Black Label [EN]: Chapter 206

Black Label 205

206. Natural Premium

A hush fell over the venue as Jaesung meticulously reviewed the collection’s cue sheet. Everyone present seemed keenly aware that a single word from Jaesung could transform the remaining wait time into an agonizing ordeal, making hell seem like a joke.

Finally.

“Perfect.”

Jaesung’s pronouncement, delivered as soon as he finished examining the cue sheet, brought a collective sigh of relief.

Ah, the cue sheet? Simply put, it’s a document detailing every aspect of the collection to be presented today, broken down to the second.

It specifies which music will play at which minute and second, and even the precise location of each model on the runway, along with their attire.

“Thank you,” Kai Greene said. Jaesung responded with a smile, then captured everyone’s attention by announcing, “Alright, everyone, listen up.”

After a moment of intense silence, Jaesung began to speak in a calm, measured tone.

“The moment of truth is almost upon us. Some of you may have experienced Paris Fashion Week before, but I understand that most of you are new to this stage. I am too.”

Jaesung paused to take a breath, made eye contact with many of those present, and then continued in a strong voice, “I have immense expectations and confidence for this collection. I expect it to be a ‘Big Event’ that completely transforms the fate of myself, my brand, and everyone involved. And I am confident that we will seize an invisible trophy.”

Jaesung paused to gather his breath.

“According to my calculations, which rarely miss the mark, your futures will change in less than thirty minutes. If you can endure the short time remaining, everyone here will witness the bizarre phenomenon of the digits in the amount column of your contracts changing. From the moment you signed the contracts offered by Wallflower, you and I are comrades in arms. We will share both glory and stagnation.”

He finished speaking and surveyed the models.

In a normal situation, it might have been just another ordinary pep talk, but who knows?

Seeing some models with tears in their eyes, it seemed they were deeply moved.

This was largely due to the emotional extremes they were experiencing because of the demanding season schedule and intense weight control.

They were in a state where they could explode in anger over trivial matters or become tearful at a few simple words.

Moreover, the relationship between designers, who are authoritative clients, and models, who are employees, is undeniably hierarchical.

Therefore, the choice of words that stimulated camaraderie and fostered a sense of fellowship, such as ‘we’ and ‘comrades,’ had a significant impact.

“I hope the results we share will be glorious. Thank you for your hard work so far. We are now very close to the finish line. So, without being presumptuous, I would like to ask just one more thing. Please put in a little more effort until the very end. Thank you.”

A soft round of applause echoed through the makeshift waiting room.

A few models, overwhelmed with emotion, tilted their heads slightly, staring at the ceiling.

It seemed they were instinctively trying to prevent the tears that kept threatening to spill over.

Unlike the models, who were caught up in a wave of emotion, the makeup artists could only sigh and continue to move busily.

This was because the makeup of several models had been ruined by a few tears.

* * *

How long had it been? Having completed all the preparations before the collection, the models began to pass the time in their own ways.

Well, broadly speaking, they could be divided into two categories.

The first was practicing their walking, using the area near the ‘Back Stage’ as a runway.

The second was sitting with their eyes closed, focusing on ‘Image Training.’

Regardless of the method, no one seemed to be biting their lips anxiously, trying to kill time.

In this extremely urgent situation, there was only one person who seemed relaxed.

It was Jaesung, the ‘owner’ of this Wallflower Paris Fashion Week collection. Jaesung was sitting in front of the makeup mirror, busy having his makeup touched up.

And right next to Jaesung, a Paris Fashion Week official was standing with an anxious expression.

“Lee, are you saying you won’t even show your face at the opening ceremony? I understand your feelings, but that would be very difficult. You are one of the most watched designers at this Paris Fashion Week.”

Showing his face at the opening ceremony? As a request from the organizers, especially from Paris Fashion Week and not just some local event, he would normally have agreed.

However, today was an exception.

Why?

“Once the opening ceremony ends, I have to present the collection without a moment’s break. Once the collection starts, monitoring it is the natural course of action. If not now, there won’t be time to fix my makeup. Although I won’t be attending, many of our representatives will be there, so I hope you can understand.”

The finale of the collection was sure to dominate the 9 o’clock news, as well as internet news.

He wanted to avoid, at all costs, the sight of himself, with his makeup unintentionally smudged and ruined by sweat, forcing a smile that would be broadcast all over the world.

Moreover, wasn’t Paris Fashion Week the stage of his dreams, a dream he had been pursuing for countless days?

He had no desire to greet the audience on the runway looking less than perfect.

“But, Lee….”

Just as the Fashion Week official was about to continue, Jaesung glared at him and added,

“Unless you want me to not show my face not only at the opening ceremony but also at the closing ceremony, I hope you will understand my position. No, you must understand.”

It was a clear threat. It was a statement that could have elicited displeasure, but the Fashion Week official’s expression remained calm.

After a moment of silence, the Fashion Week official nodded and replied in a low voice.

“I apologize. I seem to have been short-sighted.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“It’s nothing.”

After exchanging a few simple greetings, the Fashion Week official disappeared. Director Song approached Jaesung from behind and said in a mocking tone,

“Wow, the country bumpkin from Seoul has really grown up. He’s manipulating the Paris Fashion Week officials so well.”

“It can’t be helped, can it? I have no intention of going on stage in a less than perfect state, especially on a stage I’ve been dreaming of for so long. And it’s true that I’ve grown a lot.”

“Still, you should have been a little gentler with your words. What if they give you a penalty next year, even if it’s okay this year?”

