Representing the creative future

Kusikohc: The defining moment of finding a business partner

The mind behind Kusikohc on fashion business, and using failure as motivation

Things break into pieces. Things crumble to ashes. Yet they coagulate into something new. Kusikohc’s newest collection titled “Right to Fail” is a metaphor for picking yourself back up. Cho Gi-Seok’s fascination with the beauty in tragedy is also evident in his acclaimed photography. Fueled by frustration and anger, Cho Gi-Seok has swept Korea’s fashion image world over the last 6 years, with his own take on a grotesque assemblage of flames and flowers, tears and laughter. Maybe it’s the storm he sought after and the success he saw in half a decade, maybe it’s the cycle of time that seems to turn three times faster when you turn 25 in Korea; just over the age of 30, he remembers his early 20s with a considerable distance. Cho Gi-Seok confesses a recent moment of growth, both in his work and personal motivation.

Let’s begin by talking about your last collection “Right to Fail”, which was also the title for the first collection of the brand in January 2016. Why did you choose to go back to this theme and what does it mean to you?

I was managing the brand just by myself for a while and recently I met a business partner in Italy, Alfredo Canducci. Now, the system of the brand has changed a lot. The manufacturing and marketing is done in Italy; we weren’t in the overseas retailer market, but now we are. I thought it’d be great to renew the label and start fresh from the start. “Right to Fail” to me means not staying static, constantly trying new things, and retaining the beginner’s attitude.

“Before I met my business partner, I would prepare collections whenever I was ready. Now that I have a partner and it’s becoming more “corporate”, I have to think about sales.” – Cho Gi-Seok, Kusikohc

Patchwork is prominent in this collection. The broken glasses or plastic come together in a set of suits, and burnt patches of fabric are stitched together on a jacket. Walk us through the development process, from conception to production.

Before I met my business partner, I would prepare collections whenever I was ready. Once a year, sometimes twice. I would begin with a theme that was important to me. When I started the brand, I wanted to express a sense of rebellion or resistance. I always liked the graduation shows of Antwerp or Central Saint Martins and Alexander McQueen’s early work.

Now that I have a partner and it’s becoming more “corporate”, I have to think about sales. We would take graphics and details from the pieces that express those big ideas and apply them to the products for sale. Since we have less time now we began to roll out collections in a 6 months span. I’m still adjusting to the new system and trying to do what I can do best.

It’s always very challenging to express these abstract ideas into craft. How much do you contribute to the making process?

We have designers on board now, so I mostly focus on ideas, concepts and direction. I always liked 1 Granary because I enjoy looking at sketches. It shows that the final product didn’t just pop out of someone’s head; there was a process behind it. I think it’s important for design to have reason. I don’t have as much time as I used to, but there’s still a ‘concept book’ category on the website.

fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary

Fashion glossing over the stitches of the process is in general true, but especially in Korea. How do you endure going against that current?

It’s just me that personally wants to show it. Everyone has their own method. I don’t like to think about others too much. What matters is this meaningful to me? In any case, the reason why I made a brand is because I wanted to express this fantasy I have. I don’t want to be doing it to make money.

What fantasy is that?

The fantasies I had about fashion when I was getting into it in my early 20s. The way Alexander McQueen expresses his own world through a runway show, showcasing something unfamiliar, not only the garments themselves but the whole look. Or other brands that create or affect our lifestyle. I liked Lady Gaga too. I think those fantasies I had are still meaningful to this day.

It sounds like you were heavily inspired by the world of fashion design, especially the ones that were actually making the garments. How did you begin your career as a photographer?

I started the brand and fashion photography at the same time, in 2016. I studied graphic design in college and thought that a brand would straddle everything; graphics, fashion, image making, and interior design. An assemblage. I also thought it was a way to directly communicate with people. To have a good brand, I believed that I needed to know everything and try them all, and photography was one of them. But I started having more and more work with photography and… here I am. [laughs]

“The real moment when I thought I could continue having a brand would be meeting my business partner. He trusted a stranger from another country, and asked me if I wanted to run the brand together.” – Cho Gi-Seok, Kusikohc

In 2016, Kusikohc began as a team of eight. Who remains in the team and how do you operate from day to day?

