Black Label [EN]: Chapter 111

Black Label 110

111. Seed Number 7

– Parsons Design School vs F.I.T (Fashion Institute of Technology)

As soon as the matchup appeared on the screen, the atmosphere inside seemed to intensify.

Shortly after, the text disappeared, and the intro video for the competition began.

Perhaps because ‘CNN STYLE’ produced the video, meticulously filming the competition’s preparation process as a documentary?

The quality was noticeably superior to last year’s intro video. It felt like watching a trailer for a popular audition program.

As tense electronic music played, a slideshow of ‘still cut’ photos showed the participants preparing.

Images of participants asleep at their workstations, slumped on the studio floor grabbing a quick bite, and in serious discussions with designers who were part of their teams…

And then.

The screen faded, and an interview with Professor Edin Thomas began.

– F.I.T seems overly proud of their recent lucky victories. But will they maintain that pride after this competition? We will clearly demonstrate the strength Parsons has built over a century.

While Professor Edin Thomas’s interview played, Professor Christopher Cho, in the VIP seats near the runway, sneered.

“He’s good with words.”

It was a signal flare, initiating a subtle war of nerves.

Professor Edin Thomas, sitting next to him, slightly smirked and replied nonchalantly.

“Well, shouldn’t it be, ‘He’s *also* good with words,’ don’t you think?”

“The loser should be silent.”

“Really? Then your time for silence is rapidly approaching.”

At that moment.

The video faded, replaced by an interview with Professor Christopher Cho from F.I.T.

– As everyone knows, Parsons is no longer F.I.T.’s equal. Haven’t the past few years of competition proven that? Any back-and-forth with Parsons is ancient history. The fashion world constantly reinvents itself with each season. Calling Parsons our rival is now a historical footnote.

As Professor Christopher Cho finished, the screen faded again, displaying ‘Start Up’ in the center.

Instantly.

All the lights, previously blacked out, illuminated the venue, dispelling the darkness.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the runway.

A white man in a neat tuxedo appeared on the empty stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, hello! I’m Wayne, your host for this competition.”

Clap clap clap clap clap-!

Clap clap clap clap clap-!

A thunderous applause filled the venue.

The host, Wayne, was a famous American comedian actively working in television.

He glanced at the ‘cue card’ in his hand and continued.

“Before we begin, I should explain the rules to our distinguished guests.”

As he spoke, the bracket for the competition appeared on the screen behind him.

[ Team Parsons vs Team F.I.T ]

1st. ‘Daniel & Rom’ vs ‘Michael & Liam’

2nd. ‘Ethan & Alexander’ vs ‘Owen & Henry’

3rd. ‘Gabriel & Lukas’ vs ‘Grace & Noma’

4th. ‘Finn & Jaxon’ vs ‘William & Emma’

5th. ‘Oliver & Caleb’ vs ‘Ava & Declan’

6th. ‘Noah & Aten’ vs ‘Tyler & Celine’

7th. ‘Lee & Mark’ vs ‘Watanabe & Kebin’

The bracket caused a stir in the audience.

Each seed, from number 1 to 7, contained at least two famous designers.

“Shit! This competition lineup is incredible…!”

“I know, the scale is definitely bigger this year.”

“Wait a minute! Look at seed number 7!”

Seed Number 7, featuring Jaesung, drew the most attention.

7th. ‘Lee & Mark’ vs ‘Watanabe & Kelvin’

It featured Jaesung, arguably Parsons’ strongest competitor.

His opponent was Watanabe, a Japanese international student who won F.I.T.’s ‘Student of the Year Award’ last year.

The best from each school faced off.

And their partnered designers were also known as ‘arch-rivals’ in the fashion world.

The confrontation between Mark Jacobs, representing Parsons, and Kevin Klein, representing F.I.T, was a historic match unavailable anywhere else.

“Mark Jacobs versus Kevin Klein….”

“It’s amazing.”

As the commotion continued, Wayne spoke from the runway.

“This 2013 Parsons·F.I.T competition will follow new rules. Please check the ‘wireless voting machine’ you received at the entrance.”

The audience examined the remote controls with two buttons.

The red button was labeled ‘Parsons,’ and the blue button ‘F.I.T.’

“Fourteen teams will compete in seven matches. After each match, you’ll have time to vote for the school you believe presented the better show. You can also abstain by not pressing any button within the time limit.”

Wayne glanced at the cue card and continued.

“Unlike previous years where the winning school was determined by individual match victories, this year, the school with the most match wins will win the entire competition.”

As Wayne finished, Professor Edin Thomas smiled.

“If this rule had been in place last year, Parsons would have won.”

Professor Christopher Cho shrugged sarcastically, muttering, “If this had happened, if that had happened, grumbling, grumbling….”

“Those are the complaints of losers.”

“Tsk, you’re like a grumpy old man….”

“You’re the same.”

While the professors bickered, Wayne’s voice echoed from the speakers.

“Let’s begin the first seed game, a highlight of this competition!”

Clap clap clap clap clap clap-!

Clap clap clap clap clap-!

* * *

Jaesung watched the show in real-time on a monitor in the waiting room.

[ Team Parsons / ‘Daniel & Rom’ – 219 votes ]

[ Team F.I.T / ‘Michael & Liam’ – 322 votes ]

[ Team Parsons 0 : 1 Team F.I.T ]

‘Team F.I.T’ won the first seed game, with ‘Michael & Liam’ securing a victory by nearly a hundred votes.

