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WOOYOUNGMI is a South Korean designer brand founded in 2002 by Woo Youngmi, also known as Madame Woo.

A member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Mode Masculine with two prêt-a-porter collections per year, WOOYOUNGMI has been a part of the official menswear schedule since its debut. Although initially a menswear brand, WOOYOUNGMI launched its first womenswear collection—presented together with menswear—in 2020.

Known for the tailoring of its prêt-a-porter, WOOYOUNGMI also produces leather goods and accessories.

The brand currently operates in 45 locations (20 countries in total) with flagship stores in Paris and Seoul, and holds partnerships with global luxury retailers.

History
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Woo Youngmi was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1959. Her father was the head of an architectural firm, which allowed him to travel extensively, bringing home international magazines, which a young Youngmi studied, curious about the world outside Korea. Along with her mother, who taught both art and piano, they did their utmost to use what they had to provide a creative environment for their five children.

In 1978, she took up fashion studies at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul. On graduating in 1983, she was selected to represent Korea in Japan's Osaka International Fashion Competition, and won third place. At the time, Woo Youngmi was working in womenswear at LG Fashion (now LF Corp.). The competition having given her the necessary resolve to pursue menswear, she launched her first brand five years later in 1988– contemporary menswear label Solid Homme. One year later, she was joined by her younger sister Woo Janghee, who had recently completed a degree in Fine Arts. This venture importantly marked Woo Youngmi as the first designer in the country to offer prêt-a-porter menswear. Her designs also reflected a shift from the still traditional styles of menswear in Korea at the time.

Twelve years later in 2002, Madame Woo founded her eponymous brand WOOYOUNGMI in Paris, France, inaugurated at Paris Fashion week. Four years later following its launch, WOOYOUNGMI opened its first store in the Marais quarter of Paris. Owing to its steady growth, a Paris-based design studio was subsequently established in 2009 to focus on development for the European market, supported overseas by the design studio in Seoul.

In October 2010, WOOYOUNGMI held a special fundraising event with London department store Selfridges titled 'My Coat, My Gift.' While celebrating the brand's best-selling coat No. 51, the event also raised support for local charity Art Against Knives and invited five budding creatives (Gary Card, David Hellqvist, Steve Salter, Reece Crisp, and Jordan Askill) to realise their own take on the classic coat.

In 2011, WOOYOUNGMI became an official member of 'La Chambre Syndicale de la Mode Masculine.' The following year in 2012, the brand commemorated its tenth anniversary with an exhibition 'WOOYOUNGMI Repository: 10 years of Creation' at ManMade WOOYOUNGMI, the brand's first flagship store opened earlier in May. A space merging art, fashion, and culture, ManMade WOOYOUNGMI also paid homage to the legacy and history of the brand, erected within the same building that once housed Solid Homme as well as Design Allée, a design company founded by Madame Woo's oldest and youngest sisters, Woo Kyungmi and Woo Hyunmi.

2013 marked the opening of WOOYOUNGMI’s second flagship store, in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris. The next year, Madame Woo was included in the BoF (Business of Fashion) 500, an index of people recognised for shaping the current global fashion industry. According to The Korean Herald: “Wooyoungmi has become the most successful Korean independent menswear designer brand.”

In 2021, Wooyoungmi held the highest sales in menswear at Paris luxury department store Le Bon Marché, which the brand entered back in 2008. Although many brands were negatively affected by COVID-19, WOOYOUNGMI’s sales increased over the course of 2021 to the equivalent of $46 million, up by 8% compared to 2019. As stated by Madame Woo, “Many foreign designers and buyers often say Korea’s street fashion is the best. I firmly believe that Korean fashion can be highly successful all around the world.”

Corporate
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WOOYOUNGMI belongs to the Korean company Solid Corporation, which was established in 1988. The privately-owned fashion firm holds both WOOYOUNGMI and Solid Homme, both ready-to-wear menswear brands (though WOOYOUNGMI now offers womenswear as well) differentiated by customer base. Headed by Madame Woo in her position as CEO, the business has remained family-owned to this day.

Creative Director
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2018~present: Woo Youngmi

2017~2018: Katie Chung

2014~2017: Woo Youngmi & Katie Chung

2002~2014: Woo Youngmi & Woo Janghee

Collaboration
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Art
Between 2012 and 2016, WOOYOUNGMI collaborated with Korean and international artists for its global campaigns.


