Black Label [EN]: Chapter 110

110. Start Up

The HQ Center, the venue for today’s 2013 Parsons F.I.T. Competition, resembled nothing less than one of the world’s four major fashion weeks or a prestigious collection showcase.

Board members from famous premium brands mingled with renowned editors, critics, models, actors, and even established designers.

As the scale of this competition grew to unprecedented heights, so did the interest, resulting in countless *celebs* (celebrities) attending the show.

Just then, a white-haired old man in a neatly tailored premium custom suit appeared in the lobby, escorted by about half a dozen bodyguards.

The reporters stationed in front of the photo zone in the lobby were all taken aback, staring blankly at the newly arrived old man.

“Uh…?!”

His identity was none other than Chairman ‘Bernardo Ardo,’ the head of the ‘*LVMH Group*’ (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy).

Now in his late sixties, he was the de facto owner of the LVMH Group, which controlled over 60 brands, including France’s leading premium brand ‘Louis Vuitton,’ as well as ‘Christian Dior,’ ‘Celine,’ ‘Kenzo,’ ‘Givenchy,’ ‘Loewe,’ ‘Fendi,’ ‘Tag Heuer,’ ‘Boucheron,’ and more.

Of course, everyone’s time is precious, but his time is dozens of times more so than that of ordinary people.

Dozens of premium brands are in his hands.

How could one dare to put a price on the time of the ‘Emperor of Fashion’ or the ‘Absolute Power in the Fashion World’?

He had personally come to the HQ Center to watch this competition.

As soon as he appeared, a heavy silence seemed to fall inside the lobby.

Chairman Bernardo Ardo exuded an overwhelming aura that was beyond comparison with the other celebrities who had appeared earlier, as he slowly moved forward.

Soon, he stood with his back to the photo zone on one side of the lobby.

The sound of shutters echoed from all directions, “Click, click-.”

Ardo frowned slightly, glanced at the ‘Vacheron Constantin’ watch on his wrist, and opened his mouth in his characteristic deep voice.

“I will take questions for exactly one minute.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the reporters waiting in front of the photo zone all raised their hands.

He was a figure who created headlines wherever he went, and at the same time, he was a figure who commanded attention and dictated the flow of events.

Ardo pointed to the reporter who raised his hand first, saying, “Speak,” and a brief press conference began.

“Chairman Ardo, I’m curious about what motivated you to attend this competition in person.”

“It’s simple. It is to support the active designers who are working as directors and head designers in our ‘LVMH Group’ brands.”

Although no one had predicted that Ardo would attend in person, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

Most of the graduates (active designers) who assisted with this Parsons F.I.T. competition were currently working with LVMH Group brands.

After speaking, Ardo said, “Next,” and the reporters raised their hands again.

“Then, do you also aim to discover new talent through this competition?”

Ardo smiled faintly and said, “Good question,” before continuing his articulate answer.

“Of course. If there is a student with outstanding talent that the board of directors of LVMH Group brands, including myself, covet, we will naturally have to consider recruiting them.”

After speaking, he curtly said, “Next,” and the reporters all raised their hands again.

Ardo looked around at the reporters with a thoughtful expression for a moment, then pointed to the youngest reporter, and the reporter, chosen by him, cleared his throat a couple of times before asking a pointed question.

“Chairman Ardo, which team do you expect to win this competition?”

Ardo frowned and remained silent for a moment. A subtle curiosity settled on the faces of all the reporters.

Which team would the absolute power in the fashion world predict to win?

Finally, Ardo, after a moment of contemplation, began to speak in a soft tone.

“An interesting and difficult question. It’s hard to predict because many famous active designers, known for their outstanding skills, have participated….”

He paused for a moment, then slowly continued with a faint smile.

“I would guess the ‘Lee & Mark’ duo from Team Parsons is the most likely winner.”

As soon as he finished answering, the atmosphere in the hall became even more electric.

The shutter sounds, which had paused for a moment, began to ring out fiercely again, and the order that had been established at the press conference collapsed.