“They’re the ones who would be at a loss, aren’t they? The world’s four major fashion weeks are just four, after all. We can just change our stage. There’s New York, Milan, and London… It’s not common for brands to move their base, but it does happen sometimes. I have no intention of working my blood, sweat, and tears in a place that doesn’t recognize our value anymore.”

Director Song nodded, glanced at his wristwatch, and then continued, “Well, I have to go attend the opening ceremony. Thanks to having a boss who’s so interested in beauty, I have to attend as a proxy, even though it’s not in my job description. It’s like I’m a college student addicted to alcohol….”

“But thanks to a boss who’s so interested in beauty, you’re getting paid more than a senior executive at a major corporation, aren’t you?”

Director Song retorted, “Oh, are you starting to take credit now?” He grinned and replied, “That’s right. I didn’t mean it in a bad way, I was just reminiscing about the old days. Anyway, Mr. CEO, I’ll go and faithfully carry out my mission. Loyalty!”

Director Song finished speaking in a playful tone and left the makeshift waiting room, accompanied by Kai Greene and Nam Gwangmin, who were in charge of VMD [Visual Merchandising].

It seemed the opening ceremony was imminent, as announcements could be heard through the thin curtains of the waiting room.

– Distinguished guests who have come to the Paris Fashion Week opening ceremony, thank you. The opening ceremony will begin shortly, so please take your assigned seats. I’ll say it again….

Jaesung, who had been listening to the announcement, shook his head to clear his mind and began to look at himself in the mirror.

The 10-minute opening ceremony, which was now just a ‘formality,’ would begin soon.

And after the opening ceremony? His first collection at Paris Fashion Week would begin immediately.

First day, first slot.

Jaesung, staring intently into his own eyes in the mirror, muttered in a voice so low that only he could hear,

“The Paris fashion world is dead….”

Within the remaining year, Wallflower’s logo would be plastered all over Paris.

Absolutely.

* * *

The lower the name value and the shorter the history of an event, the longer and more tedious the formal events such as opening ceremonies tend to be.

The saying ’empty wagons make the most noise’ fits perfectly.

Since the public doesn’t readily acknowledge them, they are busy introducing their purpose and history, highlighting all their strengths and applying layers of packaging to gain recognition.

On the other hand, the world’s four major fashion weeks are different. They hold opening ceremonies to maintain appearances, but they don’t waste the time of their distinguished guests with useless introductions.

– Distinguished guests, we apologize for the tedium. As this event involves funds from the government and public institutions, we cannot omit events such as the opening ceremony. I hereby declare the end of the opening ceremony and the beginning of this Paris Fashion Week.

It was what ‘Martin,’ the chairman of the Paris Fashion Week organizing committee, who was in charge of the proceedings, said from the podium, less than 10 minutes after the opening ceremony began.

A thunderous applause erupted for a moment.

Soon after, he began to speak again in a fluent tone.

– The brand that will grace the opening of this Paris Fashion Week is a new brand and the most anticipated brand at the same time. Let’s watch the collection of the new brand Wallflower, led by the already proven designer ‘Lee’!

As soon as Chairman Martin finished speaking, another round of applause began to pour out.

It was a slightly different feeling from the applause that had echoed earlier. It was a mix of high and low murmurs.

As is usually the case just before a collection begins, there was a mix of positive and negative opinions.

And most of those who were boastfully expressing their opinions were those who were stirring up negative sentiment.

“It’s just a one-man team built on the name of Lee. Brands that establish themselves like that can never last long. Lee’s actions, statements, and even minor setbacks will all be reflected in the brand’s sales.”

“It would have been better to improve the quality of the products instead of focusing on marketing. Even just looking at some of the products released through the lookbook, you get a strong sense that they haven’t properly shed the street brand image. I can confidently say that it’s still years too early to earn the title of a premium brand.”

“Well, everything is fine. But Wallflower has forgotten its place and is engaging in excessive marketing. They probably expected that everything would be resolved with the influence of Chairman Bertheimer and Chairman Ardo, but who knows? No matter how much they fly, they are just a new brand. It’s not enough to buy customers’ trust with just the company’s image….”

Just as the columnists, who had written several columns attacking Wallflower, were excitedly exchanging their opinions, sophisticated electronic music began to play, and suddenly a silence fell over the venue.

And then, the moment the first black male model appeared on the runway.

The faces of some people began to turn pale. To put it bluntly, they seemed to realize that something was wrong.

At that moment, a young Asian man sitting not far from them muttered softly.

“Tsk, just bumping into each other only produces a few sparks. It seems to have calmed down a bit now. Don’t you think?”

The voice belonged to none other than ‘Justcus,’ a young Billboard star who was gaining popularity day by day.

Soon after, Wisdom Khalifa, who was sitting next to him with a solemn expression, slightly raised his sunglasses and glared at the group of critics, replying,

“Those damn bastards, they should know they’re lucky. If they had kept babbling on, I was going to smash their mouths.”

“That’s too much, isn’t it?”

“You shouldn’t tolerate insulting my brother. I believe it’s as unforgivable as stepping on my newly bought Jordans [a popular brand of athletic shoes].”

“The analogy is a bit strange, isn’t it?”

While the two were giggling, the first black male model, who had reached the end of the runway, performed a very free-spirited turn.

The reporters’ hands began to move diligently, and the pleasant sound of paper and pen meeting, ‘scratch, scratch-,’ began to ring out.

And the sound of shutters clicking, and the murmurs. The changed eyes of the buyers and investors.

All the changes in the venue seemed to reflect a positive sign for this collection.