Between London and South Korea: Goom Heo is heading in a different direction

Congratulations on SS22! Could you tell us a bit about the new collection “Chaos is our comfort zone“? 

Thank you! When I started the research for this collection, I knew I wanted to do something chaotic. Not in a crazy or messy way, but when I asked my interns to help with the research for the new collection I told them to focus on something chaotic and sexy. It was important that when the models or anyone else is wearing the collection, they should feel confident and comfortable. For me, when I wear something revealing and sexy, often I don’t feel comfortable. With this collection, I want to make a statement – sexy stuff can mean comfort as well. I always talk about “Crazy can be normal”, but I think this time, it’s a bit different. The chaos is not only about the look, but also the situation around us. Last season, I talked about horror and me not knowing what’s going on and what’s going to happen in the future. This time I was asking myself, “what is comfort for me?” To me, London was like home. It is still home because I’ve lived there for ten years. But, Asian hate happened last year and also this year and, I don’t want to get too much into politics, but somehow I did not really feel comfortable in London. “Comfortable” might not be the right word, but I felt like maybe it is not really my home. And, at that point, I had not come to Korea for a year. So that is how this idea of comfort and what that means came to be. Obviously, I have friends in London, a home, and a studio. I know my way around. I wanted to bring those thoughts into the clothes as well as something sexy visually.

It does feel very sexy. Looking at the previous season, AW21, even the imagery alone was very dark and mysterious. It reflected the current state of the world at that time. For SS22, you had a white background. It was very light and clear. And the sexiness definitely comes through with the chain elements. 

Exactly. It’s more about revealing yourself, showing your tits and your butt cheeks. All that can be comfortable as well. That was one thing that I wanted to say with this collection. Funny story – I was walking by Kate Morgan one time when I was starting this collection. There’s this poet who’s always writing poems for people who give him three words and he comes up with it on the spot. I saw him like two years ago, but I never saw him again. I wanted to ask him to make a poem for me. And then, thankfully, I found him randomly one day and the words I gave him were “chaos” and “comfort zone”. And he made that amazing poem. If you read it and think of the collection, it just makes sense. Actually, the name of the collection, “Chaos is our comfort zone”, is part of the poem. That was the proper starting point for me as it became the story for the whole season.

“Moving back home after living and working in a different city for years is not easy. You had to leave everything behind and also prepare yourself mentally.” – Goom Heo

I think that it makes for the time. We live in such controlled times, especially with Covid in mind. There has to be control, because if there’s none, everything is just going to spiral.

That’s right. And also people are going back home, leaving their lives and a space where they used to be to find a new comfort zone. Moving back home after living and working in a different city for years is not easy. You had to leave everything behind and also prepare yourself mentally, “Okay, I am going back home.” I did not know what’s gonna happen, but for sure I would find comfort.

As we speak, you’re back in South Korea. Did you work on the collection there or in London?

This time, I had to come back to South Korea because I could not find a place where I could do the denim washing. There’s always a limit where you have to have a minimum of pieces and I also wanted it to be at a reasonable price. Plus, you want to do your own design and use a particular technique. My friend introduced me to this random place in the middle of nowhere that does denim washing for as little as five pieces. I only came to make seven denim pieces. We did all the research, development, toiling, and final pieces for the jersey, everything except the denim pieces, in Korea.

I have to ask you about the snake that is clinging onto the models in your SS22 images. What is the significance behind it and, most importantly, was a real snake on set with you? If yes, how was it working with a live animal?

It’s actually my friend’s pet. He has a snake, a lizard and he loves reptiles. The snake is only three or four years old and I didn’t plan for it to be in the images. For this season, I wanted something bright and clear so that people can see the clothes clearly because there are so many details and techniques. But maybe that would be a bit too empty, maybe we need a set, but we didn’t want to make one behind the garments. It should be simple. I was actually supposed to do the shoot in London, but there was a massive delay with the denim pieces, so I couldn’t go back. So, I decided to shoot here in Korea and the images ended up being taken by my friend who doesn’t really know much about photography. He was like, “Maybe I can do it” and I just said, “Let’s just go for it.” Could have been a complete disaster, but let’s just try it, you know. All my friends helped me with styling and making accessories. In the end, the photographer said that there are so many details like the twists and knots, and snakes do that as well. Maybe it was an easy and cheesy idea, but seeing the images I think it’s very striking visually. I also found it cute as well. I’ve never touched a snake before in my life, so that was exciting. It was twisting itself around the models’ bodies.