At first, I needed help from friends since a brand is not something you can do on your own. But it was not something that could sustain their livelihood. It was fun for them. Now, it’s more of a corporation than a crew or a team. Jaden Cho who helped me in the first season has his own brand now. I have one friend who does the jewelry that’s still with us. They all found their own lives and career. People get old, they change.

Do you have a specific moment that made you think you could sustainably continue this brand?

Back then, I didn’t even think about if this is doable or not; I just thought it was something that I had to do. I didn’t want to give up since I started. But the real moment would be meeting my business partner. He trusted a stranger from another country, and asked me if I wanted to run the brand together. He respects me a lot. I believe he came just before Covid hit for Seoul Fashion Week. He saw our little showroom that was right next to our studio. We kept talking since then, I met him while I was in the UK… I think the space was really what impressed him.

fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary graphic
fashion sketchbook page Kusikohc 1 granary
fashion labels 1 granary Kusikohc

In the world of fashion, there is often a stigma that follows a designer who hasn’t had traditional training. Korea has less of such a tendency compared to Europe; how has your experience been working overseas so far?

People here knew that I didn’t go to school for photography. So I guess there was a stigma to that in the beginning. But I always believed that you can compensate for that just by doing it well. And I don’t feel the gatekeeping overseas so far. I think there’s this specific label of “a fashion brand run by a photographer.” But I don’t talk too much with people overseas to feel or know about the discrimination.

“My biggest motivation has always been the sense of inferiority. I worked to overcome this complex of not getting into the school I wanted, failures and frustrations. That drive lasted me for over 10 years. ” – Cho Gi-Seok, Kusikohc

You’ve been working for 6 years on your own. Where do you find the motive to constantly move forward?

My biggest motivation has always been the sense of inferiority. I worked to overcome this complex of not getting into the school I wanted, failures and frustrations. That drive lasted me for over 10 years. Now I feel recovered and I’m looking to reset my motives. Recently in the UK, I met the photographer Rafael Pavarotti. It was our first time meeting and he passionately talked about love and living in the moment. My motives were always negative emotions, and it made me think it’d make a nice life to be motivated by happiness and love. Negativity can only last you so long. I’m trying to find a balance. But I’m not a happy person in general, so let’s see how it goes.

Do you often feel the responsibility or pressure to represent “the Korean identity” during a time where Korean pop culture is getting more attention than ever? 

I don’t necessarily feel a certain responsibility, but I think it’s right to do what I do well, no matter where I go. I was born a Korean and naturally gravitate toward Korean things. And it’s more comfortable for me to research and work inside Korea, as much as I like challenges. I’m more at ease with Asian people and I can capture their emotions much easier. I want to focus on doing that better, even when I’m abroad.

“It gets harder as you get older. The more you have, the more things you’re responsible for. Your failure means others’ failure as well.” – Cho Gi-Seok, Kusikohc

In the i-D article written by the editor and friend Hyunji Nam, it was evident that you’re a chronic workaholic. And because of that, you’ve achieved so much in a short period of time. Do you still believe in the “Right to Fail”, when you have much more to lose now than when you started?

It’s true. It gets harder as you get older. The more you have, the more things you’re responsible for. Your failure means others’ failure as well. I think that’s why I keep repeating that to myself, have that on the tags of garments, on my Instagram bio… I always want to be trying things that I haven’t done before. Like Nick Knight. After all those years, he still is in some ways a lot younger than the younger generation, in the way he thinks and approaches things. To keep making with Kanye West at his age, doing photography work with his phone camera… I remember at one point they had live CCTV footage of their studio on their website so you can see what they were doing in real-time. The old music videos with Kanye, the SHOWstudio interviews… He’s cool. I want to be like that, to keep trying new things.