Jaesung looked at the monitor with regret.

Mark Jacobs sighed and said.

“Don’t get too happy or sad about it.”

“It’s not as easy as it sounds.”

The second seed game, featuring ‘Alexander King,’ began.

[ Team Parsons / ‘Ethan & Alexander’ – 299 votes ]

[ Team F.I.T / ‘Michael & Liam’ – 252 votes ]

[ Team Parsons 1 : 1 Team F.I.T ]

Team Parsons won the second seed by a narrow margin.

Mark Jacobs, shouting “Good-!” with joy, put his arm around Jaesung’s shoulder and said.

“See? No need to be disappointed, right?”

The competition continued, and Jaesung and Mark Jacobs watched the shows, losing track of time. Everyone in the show was captivated by the runway.

Both schools were prestigious, gathering the world’s best talents.

The participating students were the most outstanding in those schools.

And the assisting designers were professionals who had proven their skills globally.

Solid designs, worthy of prestigious fashion weeks, poured out one after another.

The competitive aspect heightened the audience’s focus.

[ Team Parsons 3 : 3 Team F.I.T ]

After the 6th seed, the competition remained unpredictable.

The competition was neck and neck.

“This competition is especially dramatic. It’s quite a burden. The result is in our hands.”

The winner would be decided by the 7th seed game, featuring Jaesung.

Jaesung wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and said, his voice trembling slightly.

“This feeling of being in the spotlight….”

Silence fell in the waiting room as Jaesung trailed off.

Tommy, the CNN STYLE reporter capturing the scene, was about to offer encouragement.

Jaesung smiled triumphantly and added gently.

“It’s really amazing.”

* * *

The show by ‘Watanabe & Kebin,’ Jaesung’s opponents and the last team from F.I.T, had ended.

The show hall was a crucible of enthusiasm.

Everyone praised their show endlessly.

F.I.T student Watanabe and Kevin Klein, the designer assisting him, had perfectly matched design tendencies. Watanabe favored minimalism, and Klein was renowned as a minimalist.

Even after their show ended, the audience was still captivated.

“Wow, that was the best show today…!”

“It’s Kevin Klein, after all….”

Most of the audience believed the momentum had shifted to F.I.T.

Then.

The lights went out, and the intro video for ‘Lee & Mark’ began.

Before each team’s show, a short video showed their preparation process.

Everyone focused on the screen.

Surprisingly, the video began with Mark Jacobs looking angry.

– I’m leaving. Whether it’s a competition, a documentary, or damn haute couture [high fashion], you guys can figure it out.

Mark Jacobs’s screaming, red-faced image confused the audience.

It contrasted sharply with other teams’ videos, which began with handshakes or hugs.

And there was another reason.

“Wait, am I hearing things? Did he say haute couture from Team Parsons, not F.I.T…?”

“I heard that too….”

Next was Jaesung’s personal interview.

– For your information, it was all expected. Everything from the conflict with Mark, his overbearing attitude, and his inability to understand ‘haute couture.’

The scene changed to another interview with Jaesung.

– In this competition, I will present haute couture so beautiful that the board of directors of Dior will drool. And the day after the competition….

Jaesung pointed at the camera and added.

– I will be negotiating with Christian Dior’s board of directors regarding the conditions for becoming their creative director.

One person’s conviction can be another’s recklessness.

A great commotion erupted in the venue.

Chairman Ardo of the LVMH Group [a French multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods], silently watching, smiled faintly.

A middle-aged executive asked quietly.

“What does the chairman think of that statement?”

“Hmm, well? Christian Dior’s standards are high….”

Chairman Ardo shrugged and added.

“If you have the qualifications, you are welcome at any time.”

It was an ambiguous answer, but the executive, who had been with Chairman Ardo for a long time, understood and nodded without questions.

Then.

The scene changed to a video of the two reconciling.

– Mark, you’re back, right?

– Of course.

– Thank you for coming back.

– You’re welcome.

– But I have all the decision-making power.

– Damn it, do whatever you want.

The next scene was an interview with the reporter and Mark Jacobs.

– Mark, what made you change your mind?

Mark Jacobs, walking ahead, asked back, annoyed.

– Oh, damn it. It was Lee’s haute couture diagrams. You were there when I apologized to Lee, so why are you pretending not to know?

Laughter rippled through the audience.

Those who knew Mark Jacobs’s personality laughed.

The intro video continued.

– It’s natural for a designer to draw great diagrams, isn’t it? I changed my mind because Lee’s diagrams had something more.

– Anyway, the work has progressed. I can say one thing for sure. Our Lee & Mark team will present clothes that are extremely commercial and artistic.

The video faded again, and a black screen appeared.

Just as everyone thought, ‘Is the intro video over?’ Mark Jacobs’s confident voice echoed through the speaker.

– Lee will go to ‘Dior.’

Then.

A calm pop song, the runway background music for Lee & Mark, began.

Finally, the last stage to determine the competition’s outcome was about to begin.

Everyone straightened up and stared at the runway.

Most of the audience anticipated seeing ‘the haute couture diagrams of the Parsons student who broke Mark Jacobs’ stubbornness.’

The first model appeared.

Chairman Ardo, staring blankly at the model’s outfit, carefully said.

“I think it would be better to prepare the contract in advance.”