All the reporters stationed in the hall ignored the tacitly agreed-upon rules and began to throw questions all at once.

It was as if they had poured gasoline on a fire that was already burning.

Ardo raised his palm as if to dissuade them, calming the atmosphere in the hall slightly before speaking again.

“Oh, coincidentally, the promised time is up.”

The one minute he had promised earlier had passed.

Unfortunately, the one-minute conference had not satisfied the reporters’ curiosity, but rather amplified it.

The reporters were asking questions with strained voices, but Ardo did not say anything more after that.

He simply walked towards the show venue where the competition would be held, along with the bodyguards he had brought with him.

* * *

Meanwhile, at that time, Jaesung had just finished the final rehearsal and returned to the waiting room.

Was it because of the hard work? The competition hadn’t even started yet, but Jaesung’s face showed signs of fatigue.

Jaesung leaned back in the waiting room chair, taking a short break.

“Damn it, Lee! This is huge!”

Mark Jacobs burst into the waiting room, speaking in an urgent tone.

Jaesung squinted and asked, puzzled.

“What’s going on?”

After pausing for a moment, he continued in a slightly trembling tone.

“LVMH Group’s Ardo is here.”

“Yes? Really…?”

It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t nervous at all, but he wasn’t overwhelmed by the pressure.

However, as soon as he heard the name ‘Ardo,’ his heart, which had been calm, began to beat as if it would burst.

Bernardo Ardo.

Wasn’t he the absolute power in the fashion world, owning dozens of premium brands, including Louis Vuitton?

Moreover, Christian Dior, a dream brand for Jaesung, was one of the many premium brands in his hands.

To put it simply, he was the one holding the golden ticket to the ‘Dior Train’ that Jaesung was desperately hoping for.

Gulp-.

Jaesung, who exhaled as if to release a long-held breath, stood up from his chair, unable to control his overwhelming emotions.

Mark Jacobs smiled and asked in a playful tone.

“Lee, should I tell you one more interesting fact?”

“Is there anything more interesting than this?”

“Yes.”

Mark Jacobs, who answered briefly, tossed his smartphone to Jaesung.

Jaesung barely caught the smartphone that flew in an arc and slowly began to read the web news article that appeared on Mark Jacobs’ smartphone screen.

[Ardo, who came to see the Parsons F.I.T. Competition, said, “I think the ‘Lee & Mark’ duo from Team Parsons is the most likely winner.”]

Jaesung, who was blankly reading the contents of the article, said in a low voice, “Wait, wait a minute….”

How should I describe it? It felt as if a heavy weight was tied to his ankle, pulling him deep underground.

“The designs of any team haven’t been revealed yet, so isn’t it too early to predict the winner?”

“Lee, it’s not just anyone. It’s the old man sitting at the top of the LVMH Group. Do you think Ardo would have blurted out such a thing without seeing the designs of any team?”

Mark Jacobs, who finished speaking, added in a rather eerie tone, “There is no place in the fashion world that is so secure that he can’t snoop around when he wants to.”

Silence filled the waiting room for a moment. Mark Jacobs put his arm around Jaesung’s shoulder and added quietly.

“Lee, listen carefully. What do you think is the reason why the chairman of the LVMH Group would come to see a college student’s academic presentation?”

“According to the interview, it’s to support the active designers working in the group’s brands….”

“Stop, stop. Are you going to keep saying naive things? That sly old man is visiting to support them in person? I know from experience, Ardo values ‘time’ much more than ‘money.’ That’s really nonsense.”

Mark Jacobs, who finished speaking, looked intently into Jaesung’s eyes and continued in a very serious tone.

“I’m sure this is an opportunity. First of all, the leak route must be CNN STYLE, which recorded the entire preparation process for this competition. The design of one of the students participating in the competition has already been exposed, and it must have completely captivated that ‘old fox.’”

“It would be great if that student was me.”

“Well, I can’t say for sure, but on the other hand, I can’t deny it either, right? In fact, there is enough circumstantial evidence. There is just no concrete evidence.”

At that time, Jaesung, who had been talking with a serious expression, unknowingly burst out laughing.

