Black Label [EN]: Chapter 112

Black Label 111

112. Haute Couture

Ardo, having finished speaking, added sharply with a keen edge in his voice.

“Move quickly. Before the pack of wolves descends.”

Immediately, the middle-aged executive sitting beside Chairman Ardo replied, “Yes, I understand,” and quickly rose from his seat.

His intention was to step outside the venue and contact the LVMH Group.

Chairman Ardo’s decision was so abrupt that one might have questioned, ‘Is he serious?’ However, the middle-aged executive didn’t hesitate to carry out the chairman’s orders.

Having spent many years together, he knew Chairman Ardo’s temperament quite well.

If it was a statement he would retract, Chairman Ardo would never utter it in the first place.

If there was time for pointless questioning, it would be more efficient to move even a second faster to gain the chairman’s favor.

Even as the group executive hurriedly walked out of the venue, Chairman Ardo’s eyes remained fixed on the runway stage.

The eyes of the model walking the runway were incredibly alluring.

And her gait was confident, as if she knew that ‘now’ was the most beautiful time of her life.

The clearly visible, gaunt collarbones were enough to make one want to embrace her, and the curves of her shoulders were undeniably captivating.

The emotion Chairman Ardo felt as he looked at the model was none other than ‘envy’ and ‘jealousy.’

For a moment, Chairman Ardo’s lips trembled.

He had accumulated a net worth of over $41 billion as a reward for dedicating his youth.

He was even ranked 4th in Forbes’ list of ‘Europe’s Richest People’ in 2012.

But why?

At this moment, all of that felt utterly insignificant.

Youth is something that cannot be bought with any amount of money.

Compared to the vibrant youth of the model confidently walking the runway, compared to her radiant beauty… his immense wealth felt like nothing at all.

“Hoo-”

He took a long, deep breath. His heart, which had begun to beat rapidly, showed no signs of calming down.

The crude emotions he was feeling felt utterly perplexing.

On the cusp of his seventies, because of the beauty of a young model.

He had never anticipated feeling jealousy and envy, especially because of the beauty of a female model.

To regain his composure, Ardo pressed his temples with his fingers a few times, then offered a bitter smile.

‘Yes, these emotions…’

He believed that haute couture should evoke these very emotions in its viewers.

The emotions he was currently feeling were the decisive reason he had decided to recruit the young designer, Lee, into the LVMH Group.

Envy and jealousy, a desire for beauty, and the futile longing to return to the most vibrant time….

Who do you think consumes the most haute couture? Customers over 40.

Of course, the price range, which starts at a minimum of several million won per piece and averages tens of millions, plays a role.

But the fundamental reason is different.

Young consumers can express beauty without investing tens of millions of won in a single piece of haute couture.

They can flaunt their beauty with premium brand clothing at a lower price point, or even with no-brand clothing.

It’s not arthritis that keeps older women awake at night.

It’s a heart that hasn’t aged along. Even as times change and trends shift, the longing for beauty that resides in people’s hearts remains unchanged.

And Lee’s haute couture intensely stimulates that longing for beauty.

Chairman Ardo continued, muttering in a low voice.

“Yes. If you dream of becoming the maestro of Christian Dior, you have to show this much….”

Soon, the first model finished her runway walk and disappeared backstage.

But, ironically, Chairman Ardo hadn’t noticed any of the details of the dress the first model was wearing.

The reason?

Was it because the model’s beauty overshadowed the design?

Chairman Ardo shook his head once.

No. That wasn’t it.

It was simply because Lee’s haute couture, unlike that of a young designer, was extremely restrained.

The young designer cleverly incorporated ‘minimalism’ instead of inserting techniques to flaunt his talent and skill.

The dress was only as extravagant as it needed to be to amplify the model’s beauty, and as a result, it enhanced her beauty without the slightest sense of incongruity, as if it were a part of the model’s body.

And he, captivated by that beauty, became greedy.

That’s how greed is.

There’s nothing else that narrows a person’s vision as much as greed does.

That must have been why he didn’t notice the detailed aspects of the dress.

It’s truly an amazing piece.

Chairman Ardo was certain. Lee’s haute couture would sell like hotcakes.

Consumers would spend a fortune on Lee’s clothes without even realizing why they wanted them.

Lee is a designer who knows how to touch people’s primal desires.

Whether it’s intentional or instinctive, he doesn’t know. Whether it’s the former or the latter, it doesn’t matter much.

What matters is the fact that he can touch those desires.

At the same time, in the same place, Professor Edin Thomas, who was engrossed in observing Lee’s show, let out a short groan without realizing it.

“Ah….”

He had somewhat anticipated the ripple effect that Mark Jacobs and Lee’s meeting would create.

But he had never imagined that such a solid work of art would be born.

Originally, haute couture was a genre born out of the desire to pursue extreme ‘beauty’ that transcended the essence of clothing, wasn’t it?

No designer considers efficiency or cost-effectiveness when designing haute couture.

They only worry about how to create even greater beauty.

The dress he was looking at now was the ‘result.’

The result of two geniuses putting their heads together and only worrying about better beauty. It felt like his mind was spinning.

The flamboyant colors of the fabric, reminiscent of the works of installation artist ‘Sterling Ruby,’ and the silhouette of the dress made from that fabric.