How did the models react?

Oh my god, one of them was literally shaking. He was sweating and literally froze. We just told him to just stay still and not move. The snake doesn’t bite or anything, because my friend knows exactly how to hold and treat an animal like that. Nothing happened, of course, but the model was terrified.

One accessory really stuck out to me – the Elizabethan collars.  Everything you do has a lot of structure and geometry to it, but it’s never really historical if you will. It’s modern more than it is anything else. How did this “historical reference” make it into the collection?

To be honest, there is no meaning behind it. When I design accessories, it’s all about creating a striking visual. I’ve wanted to do Elizabethan collars in past collections, but it never really worked, or I never really tried because I didn’t see them fitting in. This season, I knew I needed something to make the looks feel heavy and voluminous. Elizabethan collars are perfect for that because you have this collar going fully around the neck and the size can be different. When I spoke with my team, I said that we need gloves and something around the neck. It needs to be heavy, not some light fabric or scarf.

“I knew that a show would be great, but money-wise it would just cost so much.” – Goom Heo

Are those collars difficult to make?

Yes, those collars were made by my interns in London. They spent, I think, a week to make them. A lot of hand stitching going on and getting the volume right. But it was worth it in the end and the collars were eventually shipped to me for the shoot.

For this season, you chose to present in the form of a digital lookbook that premiered as part of LFW. Is there a reason why you showed online and did not opt for a show? 

In the beginning when I had conversations with Fashion East about this season and they gave me the options of a show, a presentation, or a lookbook. I knew that a show would be great, but money-wise it would just cost so much. When you, for example, have to make the shoes, instead of making two or three pairs for a shoot, you have to make fifteen for all the models on a catwalk. To be honest, it was about the money. I rather spend it on the collection. Listen, when I was watching the show, I thought it was amazing. The venue was good, people were finally there again – it was a touching moment. When you opt for a photoshoot instead of a show, you can create the mood. I would have never expected that we’d use a snake.

“There are so many things I would have never known if I wasn’t part of Fashion East. I will forever appreciate that. But now, I think, I have to stand alone.” – Goom Heo

How are you navigating your brand now that you have designed and presented multiple seasons?

Ever since finishing my MA, I have done four seasons with Fashion East so far. It’s been such an amazing experience and you learn so much through preparing the collection, the shoots, the shows. You also get to communicate with people outside of your team. There are so many things I would have never known if I wasn’t part of Fashion East. I will forever appreciate that. But now, I think, I have to stand alone. I just keep on doing what I’ve always done – do the research, develop the collection, maybe do a shoot. The only thing is that I wouldn’t be on Vogue Runway. That’s the only difference. Obviously, with every season I grow and find a better way to approach my work. I know that Fashion East will always support me, no matter if I present with them or not, they’ll show their support. With my own brand, I always think in terms of what I could do better. Also looking at sales, making money is also part of running a brand.

“If there is something I did not like about one collection, the next one gives me the opportunity to change things up and do better.” – Goom Heo

Would you say that your collections are somehow interconnected or do they all stand alone as an individual, separate concepts?

For me, I finish a collection and move on. That’s the only way I can keep going. If I were to think about connecting them, I think I could not make that happen. When I do one season, I already cannot wait to do research for the next one. In a way, it also makes me feel happier. If there is something I did not like about one collection, the next one gives me the opportunity to change things up and do better. There may be different concepts for the seasons, yet people still know that’s Goom.

That is how the question came into my mind because as you said, one can clearly see it’s you.

You know, in some seasons certain techniques or looks work so well that I want to bring them back. I’ve been using the draping technique for many years, but I never wanted to use the same shapes or patterns. Of course, I can start from the same pattern, let’s say, but it develops into something different for the final look. So, even if I reuse a technique I have done before, if I manage to do that in a new and fresh way, that’s successful to me.

“Working with recycled fabrics or pieces is comfort for me, it’s something I know how to do because I’ve done it before. ” – Goom Heo

When you started out, a lot of people saw your designs as sportswear. Looking at SS22, I see no sportswear. There is nothing sporty about this. 

