No visa? No problem. These designers joined forces to start their brand in Seoul

How did you decide to collaborate together? 

We always loved each other’s work and shared the same dreams for the future. We were always daydreaming of doing this and that, until one day we were like ‘Why not? Let’s start!’ Each one of us wanted to start our own thing, however, was not brave enough to do it alone. One gains courage with two friends next to them. We fill each other’s gaps. This is how we work as well; we focus our strongest individual skills and then exchange feedback and ideas. There is always something to learn from each other. The brand has an emphasis on print and knit and we plan to have a fully knitted and print collection for FW22 when we finally get a STOLL machine [knitting machine].

“We think that students should get the chance to collaborate with people from different fields as well, not only in fashion.”

Were you encouraged to collaborate in university? 

We had a lot of collaborative projects in university and we were encouraged to collaborate with different people and brands. It was a great opportunity to learn how other people work, have self-reflection through collaboration like “ What is my strength, what I need to make up for.” We think that students should get the chance to collaborate with people from different fields as well, not only in fashion. Teamwork and collaboration are key when it comes to starting a brand, as you need to work with creatives from multiple disciplines like photography, styling, marketing, production…

What does the name UPNOON stand for?

Moe is studying at a Language school in Korea from 9 am to 1 pm. So we start working at 2 pm and work till late at night. So, normally, we wake up at noon and go to work. So the name is like (wake) up (at) noon. It represents our work life in Korea.

What is the brand about? 

Our brand is about living in a fantasy, chasing dreams, and escaping from reality while bringing a positive and witty attitude to life. We start our collections with just the three of us casually chilling together sharing thoughts and experiences and suddenly we come up with crazy ideas. Our way of working is very experimental. We start with researching and experimenting both with textiles and 3D. We want to stay between the two worlds of creating art and making garments that people would be wearing in their everyday lives. Experimenting and functionality are key in our process. For our first collection “The Blue House”, we started with visiting a bunch of different people’s houses, sharing their fantasies and hopes when they were stuck in the house. Then, we created a whole series of drape experimentation around their stories using their own belongings, resulting in unexpected silhouettes and shapes. From there, we develop the ideas further into garments, details, and textiles.

“When we had to leave London, we were very disappointed but we came up with the new goal of building our own creative utopia, as the one we had in CSM, in Seoul. “

What is your design process like? How do you work together?

Each one of us is in charge of different sections and we have meetings to exchange ideas and make sure we are heading in the same direction. Moe is in charge of textiles and ready-to-wear, Jisoo is in charge of showpieces and textiles, and Dahee is in charge of print and digital works. We were all aware of each other’s work since university and this made it easier.

Did you chose to go back to Seoul or did you have to return?

It’s half and half. Our graduate year was the last year we could get a graduate working visa since the new visa system started from the next year after ours. It was also the beginning of the pandemic, a time when everyone was still in chaos, it was very difficult to start a business in London due to both financial and visa issues. When we had to leave London, we were very disappointed but we came up with the new goal of building our own creative utopia, as the one we had in CSM, in Seoul.

“We still have a long way to go and we want to be a part of the growth. There are times when we still envy designers working in London though.”

How different is Seoul from London? 

Seoul has larger material and production sources which is great cause we can find literally everything very easily. However, when it comes to working with sampling studios and production companies, if the design seems challenging or difficult to make, they can easily refuse to take the job since the factories and technicians are not familiar with experimenting with new things. Especially when it’s come to knit… Thus we have decided to buy a STOLL machine and create our own knit workshops for our own brand and help out other young designers as well. In London, there are great platforms that support young designers, but in Korea, the support system is still very weak. We do feel though that there are more and more Seoul-based designer brands who work on interesting things and most of them have studied abroad, so they are active in an international fashion scene. The design landscape in Seoul is gradually opening up. We still have a long way to go and we want to be a part of the growth. There are times when we still envy designers working in London though.

What is your debut collection about? 

UPNOON’s debut collection, “THE BLUE HOUSE”, draws inspiration from both absurd and illusive sides of our Corona Blue experiences while quarantining and making our graduate collections from home. Looking at people stuck in the house, including ourselves, made us feel like plants in a greenhouse.

“The hardest part would be the responsibility to survive as a brand.”

What are the best and the hardest elements of running your own brand?

The best part is that we are creating, we follow our own visions and believes, everything is 100% pure energy coming from within, nothing can be more exciting and adventurous than this. The hardest part would be the responsibility to survive as a brand. We can’t just create thrilling garments like students. Now we have to think about the clients, the production, the marketing, all the fashion business parts are still very new to us and we are still trying to learn as we go along.

How do you see UPNOON developing in the future?

We see UPNOON as not just a brand but as a crew. We are looking forward to having more new members joining. Beginning with our friends who have graduated together with us and who are now scattered across the world. We want to bring back the energy we had when we were all together through collaborations and projects. We believe in community and hope to become a home for collaboration for artists and designers across the globe.

“Learning from your peers in university is the easiest and most joyful way to grow. “

Do you have any advice for anyone who starts their studies this month as a first-year fashion student?

Our advice would be to make good friends, and enjoy whatever you do. Each year, your perspective on fashion will change, your goals might shift, there will be dramas, ups & downs, but if you have a support system from your classmates, that will make a huge difference in making it through whatever you’ll be facing. Think of friends as a book filled with personalities and cultures that you didn’t know before. Learning from your peers is the easiest and most joyful way to grow. Ohh! and drinking and partying with your weird friends instead of reading a boring book in the library might be much more thrilling.