Atlas of Fashion Designers

405

Lie Sang Bong

Lie Sang Bong

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 is acclaimed South Korean designer has no words to describe his work, which is appro-

priate given that the language he uses does not belong to the realm of words. Lie Sang Bong

moves in more imprecise, suggestive waters, using colors, pleats and volumes to create a

poetic prose that embraces and encompasses the anatomy of the body. His unusual style

synthesizes the elegance French fashion and the exquisiteness of Oriental ways.

With his fi rst collection “ e Reincarnation,” Bong made a name for himself in Seoul, in

1993. Later, in 1999, he received the Best Designer Prize for his creativity and strong com-

mercial success. In 2002, he made his debut at Paris Fashion Week with “ e Timer.”

A taste for combination is one of the distinctive features of the work of Bong.  e fusion of

styles, periods and cultures generates an unmistakably personal manner that this designer-

architect cultivates in a natural way.

 is is why his shows exude a sense of futuristic women, femmes fatales and cuts inspired

by Bauhaus principles. Moreover, it is also apparent that the artist, as a result of personal-

izing all trends and making them his own, has constructed an allegorical language, one that

has deservedly elevated him to the heights of his trade, placing him among the fi ve most

important Asian designers working today.

Photography courtesy of Lie Sang Bong

406

Lie Sang Bong

 e work of Lie Sang Bong fuses

French elegance and the serenity of

Asian countries. Blended with a species

of poetic futurism, this has made

him one of the most important Asian

designers of late.

Sketch courtesy of Lie Sang Bong

407

Lie Sang Bong

Photography courtesy of Lie Sang Bong

408

Lie Sang Bong

- What inspires you?

Anything and everything that surrounds me.  erefore, I play fashion.

- What is your dream as a designer?

To evolve. As I have a philosophy that design is fl owing like water; I am dreaming of design which evolves against inertia

or else it becomes foul.

- What has been the most important achievement of your career?

It is not my job to name the achievements of my past career. Words don’t come easy for me. You, journalists, critics and

my customers describe for me.

- How important are trends?

Defi nitely maybe for other people who think trends are important, yes, possibly maybe. Defi nitely maybe for people

who fully rely on trends, yes, possibly maybe. But they are defi nitely not for me.

- Fashion has always refl ected a certain era. What does fashion refl ect in the twenty-fi rst century?

Vorsprung der technik? As fashion is a mirror to the world surrounding it, the biggest diff erence between twentieth- and

twenty-fi rst-century fashion is, I’d dare to say, a “reality TV show.” Look at where you are. No longer is the consumer

your target market. Now it is the “prosumer.”  ese so-called “reality TV show” phenomena are prominent all over the

globe.

- What book would you recommend to every fashion designer?

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, Der Tod in Venedig by  omas Mann, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Lie Sang Bong

696-26, Yeoksam Dong, Kangnam Gu

Seoul 135-080

South Korea

www.liesangbong.com

409

Lie Sang Bong

Photography courtesy of Lie Sang Bong