Among the thousands of seams, not a single one seemed wasted or meaningless.

The tightly cinched waistline made their waists look even slimmer, and the naturally drooping shoulder line made them look even more delicate.

Thanks to the ‘high waist’ technique, their breasts looked fuller, and the extravagant colors of the fabric used to make the dress made them shine even more.

‘New Look.’

A word that can be summarized as a sensational term that Christian Dior caused in 1947 during his lifetime.

It seemed as if he had perfectly reinterpreted Christian Dior’s New Look, which had now been recorded in history, in the form of 2013.

At that moment, Professor Christopher Cho, who was sitting right next to Professor Edin Thomas, muttered quietly.

“It’s like seeing the reincarnation of Dior.”

“I agree.”

“It’s a really sophisticated imitation.”

Having finished speaking, Professor Christopher Cho forgot about the competition and began to enjoy the ‘Lee & Mark’ duo’s runway show.

Professor Edin Thomas was the same. He was extremely focused and only looked at the models walking the runway.

Soon, at the moment when the last model’s walk ended.

At the moment when the two genius designers, Lee & Mark, who had presented another enchanting show, appeared on the runway with bright smiles.

Clap clap clap clap clap-!

Clap clap clap clap clap-!

Most of the audience members in the audience stood up and began to applaud.

Some female audience members even sobbed quietly, unable to control the tears that burst out due to indescribable emotions.

Without realizing that the tears were caused by longing for their youth, which had scattered and disappeared like the wind.

Without realizing that they would continue to admire beauty forever.

* * *

Not long after the show ended, ‘Wayne,’ who was in charge of the competition, reappeared on the runway stage.

“The highly anticipated 7th seed match, which will determine the winner of this 2013 Parsons·F.I.T competition, has ended. Now! Let’s start the voting right away.”

Immediately, a ‘timer’ showing the remaining audience voting time began to be broadcast on the screen behind the runway.

[ 0m : 59s ]

[ 0m : 58s ]

[ 0m : 57s ]

The numbers displayed on the timer were gradually decreasing in time with the ticking sound of the second hand, and the audience members all had serious expressions on their faces as they fiddled with the wireless voting devices in their hands.

Right now.

Jaesung and Mark Jacobs were waiting in the backstage area behind the runway for the voting results to be announced.

All the contestants from Team Parsons were gathered around them.

Some of the students who participated in this competition closed their eyes tightly and repeatedly said the same words, “Please, please….”

The current designers were also unable to hide their nervousness.

They were all trying not to show it, but the tension they were feeling could be felt in every breath and gesture.

Then, Alexander glanced at the F.I.T contestants standing not far away and offered words of encouragement in a low voice.

“Lee. I’m sure you’ll get good results.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m not just saying that. It was the best of the entire competition today.”

Other current designers who participated in the competition as part of Team Parsons also left compliments on the haute couture-themed show prepared by Jaesung and Mark Jacobs.

It was true that they had elicited a great response, but no one could guarantee the outcome of the competition yet.

Then, Mark Jacobs gestured to Jaesung.

“Mark, why?”

Just as Jaesung approached him, Mark Jacobs suddenly hugged Jaesung tightly and continued.

“Lee, listen to me carefully. Even if our duo loses this match, it’s just a loss due to the genre. It’s not rationalization. I mean it.”

The ‘haute couture’ themed show presented by the Lee & Mark duo is definitely not a popular genre.

Isn’t there a saying that art cannot exist if there is no public that can understand it?

In order for the public to be moved by a series of artworks, there must be a prerequisite that they have the ability to decipher the artist’s message contained within the work.

But among the audience members who visited the show today, how many of them would be able to decipher the message that the Lee & Mark duo wanted to convey through haute couture?

On the other hand, the minimalism clothing presented by the ‘Watanabe & Calvin Klein’ duo from F.I.T, who faced off in the same 7th seed, is a different story.

They focused perfectly on popularity and commercial appeal, and showed off their minimalist side to the fullest.

Their show was definitely more visually accessible.

It was something he had fully considered, but it still stung.

He was sure that he could somehow win despite the disadvantage of the genre, but as the long-awaited time of evaluation approached, his heart was pounding so fast as if it was broken.

It seemed that there were only two possible outcomes that could be predicted.

First, defeat. And second, a very close victory.

Then, Jaesung took a deep breath and replied, trying to act nonchalant.

“It would be nice to win, but even if we lose, I don’t think I’ll dwell on the result.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Anyway, Mark said he’d send me to Dior no matter what, right? And we both think we were incredibly cool.”

Mark Jacobs, with a faint smile, said briefly, “I agree,” and added.

“You were really amazing. You’ve worked hard so far.”

“Mark, you’ve worked really hard too.”

At that moment, the voice of the host, Wayne, began to be heard from the runway stage beyond the wall.

“The audience voting time has ended. Now, let’s reveal the results of the highly anticipated 7th seed match. At the same time as the winning team of the last 7th seed is revealed, the school that will win the competition will be revealed together.”

Wayne, having spoken fluently, paused for a moment and began to continue speaking.

“The winning team of the last, 7th seed is….”

It felt like his ears were perked up. It wasn’t just Jaesung’s story. Everyone inside the backstage.

No, everyone in the venue, including the audience.

And then.
Lee’s team….”