Black Label [EN]: Chapter 209

Black Label 208

209. Dreamer

Phil Adore, who had been staring at the runway without a word, broke the silence by quietly opening his mouth.

“A long experience…”

Immediately, the young critics, huddled together not far from him, tilted their heads in bewilderment and asked, “Yes?”

Although everyone wore a curious expression, Phil Adore seemed to have no intention of answering them right away.

No, to be more precise, it seemed he hadn’t yet fully formed the thoughts that had suddenly flashed through his mind.

He was just gently stroking his chin, muttering to himself with a melancholy look.

How much more time passed like that?

One of the young critics cautiously raised his hand and asked a question in an extremely careful tone.

“Is something wrong? Is there perhaps a problem with the design itself…”

“Do you see a ‘problem’ with this design?”

Phil Adore asked abruptly, his question sharp. The young critic, unable to hide his nervousness, swallowed hard and replied with difficulty.

“No, I don’t see any problems.”

“That’s right. There are no problems, but rather an overwhelmingly solid feeling.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That’s the problem.”

Phil Adore, speaking briefly and forcefully, continued to explain without taking his eyes off the runway.

“You see, since Lee started his activities in France, I have watched every single show he has planned and organized. So… at least I know very well that Lee possesses a tremendous genius that cannot be understood with common sense.”

Immediately, the young critic tilted his head slightly.

Although he didn’t say it out loud, his face seemed to be asking, “Then what exactly is the problem?”

What is the fashion world?

Isn’t it a place where one’s value and treatment vary depending on the presence or absence of ‘sense’ rather than experience?

A cruel yet attractive place where a new designer can reach the top on their debut stage, and a veteran designer who has been on a winning streak for over a decade can collapse overnight.

That’s why even more so.

It is also an industry where many things can be understood with just the word ‘genius’.

It is not uncommon for rookies to quickly seize a large share of the mainstream market, designers and brands that have been on a continuous rise are caught up in scandals or fail to adapt to the changing times and collapse very quickly, and other unpredictable anomalies occur from time to time.

“Hmm, you have a look on your face that says you don’t know what the problem is at all.”

The young critic hesitated for a moment, nodded his head once, and replied.

“Yes, I’m ashamed to say, that’s right.”

Immediately, Phil Adore gave a gentle smile and continued to speak in an indifferent tone.

“Think carefully. Among the many designers we use as topics for our columns, is there even one person who is not a ‘genius’?”

“That’s…”

“As far as I remember, the fashion world has been in a ‘red ocean’ [highly competitive market] state from decades ago to the present. Countless people have tried to enter the center of the fashion world, but only a very few have survived and reached the mainstream market.”

The young critic, uttering a low “Ah…” nodded his head lightly.

To be fuel for critics meant that they had already succeeded in gaining name recognition as a designer.

In fact, all designers who have made a name for themselves in the industry are virtually ‘geniuses’ who have survived a competition of thousands to one.

“I’ve seen countless geniuses. From the fragments of fashion history who declared retirement and disappeared before you were even born, to the up-and-coming designers who were born around the time my hair started to turn gray. I know geniuses well. Their talents are formidable, but they can never be omnipotent.”

“Cannot be omnipotent?”

Phil Adore, answering in a gentle tone, adjusted his rimless glasses once and added an explanation.

“While there are areas that can be filled with talent alone, there are also areas that can never be filled if ‘experience’ is lacking.”

“Then Lee’s collection is…”

“Too seasoned to be packaged as genius.”

A brief explanation.

Phil Adore did not open his mouth any further after that.

He was even narrowing his brows as if telling them not to talk to him anymore, staring intently at the runway.

There were still many unresolved questions.

The conversation of fundamental content did not resolve the questions, but rather amplified them.

‘What kind of ‘seasonedness’ is Phil talking about?’

The young critic tried to suppress his curiosity, even taking deep breaths.

A table had been set, so he couldn’t ask them to spoon-feed him, could he?

It was his job to contemplate and find meaning after repeated consideration.

* * *

On the other hand, there were some in the audience who felt exactly the same way as ‘Phil Adore’.

“Indeed, times are changing rapidly…”

The old woman muttered quietly, clenching her clasped hands tightly as if deeply moved.

‘Vivienne Westwood’.

She was selected as the ‘British Designer of the Year’ in 1990 and 1991 consecutively, and was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 1992 and the DBE title (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, a 2nd class knighthood) in 2006 by the Queen of England.

Of course, she was able to build a brilliant award history because she had made such great contributions.

Tweed, tartan check, knit twin sets, classic tailoring, etc….

