WOOYOUNGMI
The first to design men's ready-to-wear in Korea, Woo Youngmi spiritedly broke with the ubiquitous conservative style of the time with the launch of her namesake label in 2002. Inspired by her vision of the ideal man, Youngmi introduced a refined nonchalance to classic menswear staples. When Youngmi’s daughter—Central Saint Martins alumnus Katie Chung—joined as joint creative director from 2014–2020, the Wooyoungmi muse flourished into a romantic bohemian—a contemporary urbanite with multifaceted pursuits. With this prospect in mind, Chung introduced a modernized edge to established tropes alongside the practiced hand of her mother, blending hyper-emphasized collars, ruffled plackets, and acidic-toned fabrics with the signature Wooyoungmi slouchy silhouette. With Youngmi back at the helm since 2020, her namesake label WOOYOUNGMI remains a pioneering force within a new dynamic market, saliently balancing the hard and soft of menswear aesthetics to deliver timeless classics that exude a subversive romantic air.