Mark Jacobs frowned and asked, puzzled.

“What? Why are you laughing suddenly, making me feel bad?”

“I just thought it was very like Mark.”

“What?”

Jaesung shrugged his shoulders and began to speak in a soft tone.

“How many designers would dare to call Ardo the ‘old fox’?”

“Well? There are quite a few, right? Who can’t say anything behind his back?”

Mark Jacobs chuckled and added, “And you don’t know Ardo well yet. He’s a terrible person who thinks everything can be solved by exploiting designers.”

Jaesung exclaimed, “Ah….”

He had forgotten for a moment, but Mark Jacobs had already held command several times at ‘Louis Vuitton,’ which represents the LVMH Group.

It was Mark Jacobs in his mid-twenties who revived Louis Vuitton, which had faced a serious recession in the early 1990s, created Louis Vuitton’s first menswear line, and even led the newly established menswear line to success.

“Come to think of it, Mark has already worked for LVMH Group brands several times, right?”

“Of course. If you just thought of me as a ‘fucking foul-mouthed guy,’ you’re very wrong.”

Jaesung smiled. Suddenly, he couldn’t believe that he was having such a friendly conversation with Mark Jacobs.

Even now, he was a figure he respected from his past life.

He had bought the flower eco bag he made through a used goods transaction, and there was a time when he saved money to buy a watch with his name engraved on it.

Could he have ever imagined that he would be making clothes together with such a person for several months?

No. He was too high up to even dream about.

While Jaesung was lost in thought, Mark Jacobs punched Jaesung in the side with his fist and continued.

“Lee, don’t worry anyway.”

“I’m not worried.”

“Um, so….”

Mark Jacobs, who paused for a moment, carefully continued with a slightly blushing face.

“Even if Ardo has not chosen you as the student he has set his sights on, and even if you don’t get good results in this competition, you will eventually go to fucking Dior.”

“Yes? How?”

“I will take responsibility and make sure you go to Dior. At least in my opinion, you are qualified to go to Dior.”

Mark Jacobs shrugged his shoulders and added, “Really, somehow.”

Jaesung smiled brightly.

His face, after finishing speaking, was as red as a maple leaf in full bloom in autumn.

Come to think of it, he is a very clumsy person in expressing himself. Perhaps the reason why he always has swear words on his lips is because of that.

“Thank you, Mark. It won’t happen, but even if I don’t get good results in this competition, I won’t regret it.”

Silence hung in the air for a moment.

“I gained a good friend named Mark.”

Mark Jacobs muttered in a sarcastic tone, “Damn it, I can’t stand it….”

Instead of answering his words, Jaesung began to look at the wall clock on one side of the waiting room.

Only a few minutes are left until the opening of the competition.

The preparation is over, and the time for evaluation is imminent. The situation was already attracting a lot of attention, but Ardo’s interview has further amplified that interest.

As a matter of course, the more people there are to witness the confirmed victory, the better, right?

We will surely win, and that victory will feel somewhat harsh to the competitors.

Clearly.

* * *

The seats in the show venue where this competition will be held were packed without any gaps.

Starting with students from Parsons and F.I.T., editors, critics, famous designers and active models, and even the board of directors of each premium brand and buyers from each country….

There were some familiar faces among them.

For example, ‘Max,’ who runs a cafe near Jaesung’s studio, ‘Geraldine Saglio,’ the editor of Paris Vogue, and ‘Alex,’ Jaesung’s first friend at Parsons Design School.

At that time.

Suddenly, all the lights in the hall went out at once, and pitch-black darkness fell in the hall.

Soon, the phrase ‘2013 Parsons F.I.T. Competition’ appeared on the screen installed behind the runway stage, and at the same time, some students shouted.

“Waaaaaaaaa-!”

“Waaaaaa-!”

No matter how big it has become, it is still just an event similar to a ‘festival’ for the students.

Now that the thunderous shouts are echoing without stopping, the intro video of this competition is being played on the screen.

Finally, the long-awaited competition has begun.