She is the person who created the elements that represent British fashion, the person who led the punk culture of the 1970s, and the person who earned the title of the godmother of the British fashion world.

The same is true even now that she is over eighty.

She has not stepped down from the front lines and is still active.

And she is presenting shocking shows that contain taboos surrounding sex, nudity, and morality, just like in her prime.

Although the brand value may differ, considering only the symbolic aspects, she is a legendary figure comparable to Karl Lagerfeld and other veteran designers.

Such a person is genuinely admiring Wall Flower’s collection.

Reason?

“Although I have never met him face to face or exchanged a single word with him… I can tell exactly how clever a designer ‘Lee’ is. Although it is a pity that the artistic message he is trying to convey is vague, it is clear that he cannot be compared to clumsy rookies who are obsessed with imitating merchants.”

Immediately, another veteran designer sitting next to him replied with a pleased tone.

“He was a student with nothing to teach.”

He was Professor ‘Edin Thomas’, the teacher who tried to help Jaeseung in every way when he was attending Parsons School of Design.

Immediately, Vivian nodded her head once and continued to speak with a slightly trembling voice with difficulty.

“Wall Flower is currently presenting the direction of a commercially viable premium brand. That young designer, no, that young friend, what should I say? It’s as if he has perfectly grasped the ‘interaction’ between materials.”

“You’re feeling the same way as I am.”

“Yes. Lee seems to have perfectly understood how to arrange each material with what method, form, and spacing to make them come alive even more. Edin, as you know, the interaction between materials is a difficult task that is difficult to draw accurate conclusions even after a long period of research, isn’t it? Considering his age, it doesn’t seem like an ability gained after a long period of research, and yet to have done all of that with just a sense…”

It’s too unrealistic.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that it is an ability that can never be acquired unless the three elements of knowledge and experience of materials, and painstaking effort are all in harmony.

Immediately, Professor Edin Thomas nodded his head once and replied.

“As a result of what I have been watching so far, Lee feels like a veteran designer who knows how to adapt to the trends of the times. If I were to compare him to a current designer, he seems similar to Karl Lagerfeld.”

Immediately, Vivian nodded her head once and replied.

“Indeed, a new wind is blowing again this year without fail.”

“Yes. But it seems like an unprecedented strong wind.”

Of course, not only Vivian and Professor Edin Thomas, but also countless veteran designers were gracing the event with their presence.

And it could be said that they were all enjoying a similar wind of change with their skin.

An unprecedented rookie has appeared in the mainstream market.

A monstrous rookie who not only has the ingenuity of a rookie but also the meticulousness and seasonedness of a veteran, holding a fork in one hand and a knife in the other, seemed to be making a grim announcement that he would devour the entire market.

At that time.

“Hmm?”

Professor Edin Thomas, who was looking at the runway, couldn’t help but chuckle without realizing it.

It was none other than the printing on the jacket that the model who had just appeared on the runway was wearing.

A black and white photo of his childhood was printed on the back, along with the phrase ‘Dreamer’.

Not long after a model wearing a jacket with a print of Professor Edin Thomas’s childhood photo appeared, the walking speed of the models began to increase.

At the same time, the background music also began to play faster.

Could it have been only a dozen seconds?

Soon, models wearing printing jackets of the same material and shape began to pour out one by one.

It could be said that it was a composition that broke the formality of walking, or rather, deviated from the formality. If the tempo of walking becomes so fast, it is inevitable that detailed parts cannot be examined.

As if to prove that fact, some VIPs began to frown.

However, before long, the atmosphere of the audience was changed once again.

“Huh? It’s not the same product. The photos on the back seem to be printed differently on each jacket?”

“Isn’t that a photo of Karl Lagerfeld’s childhood?”

“That’s Vivienne Westwood.”

“The photo printed on the jacket worn by that white model is Versace, isn’t it?”

It was another unconventional attempt. The childhood photos of legendary designers were printed with the phrase ‘Dreamer’.

Soon, one female model, who seemed to be the last model, naturally stopped at the end of the runway.

Then, she gave a relaxed smile and showed a light and elegant turn.

Soon, the printing on the jacket she was wearing was revealed.

The last model, ‘Ashlyn’, was wearing a jacket with a photo of Jaeseung’s own childhood printed on the back, along with the phrase ‘Dreamer’.

Immediately, a buyer, as if forgetting that the show had not yet ended, jumped up from his seat and shouted to the person on the other end of the receiver.

“Damn it! The last series of jackets is crazy! I guarantee with everything I have, this will sell like hotcakes! We have to get the contract no matter what!”