There are jersey pieces, but just because something is jersey, it doesn’t mean it’s sportswear. Working with recycled fabrics or pieces is comfort for me, it’s something I know how to do because I’ve done it before. Doing something in a new way is challenging, and I enjoy that. Maybe, in the future, I will do another sportswear collection after the last few seasons being less sporty. It’s all about the feeling. You don’t want to be sporty right now. Back then, in terms of sales sportswear worked better, because that is what people were interested in as they had no places to go. But now, things are open again. Especially in London, everyone is going out again.

What do you find most challenging about your job? 

Turning your inspiration into reality. And also making the new collection better than the previous ones. I always doubt or question my work. Is it good enough? I would not like to be comfortable with it, thinking it’s enough. In the end, however, you also have to compromise with your work, else you’d never finish.

“So many designers are creative directors of certain brands who completely changed it up with one collection or even changed the whole brand image. To me, this is a dream.” – Goom Heo

Are there specific designers whose path or journey you admire?

I don’t think there’s one specific designer. So many designers are creative directors of certain brands who completely changed it up with one collection or even changed the whole brand image. To me, this is a dream. You may start with your own brand, really small, and then a brand chooses you to be a creative director.

In the next few years, where do you want to take your brand?

I think I want to go back and forth between my home country and London more. Right now, I keep on going back to the UK because of my visa, and London has more opportunities. When I work, I feel more comfortable in London, because I know all the places and the people I collaborate with for seasons. There is a system in place. As a Korean designer, I am proud to say that I am from South Korea but I am still based in London. I would love to have a network in Korea as well, as there are a lot of brands and designers who have a movement or scene there, which I don’t have yet. I just want to engage more between the two places.

You are used to London being your workplace. Having been back home for a while, did that change your design approach in any way, or how you feel about your work?

When I am about to leave for the airport to fly to Korea, I honestly can’t be bothered. I’m just so used to living in London and thinking of having to take a twelve-hour flight – it’s just a lot. But once I am home, I don’t want to go back to London. I always have those mixed emotions. When it comes to working – yes, I have done some work in Korea, but not whole collections. You’d be amazed how many resources I have here. There are people who have been practicing this one technique for fifty years. What they produce could count as art pieces, really. I really want to use those resources from back home, because in London you may be able to find similar specialists, but there’s this special touch to it. In Korean markets, you can find thousands of different buttons that you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. However, not being based in Korea makes sourcing materials very hard. I think if I can go back and forth between the two countries, I can bring in elements of both places and that would make my collections so much better, I feel. It would be bringing in more than an idea, but actually something to touch that’s connected to my own background.

“When you think about where fashion is, you’d think London, Milan, New York and Paris. There is no way to talk about fashion without these cities. What I realised is that even if I’m not in London, I still get everything done.” – Goom Heo

We are now almost two years into the pandemic and all the questions surrounding it seem to be negative. So, I would like to ask you how you have experienced this time and if there is something positive that you can take away from it?

For sure! Being able to work from everywhere in the world. People had to go back to their home countries and feared that that would negatively impact their work. But seeing creatives as my friends do so well nevertheless, it’s so amazing. Collections come together so nicely wherever you are, which made me think that I can make it in Korea too. Maybe I should go back more often, you know? When you think about where fashion is, you’d think London, Milan, New York and Paris. There is no way to talk about fashion without these cities. What I realised is that even if I’m not in London, I still get everything done. Of course, I love London. I get so much inspiration there, but home is just so comfortable and easy.

“I wish I had made more of an effort to have more balance in my life. I was so into work that I never really took care of myself.” – Goom Heo

Would you change any decisions you have made so far in your career?

Hm, that’s a tricky question. Maybe not in relation to fashion, but I was really down or motivated during the past few seasons due to the pandemic. I wish I had made more of an effort to have more balance in my life. I was so into work that I never really took care of myself. South Korea is completely normal now, so it is not on my mind as much anymore. But that time back then was so dark that it really affected your work. I don’t really regret any decision, because when something happens, I always believe that there’s a reason for it. Sometimes I am too positive in a weird way. My friends would tell me, “You are too confident and positive.” I just think I see more positivity than negativity in life.