new ideas amid the pandemic. However, everything has two sides. This critical situation will make individuals stronger and people more motivated to express themselves more creatively. So I expect huge changes in the fashion sector and I want to be a leader in this amid the crisis.

What are your plans in fashion design?

My new brand will debut after this long break in collaboration with my college friend, who also majored in fashion design. Our new concept is based on men's and women's apparel. We will create a very sensitive and considerate collection.

chaey0726@korea.kr


*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.