hello nylon, hello korea!
This isn't about introducing you the typical foreigners in Korea who say they love Kimchi Jjigae and Korea. The foreigners we met are Korean-fashion-loving hipsters who shop at Dongdaemun and Dongmyo vintage market.
NYLON Korea recently contacted me about introducing some of my fashionable foreign friends living in Seoul. They met us each separately about two weeks ago for a quick street fashion photoshoot & a short interview about what we think about fashion in Korea.
My friend
Burger Kim kindly translated the title page & my own interview. Unfortunately the original interview was done mostly in English and was translated poorly into Korean. They put a few words into my mouth (the word 'hipster' never came up once in my conversation with the fashion editor) & they didn't quite fully understand some of my answers, but overall it's a cute article. (I added corrections to my interview in brackets).
Where are you from? I'm from Saskatchewan, western Canada.
How long have you been in Korea? It's been about 4 years. I'm now taking an advanced level class (intermediate conversation level)
in Korean and I understand most Korean language (I wish!)
except the difficult stuff in the news.
What do you do in Korea? I run a fashion blog, thexoxokids.com and i'm also a Korean correspondent for a street fashion site called 'Streetpeeper' (never actually said that part - Street Peeper hasn't used my photographs for months!),
so I usually go out to take street snaps at trendy spots during the week and on the weekend I go to flea markets or attend parties.
Has your style changed since you've been in Korea? Yes. A definite improvement. I think it's because I learned to enjoy occasionally mismatched styles rather than be embarrassed about them. (I've learned to mix & match my clothing well).
So sometimes the very item I thought was a mistake would turn out to be just what I need to complete an interesting look. (I think it's okay to make the occasional fashion mistakes as long as you are creative & learn from them).
I used to stand out too much as I was dressed in vintage clothing from head to toe (never said that),
but after countless mistakes I became a better hipster through mixing and matching designer pieces (haha
wtf? - I so would not use the word hipster to describe myself & I don't know anyone who would).
Thanks to that I get interviews like this and modelling jobs. (ew, I never said that either).
What do you think of Korean fashion? As I always say, to me Korean men's fashion is more successful and interesting than women's, not only on the runways, but on the streets as well. I think that's why fashion capitals of the world such as London, Paris and New York are showing interest in many Korean men's wear designers. (I totally said all that).
Where's your favourite place to shop? I love Dongmyo flea market. Especially in the early morning (early afternoon, it opens at noon on weekends & 2pm on weekdays)
that place is piled up with great vintage clothing and items. Finding a unique piece that you love in the midst of heaps of old stuff is like treasure hunting. And as I'm a foreigner, it's easier for me to bargain. (nope - lots of times it's the opposite).
You mentioned reforming is your hobby. What's your most recent reformed piece? Not long ago, I bought a cheap pair of student slippers (plimsolls)
in London. I reformed them with a marker and they turn out very cute, so I wear them daily (I've worn them once).
It says 'right' on the right shoe and 'left' on the left one.
xoxochadchad