 * 12SS Collaboration with artist LEE SONG: Mind Games

Around the City. 2011. Oil on Canvas. 162.1 x 130.3 cm.

Farewell. 2012. Oil on Canvas.

See the Sea. 2012. Oil on Canvas.


 * 12FW Collaboration with artist Clemens Krauss: Concepts of Isolation

Laughter and Value. 2012. Oil on Canvas. 190 x 140 cm.


 * 13SS Collaboration with artist Osang Gwon: MASSPATTERNS '

Nuages pattern. 2012. C-print, mixed media. 220 x 63 x 50 cm.

Aztec pattern. 2012. C-print, mixed media. 217 x 135 x 83 cm.


 * 13FW Collaboration with artist Michael Johansson: Ensemble

Tower. 2013. Bags, boxes, ordinary items, and Wooyoungmi fabrics. 47 x 47 x 110 cm.

Tube. 2013. Camera bags, Lego, boxes, ordinary items and Wooyoungmi fabrics. 36 x 36 x 81 cm.

Cube. 2013. Bags, boxes, ordinary items, and Wooyoungmi fabrics. 75 x 75 x 75 cm.


 * 14SS Collaboration with artist Kyungwoo Han

Window to Loci. 2013. Digital C-print. 150 x 112 cm.


 * 14FW Collaboration with artist duo Guerra de la Paz (Alain Guerra and Neraldo de la Paz)

Man of Art. 2014. WOOYOUNGMI garments and footwear, mannequins, silicone, steel.


 * 15SS Collaboration with artist Christoph Schmidberger

The Return. 2015. Oil on Board. 53 x 83 cm.


 * 16SS Collaboration with artist Matthias Kiss

Out of Time. 2016. Technique dorure à la feuille/ or blanc / platiné / palladium crédit.

Fashion
18SS VANS X WOOYOUNGMI Collaboration

In 2018, WOOYOUNGMI and Vault by Vans launched a special collaboration on the Vans OG Slip-On Lux. Drawing inspiration from Catherine Hardwick’s 2005 cult film Lords of Dogtown—which pays homage to young Venice Beach skaters Tony Alva, Jay Adams, and Stacey Peralta—the laceless sneaker was released in two colours, with a footbed paisley print reminiscent of skater bandanas worn in the early 70s.

Other
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 & Z Flip 3 “Wooyoungmi Edition”

In 2021, WOOYOUNGMI collaborated with Samsung Electronics to produce limited edition accessories for the company’s latest smartphone models: Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3.

Stores
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Concept
The Gallery is a global retail concept developed for WOOYOUNGMI stores and international retail spaces. The gallery concept was first unveiled with the opening of ManMade WooYoungmi in 2012, the brand’s five-floor flagship store located in the luxury fashion district of Dosan Park in Seoul.

Entering ManMade WooYoungmi, visitors are first welcomed into the square, a café & exhibition area. The higher floors support classic galleries, where new collections are displayed using wooden painting frames for clothing, and vitrines for accessories.

The brand’s second flagship store was opened in Paris in 2013 on Rue Saint Claude, in the ‘Haut Marais’ area. To reflect the neighbourhood, the interior—designed by architecture firm Abstrakt Architecture—was made to resemble a modern gallery, with polished brass frames lining rectangular alcoves that house the collection.

The two flagship stores have hosted art exhibitions as part of the WOOYOUNGMI Artist Collaboration Project, which has enabled the spaces to function as both boutique and gallery. This retail vision extends to global department stores, which often include Marquina black marble, white marble, and brass, as well as display features of framing and vitrines.

Retail Stores
WOOYOUNGMI is based in 45 locations across 20 countries, via luxury retailers around the globe.


 * Flagship Stores: ManMade Seoul, WOOYOUNGMI Paris Boutique
 * Global Stores: 45 locations across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Stores include Galeries Lafayette, Lane Crawford, Harvey Nichols, Harrods, Le Bon Marché, Beymen, Bloomingdale's, Lux Emporium, among others.

112.169.121.36 (talk) 08:56, 11 March 2022 (UTC)

SOLIDCORP1988 (talk) 02:07, 14 March 2022 (UTC)